Osborne was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the youngest of 12 children and is part of a musical family. He has five brothers and six sisters, some of whom went on to have music careers (his brother Billy was an L.T.D. bandmate). Osborne's father, Clarence "Legs" Osborne, was a popular trumpeter who played with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington and died when Osborne was thirteen.[1] Osborne started his music career in 1970 with a band called Love Men Ltd., who would later become known as L.T.D.[2] The band recorded hit singles such as "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again", "Concentrate on You," "Love Ballad" and "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)". At first, Osborne was a drummer, but then became the lead vocalist. He left L.T.D. in late 1980 to start a solo career. His solo success includes five gold and platinum albums.[1]
[edit] Solo career
In 1982, Osborne released his self-titled debut album, which featured two hit singles, "On the Wings of Love" and "I Really Don't Need No Light", peaking at #29 & #39 on the pop chart respectively. This was followed up the next year by Stay with Me Tonight, his first gold album (later reaching platinum album status), which spawned two more hits, "Don't You Get So Mad" (#25) and the title track (#30). "Stay with Me Tonight" (April 1984, #18) and "On the Wings of Love" (June 1984, #11) reach the UK Singles Chart.
In 1985, he wrote the lyrics to the Whitney Houston hit "All at Once" (music by Michael Masser). He appeared on USA for Africa's fundraising single, "We Are the World" in 1985. He would later appear on Celebrity Duets in 2006, performing "On The Wings Of Love" with Alfonso Ribeiro. Osborne lent his vocals to the theme song of the soap opera, Loving, from 1992 to 1995.[1]
Osborne had two more gold albums, Don't Stop and Emotional, the latter of which had his highest charting solo pop hit, "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)", which peaked at #13 in 1986.
The following year, Osborne had the highest-charting hit of his career duetting with Dionne Warwick on "Love Power", which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Adult Contemporary singles chart. This was a turning point in his pop success, as his albums and singles began charting lower and lower on the pop charts. Osborne's 1988 single "She's on the Left" would be his final Hot 100 entry, as well as his only #1 R&B hit.
After scoring two more substantial R&B hits in the early 1990s, "Only Human" and "If My Brother's in Trouble", Osborne would be absent from the charts for the remainder of the decade.
In the new millennium, he returned with a series of albums that, while far from the success he enjoyed in the 1980s, returned him to Adult R&B radio, scoring modest chart singles such as "Rest of Our Lives" (#75, 2003) and his cover of Barbara Mason's classic "Yes, I'm Ready" (#64, 2005).
In 2008, Osborne sang the national anthem before Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a feat which he repeated in 2009, before Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals, and also again in 2010 before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, all at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He also regularly sang the national anthem before Hartford Whalers games.
On March 1, 2010, Osborne appeared on The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love season finale, "After the Final Rose", singing his hit "On the Wings of Love" while Bachelor Jake Pavelka took to the dance floor with his newly announced fiance, Vienna Girardi.
[edit]
Cindy Herron (in the pink)
En Vogue
In 1988, Herron was chosen along with Dawn Robinson and Maxine Jones to be in a three-woman girl group by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. After adding Terry Ellis to the line-up, the group become a quartet and chose the name En Vogue.[6]
During 2004, Herron chose not to tour with En Vogue, but returned to the group the following year. Herron and Ellis are the only members of En Vogue to have appeared on every album the group has made.[7]
McDonald was recruited by the band The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tom Johnston became ill during a national tour. His time with the band proved so successful that they decided to retain him as a full time member.
As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most well-known songs, such as "Takin' It to the Streets", "Little Darling", "It Keeps You Runnin'", "Minute by Minute" and "What a Fool Believes" (which became a number one single in the U.S. and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year). At the same time he appeared as a session singer and piano player for artists like Christopher Cross, Jack Jones, Bonnie Raitt, the rock band Toto and Kenny Loggins.
[edit] Solo career
This Is It
Play sound
"This Is It", written and sung together with Kenny Loggins.
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After the Doobies' first farewell tour, McDonald compiled some of his earlier songs in the 1982 release That Was Then: The Early Years which has never been issued on CD. His first solo album, If That's What It Takes, also released in 1982, featured the hits "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," a duet with his sisters Kathy and Maureen, and "I Gotta Try," a song co-written with Kenny Loggins, who recorded it as well.
McDonald co-wrote Van Halen's Top 20 hit "I'll Wait", from their landmark 1984 album. McDonald co-wrote "You Belong to Me" with Carly Simon.
"Yah Mo B There", a duet with James Ingram, won him the 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[2] He followed that up with "On My Own", a duet with Patti Labelle, which reached #1 on the U.S. charts in 1986. That same year he also performed the single "Sweet Freedom" that appeared on that summer's hit movie Running Scared soundtrack.
McDonald's 1990 album Take It to Heart featured a minor hit with the title song, co-written with Diane Warren. The following year he joined the New York Rock and Soul Revue, put together by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. 1991's "Ever Changing Times" with Aretha Franklin, a duet on Arista Records, had moderate success and radio play (peaking at #19 on US R&B charts). In 2003, he earned two Grammy nominations for his album Motown, a tribute to the Motown sound.
In 2008 McDonald released his 'SoulSpeak' album. Which (in addition to including three new songs penned by McDonald himself) featured his interpretations of 11 carefully-selected soul-inspired songs. Ranging from universal evergreens like Dionne Warwick's 'Walk On By' and Stevie Wonder's 'Living For The City' to lesser-known numbers like Van Morrison's atmospheric 'Into The Mystic' and the late-Sixties Chicago soul of Tyrone Davis' 'Baby Can I Change My Mind'.[3]
McDonald has reunited as a guest performer with the Doobies several times since their initial dissolution in 1982, and joined Steely Dan on their 2006 summer tour, both as the opening act and as part of the band.[4]
Gary "Lil G" Jenkins
Gary began singing in church at the age of seven, which earned him a role as a featured soloist on BET's The Bobby Jones Gospel Show for many years. By the age of nine, Gary had mastered the guitar after only a few lessons[citation needed] and had self taught an assortment of keyboards, drums and guitars.
While attending Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Gary majored in music, with an emphasis in piano and voice. As a member of the prestigious TSU Jazz Collegians, he was selected to accompany Dizzy Gillespie on piano during Gillespie's visit to the school. He also appeared in several opera productions and performed with the TSU marching band.
In 1992, Gary answered an audition call and earned the role as lead singer for Keith Sweat's newly-formed R&B group, Silk. Their career began with the success of "Freak Me" and "Lose Control" from Silk's 1992 debut album Lose Control. Their career spanned the globe for nearly ten years, with more than five million records sold. The success of their second album, Silk, led to the follow-up, Tonight. Remaining consistent, they released their fourth album, Love Session in 2001. The group gained national recognition with his appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kathi Lee, MTV, BET, Soul Train, Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, Moesha, Showtime At The Apollo and Motown Live among others. Achieving international acclaim, Gary has toured throughout the world in such countries as Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
With unresolved dissension among the group members mounting after the folding of their record label, Elektra, Gary resigned from the group in 2002. Over the following 18 months, Gary wrote, recorded and produced (with live instruments) his first independent solo project, The Other Side.
Gary also studied theater in school, co-starring in Hello, Dolly! and Harvey. He made his professional debut in 1997 in the production of Sneaky. He has since appeared in numerous nationally touring stage plays including Fake Friends, Perilous Times, Secret Lovers, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, What Men Don't Tell and Whatever She Wants.
Gary is a member of the R&B supergroup, Blayse, along with Marc Nelson and Tony Grant formerly of Az Yet and Terrell Phillips formerly of Blackstreet. The group has yet to release a single.
After appearing with Silk during Keith Sweat's "Sweat Hotel" tour in 2006 and subsequent release of the concert footage on the DVD "Sweat Hotel", Jenkins reunited with Silk and began touring and recording in late 2007.
In 1959, Ross was brought to the attention of Milton Jenkins, the manager of the local doo-wop group The Primes, by Mary Wilson. Primes member Paul Williams convinced Jenkins to enlist Ross in the sister group The Primettes, which included Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown. Ross, Wilson and Ballard each sang lead during live performances. In 1960, Lu Pine Records signed the group and issued the Ross-led single "Tears of Sorrow" backed with the Wilson-led "Pretty Baby".Soon after winning a singing contest in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ross approached former neighbor William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. for an audition at the label with which he recorded, Motown Records. The group garnered the audition and impressed Motown's CEO, Berry Gordy, Jr. (who arrived at the audition during the group's performance), but declined to work with the group due to them being underaged. Undeterred, the group would stand outside the label's Hitsville USA studios hoping to grab attention, eventually providing backing vocals & hand claps for many of Motown's more established artists. Meanwhile during the group's struggling early years Ross earned pay in the day as Berry Gordy's secretary. She also served at the group's main hair stylist, make-up artist, seamstress & costume designer during this period.
The Supremes in 1965. Left to right: Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross.
In 1961, having already replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the quartet signed with Motown Records under their new moniker, The Supremes, chosen by Florence Ballard, who was the only member to be present when the group was offered a name change. Both Ross and Wilson initially disliked the name, afraid they would be mistaken for a men's group (Ruby & The Romantics' original name was The Supremes) but the name stuck regardless.
Following Martin's exit in 1962, the group remained a trio. In 1963, Ross became the group's lead singer, as Berry Gordy felt the group could "cross over" to the pop charts with Ross' unique vocal quality, and the Ross-led "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" became the group's first Billboard Top 20 Pop single. The Supremes hit number one with "Where Did Our Love Go", a song rejected by The Marvelettes, and then achieved unprecedented success: between August 1964 and May 1967, Ross, Wilson and Ballard sang on ten number-one hit singles, all of which also made the United Kingdom Top 40.
Gordy removed Florence Ballard from the group in July 1967 and chose Cindy Birdsong, a member of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, as her replacement. Shortly thereafter, he changed the group's name to Diana Ross & the Supremes.
Motown initially conceived of a solo career for Diana Ross in 1966, but did not act on it until 1968. Television specials such as TCB (1968) and G.I.T. on Broadway (1969) were designed to spotlight her as a star in her own right, and much of the later Ross-led Supremes material was recorded by Ross with session singers The Andantes, not Wilson and Birdsong, on backing vocals. By the summer of 1969, Ross began her first solo recordings. In November of the same year, three years after it was first rumored, Billboard magazine confirmed Ross's departure from the group to begin her solo career. That same year, Ross introduced Motown's newest act, The Jackson 5, to national audiences on the Hollywood Palace television variety program.
Ross recorded her initial solo sessions with a number of producers, including Bones Howe and Johnny Bristol. Her first track with Bristol, "Someday We'll Be Together", was tagged as a potential solo single, but it instead was issued as the final Diana Ross & the Supremes release. "Someday We'll Be Together" was the 12th and final number-one hit for the Supremes and the last American number-one hit of the 1960s. Ross made her final appearance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970.
Kevon Edmonds
Kevon Edmonds (in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a singer and actor and is the 4th younger brother of famous producer/songwriter/singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Growing up, Kevon shied away from the church choir, preferring to sing for his own satisfaction. It was only during his teenage years that he joined his friends in the junior high and high school choirs.
Edmonds went to Indiana University where he began to further expand his musical ambitions. Taking I.U. Soul Revue, an extensive course in music theory, performing and the business, Edmonds began to see music as a real career. Pursuing this idea, he started the group After 7 with his brother, Melvin Edmonds, and his classmate in Soul Revue, Keith Mitchell.
The group did shows in local clubs, but on graduation went on to standard 9-5 jobs. However, brother Kenneth was moving up the ladder with L.A. Reid and when they signed a deal with Virgin Records, one of the acts they brought up was their relatives in After 7.
As a member of After 7, Kevon had some huge successes, earning a platinum album as well as several gold singles. They continued to tour the country and established themselves as one of R&B's top performing groups. After their 1995 album, Reflections, After 7 left Virgin Records due to frustrations with the label. The departure from Virgin Records allowed the members to pursue their own personal projects and over time, saw the group separate.[1]
At roughly the same time, Babyface brought his brothers, as well as siblings K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci on for a project in a fictional group Milestone. The group performed in the movie Soul Food and had a hit single with the track "I Care About You". For a brief period, Milestone nearly became a real group, instead of just the fictional group portrayed in the movie, but label conflicts caused the project to collapse.[2]
In 1999, Kevon released his first solo album, 24/7. The title track from the album was a big hit, going gold and reaching #10 on the Hot 100. The album's second single, "No Love", performed moderately well, reaching #25 on the R&B charts.
Edmonds' second solo CD, Who Knew, is scheduled for release on October 13, 2009 through Make Entertainment/Image Distribution. The first single was released in early August and is titled "Oh."[3]
"Who Knew" has generated mainly positive reviews since its release. Thomas Leo on Grown Folks Music rated the album 4/5 citing "What he did was give r&b fans a very solid album full of good music in a time when the genre seems to be moving away from what it once was."[4]
In a recent interview, he promised fans they won't have to wait another 10 years for his next album: "I can assure you that you won’t have to wait another ten. *Laughs* “Oh yes, new album 2019, I’m going to be dropping a new album.” *Laughs* No, I’ll be back long before, that is a promise."
Born in Detroit in 1936, Levi Stubbs began his professional singing career with friends Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton, forming a singing group called The Four Aims in 1954.[1] Two years later, after having signed with Chess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops. The name change was meant to avoid confusion with the then-popular Ames Brothers.[1] The Four Tops began as a supper-club act before signing to Motown Records in 1963. By the end of the decade, the Four Tops had over a dozen hits. The most popular of their hits (all of which featured Stubbs on lead vocals) include "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "Bernadette", "Still Water (Love)", "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" as well as the late hit "Loco In Acapulco". Although Stubbs was a natural baritone, most Four Tops' hits were written in a tenor range to give the lead vocals a sense of urgency.
*
at New Rochelle High School, Nov. 1966
Despite being the most prominent member of the group, Stubbs refused to have separate billing (in contrast to other Motown acts such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Diana Ross and the Supremes),[2] and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates.[2] Stubbs and the other Tops remained a team until Payton died in 1997, at which point Theo Peoples took his place. The Four Tops were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide.[1] In 2000, Theo Peoples replaced Stubbs as lead singer after Stubbs suffered a stroke, with Ronnie McNeir taking the place that Payton originally held. Benson died on July 1, 2005, leaving Duke Fakir as the only surviving member of The Four Tops' original lineup.
Although not an actor, Levi Stubbs provided the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II in the 1986 movie version of the musical Little Shop of Horrors to much acclaim from fans of the film, and the voice of Mother Brain in the animated TV series Captain N: The Game Master (1989).[3] Stubbs also guest starred in a number of TV shows as himself. Berry Gordy offered him the role of Louis McKay in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, opposite Diana Ross as Billie Holliday, but Stubbs turned it down, once again not wishing to overshadow the other members of the Four Tops.[2]
The Billy Bragg album Talking with the Taxman about Poetry includes a song titled, "Levi Stubbs' Tears".
Kameelah Williams
In Las Vegas, sisters LeMisha and Irish Grinstead, and their friend Kameelah Williams, were students at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts. Irish, her twin sister Orish, and LeMisha occasionally sang in the lobby of Caesars Palace where they were discovered by actor/comedian Sinbad. He visited their home in order to convince their parents to send the trio to Atlanta for a convention and music competition. Though the girls missed the deadline for entry, Sinbad used his name to get them in.[1] "Sweeta than Suga," as they were then called (Sinbad suggested the name), came in second in the competition. As the convention was nearing a close, they met Michael Bivins (formerly of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe) who agreed to work with the sisters. They were briefly joined by their cousin Amelia Childs. After they made their recorded debut on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play", Amelia dropped out of the group[1] and was replaced by Kameelah Williams. After recording a few demos as a quartet including "Steelo", and "Get It Together", Orish decided to leave the group (even though her vocals appear on the first album). Bivins continued to work with different producers and songwriters to get the right feel for their first album. The reconfigured group was christened "702," which is Las Vegas' area code, a name which Bivens suggested.[1]
[edit] 1996–1998: Rise to fame
Main article: No Doubt (702 album)
Their debut album, No Doubt shot to #1 on Top Heatseekers. Missy Elliott co-wrote & produced 4 songs on the album including the smash hit single "Steelo" and its remix. The album spawned the 3 hit singles: "Steelo", "All I Want" and "Get It Together". "Steelo" with altered lyrics was used as the theme song to the Nickelodeon television show Cousin Skeeter & "All I Want" was featured in the Nickelodeon movie Good Burger. 702 also performed on Nickelodeon's All That. "Get It Together" exploded by giving the group a #3 R&B single and a #10 Pop single on the Billboard charts. The album earned them a Soul Train Lady Of Soul Award in 1997. It sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. In addition to the album, 702 opened for New Edition, Keith Sweat, and Blackstreet during the 1996-97 New Edition reunion tour. They also appeared on Elliott's debut album Supa Dupa Fly on her 1998 song "Beep Me 911" which didn't make it onto the American charts but reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart. The girls also sang with Busta Rhymes' new artist Rampage. "My Friend" was featured on the soundtrack to Men in Black. In 1998 702 made cameos in the sitcoms Sister, Sister and Moesha.
[edit] 1999–2000: Career development
Main article: 702 (album)
he duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the mid-1960s, writing for artists such as The 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like A Baby"), and Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned" and "'I Don't Need No Doctor"). Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown chief Berry Gordy.
Joining the Motown staff in 1966, Ashford & Simpson were paired with the vocal duo of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all but one of the late-1960s Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such as the original version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Get By". According to Gaye in the book "Divided Soul," Simpson did most of the vocals on the last album he did with Terrell, "Easy," as a way of Terrell's family to have additional income as she was battling an ultimately fatal brain tumor. (Simpson is quoted as denying this in a book written by Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery.)
Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced almost all the songs on three 1970's albums for former Supreme Diana Ross including her first solo album Diana Ross ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Surrender ("Remember Me"), and The Boss.
Other Motown artists that Ashford & Simpson worked with included Gladys Knight & The Pips (Didn't You Know You'd Have To Cry Sometime", "The Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste Of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take The Blame"), The Marvelettes ("Destination:Anywhere"), The Supremes ("Some Things You Never Get Used To"), and The Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Shoe Shine").
Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good To You"), The Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds," ) and with Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe" )
[edit] Performers
Ashford & Simpson's career as recording artists actually began in 1964, when they recorded "I'll Find You" as "Valerie & Nick." This was followed by several obscure singles Ashford recorded on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels such as "It Ain't Like That", (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), "California Soul" and "Dead End Kids" backed by his own version of "Let's Go Get Stoned". After concentrating on working with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Gula Matari in 1970 and its follow-up, Smackwater Jack. Simpson subsequently recorded two solo LPs for Motown: Valerie Simpson Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, the album Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly Wasn't I," which was sampled on 50 Cent's "Best Friend" from the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song was also sampled by 9th Wonder on Murs's "Silly Girl" in the album Murray's Revenge. Ashford & Simpson were featured singing selections from Simpson's solo albums on the PBS TV show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip in 1971. They left Motown in 1973, after the albums Simpson recorded for the label received poor promotion and the company refused to release an album of the two of them recording a collection of their most famous songs for other artists.
In 1974 Ashford & Simpson got married, and they resumed their career as a duo with the Warner Bros. album Gimme Something Real. This was followed by the hit singles, "Don't Cost You Nothin'," in 1977, "It Seems To Hang On" in 1978, "Is It Still Good To Ya" in 1978, "Found A Cure" in 1979, "Street Corner" in 1982, and their biggest hit, "Solid", which they recorded in 1984.
In 1978, they were featured as vocalists, along with Chaka Khan, on the hit single "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds...And Stuff Like That album and contributed to the writing of the soundtrack to The Wiz.
Simpson appeared (with Melba Moorman) as part of the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Soul Chorus" on the band's Al Kooper led debut, Child Is Father to the Man.
On his own, Ashford produced, along with Frank Wilson, the mammoth hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which was recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes in collaboration with the Temptations in 1968. He also appeared in the movie New Jack City (1991), as Reverend Oates, an ordained minister who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.
Simpson's brothers were in the record business as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village People and their brother Jimmy Simpson, produced the group GQ, (who had big hits with "Disco Nights" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a mixing engineer during the disco era.
[edit] Recent years
In recent times, Ashford & Simpson have recorded and toured sporadically and in 1996, they opened the restaurant and live entertainment venue Sugar Bar in New York City, which has an open mic on Thursday nights where performers have included Queen Latifah and Felicia Collins. They recorded the album Been Found with poet Maya Angelou in 1996. Around this time, they were also featured disc jockeys on New York's KISS-FM radio station.
On August 16, 2006, Playbill Online reported that they are writing the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. [1] In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker, accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened up the school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.
The duo continues to write and score today. They are given writing credit on Amy Winehouse's 2007 CD Back to Black for the single "Tears Dry On Their Own". The track is based on a sample of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown classic hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". They have started performing their live act in intimate spaces such as Feinstein's at the Regency in New York and the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and in January 2009, they released a CD and DVD of their live performances entitled The Real Thing. On June 22 2009 they made a guest performance at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's Birthday party. They also made the first appearance in Tokyo Japan and performed 8 shows in 4 days at Blue Note Tokyo in November 2009.
Nate Morris (Boyz II Men)
Nathan Bartholomew Morris (born June 18, 1971) is an African-American singer and a founding member of Boyz II Men. Morris sings baritone and soprano.[1]
Morris released a single entitled "Wishes" for the Touchstone Pictures film Kazaam starring NBA Star Shaquille O'Neal. Morris most recently discovered Def Jam recording artist Megan Rochell whom he manages under his label "AdLib Entertainment". He has a degree in Web Design & Computer Programing and studies Photography. He has his own photography studio in Downtown Philadelphia South called 'Behind the School Studios'. Morris had a son in 1996, Nathan Morris Jr.
[edit]
The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the mid-1960s, writing for artists such as The 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like A Baby"), and Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned" and "'I Don't Need No Doctor"). Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown chief Berry Gordy.
Joining the Motown staff in 1966, Ashford & Simpson were paired with the vocal duo of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all but one of the late-1960s Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such as the original version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Get By". According to Gaye in the book "Divided Soul," Simpson did most of the vocals on the last album he did with Terrell, "Easy," as a way of Terrell's family to have additional income as she was battling an ultimately fatal brain tumor. (Simpson is quoted as denying this in a book written by Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery.)
Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced almost all the songs on three 1970's albums for former Supreme Diana Ross including her first solo album Diana Ross ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Surrender ("Remember Me"), and The Boss.
Other Motown artists that Ashford & Simpson worked with included Gladys Knight & The Pips (Didn't You Know You'd Have To Cry Sometime", "The Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste Of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take The Blame"), The Marvelettes ("Destination:Anywhere"), The Supremes ("Some Things You Never Get Used To"), and The Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Shoe Shine").
Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good To You"), The Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds," ) and with Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe" )
[edit] Performers
Ashford & Simpson's career as recording artists actually began in 1964, when they recorded "I'll Find You" as "Valerie & Nick." This was followed by several obscure singles Ashford recorded on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels such as "It Ain't Like That", (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), "California Soul" and "Dead End Kids" backed by his own version of "Let's Go Get Stoned". After concentrating on working with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Gula Matari in 1970 and its follow-up, Smackwater Jack. Simpson subsequently recorded two solo LPs for Motown: Valerie Simpson Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, the album Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly Wasn't I," which was sampled on 50 Cent's "Best Friend" from the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song was also sampled by 9th Wonder on Murs's "Silly Girl" in the album Murray's Revenge. Ashford & Simpson were featured singing selections from Simpson's solo albums on the PBS TV show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip in 1971. They left Motown in 1973, after the albums Simpson recorded for the label received poor promotion and the company refused to release an album of the two of them recording a collection of their most famous songs for other artists.
In 1974 Ashford & Simpson got married, and they resumed their career as a duo with the Warner Bros. album Gimme Something Real. This was followed by the hit singles, "Don't Cost You Nothin'," in 1977, "It Seems To Hang On" in 1978, "Is It Still Good To Ya" in 1978, "Found A Cure" in 1979, "Street Corner" in 1982, and their biggest hit, "Solid", which they recorded in 1984.
In 1978, they were featured as vocalists, along with Chaka Khan, on the hit single "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds...And Stuff Like That album and contributed to the writing of the soundtrack to The Wiz.
Simpson appeared (with Melba Moorman) as part of the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Soul Chorus" on the band's Al Kooper led debut, Child Is Father to the Man.
On his own, Ashford produced, along with Frank Wilson, the mammoth hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which was recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes in collaboration with the Temptations in 1968. He also appeared in the movie New Jack City (1991), as Reverend Oates, an ordained minister who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.
Simpson's brothers were in the record business as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village People and their brother Jimmy Simpson, produced the group GQ, (who had big hits with "Disco Nights" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a mixing engineer during the disco era.
[edit] Recent years
In recent times, Ashford & Simpson have recorded and toured sporadically and in 1996, they opened the restaurant and live entertainment venue Sugar Bar in New York City, which has an open mic on Thursday nights where performers have included Queen Latifah and Felicia Collins. They recorded the album Been Found with poet Maya Angelou in 1996. Around this time, they were also featured disc jockeys on New York's KISS-FM radio station.
On August 16, 2006, Playbill Online reported that they are writing the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. [1] In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker, accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened up the school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.
The duo continues to write and score today. They are given writing credit on Amy Winehouse's 2007 CD Back to Black for the single "Tears Dry On Their Own". The track is based on a sample of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown classic hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". They have started performing their live act in intimate spaces such as Feinstein's at the Regency in New York and the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and in January 2009, they released a CD and DVD of their live performances entitled The Real Thing. On June 22 2009 they made a guest performance at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's Birthday party. They also made the first appearance in Tokyo Japan and performed 8 shows in 4 days at Blue Note Tokyo in November 2009.
Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[16] Knowles' interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon's Imagine and won the competition.[17][18] At age seven, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts award The Sammy.[19] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school's choir.[16] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[20] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief.[15][21] Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church.[16] She only lasted in the choir for two years.[22]
Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the group for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.[23] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,[24] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[23] During this time, Knowles had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles: the publicized split of Luckett and Roberson, being publicly attacked by the media, critics and blogs for causing the split-up,[28] and a longstanding boyfriend (that she had dated from age 12 to 19 years) leaving her.[29][30] The depression was so severe it had lasted for a couple of years, while she had kept herself in her bedroom for days and refused to eat anything. Knowles stated that she struggled to speak about her depression because Destiny's Child had just won their first Grammy Award and she feared no one would take her seriously.[31] All of these events had made her question herself and who her friends were, describing the situation she said, "Now that I was famous, I was afraid I'd never find somebody again to love me for me. I was afraid of making new friends."[29] She remembers her mother, Tina Knowles, for finally saying to help her out of her depression, "Why do you think a person wouldn't love you? Don't you know how smart and sweet and beautiful you are?"[29]
LaBelle was born Patricia Louise Holte in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Henry Holte, a railroad worker, and Bertha Robinson Holte, a housewife.[2] The third of four sisters (and the fourth of five, the Holtes also had one son), Holte began singing at church at an earlier age. Though Holte enjoyed a happy childhood, she would later recount in her autobiography that she was sexually molested as a child. When Holte was twelve, her parents split up. Holte attended John Bartram High School in Philadelphia. During an audition for a school play, a teacher advised Holte to form a singing group.
Holte, who was nicknamed "Patsy" by friends and family, formed her first girl group called the Ordettes in 1959. In 1960, when two of the original Ordettes left, Holte and fellow Ordette Sundray Tucker brought in singers Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, from a recently defunct rival group, the Del Capris. When Tucker's family made Sandra leave the group, she was replaced by hometown friend Cindy Birdsong. With her mother's blessings, Patti left high school to tour with the Ordettes. The group was managed by Bernard Montague and toured from local nightclubs to honky tonks and truck stops in the Philadelphia area.
During an audition with Newtown Records, the Ordettes almost didn't get a recording contract because Holte, who was the lead singer was considered "too plain, too dark and unattractive" until she sang for him. Afterwards, he suggested a name change for Holte. Add to the irony after his initial disappointment of Holt, the surname LaBelle was French for "the beautiful". Signing them in 1961, the boss also changed the name of the group to The Bluebelles, named initially after a Newtown subsidiary (Bluebelle Records), which later led to threats of a lawsuit over another girl group's manager. The name was altered to Patti LaBelle and Her Bluebelles in 1963 and changed slightly to Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles two years later.
[edit] Group career: 1962 - 1977
Main article: Labelle
The Bluebelles' first single, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", was actually recorded by The Starlets and was released as a Bluebelles single due to contract obligations the Starlets had with their own label, Pam Records. Credited to Patti's group, the song peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. Going out on the road, the group became a successful draw on the chitlin' circuit, mainly earning national fame at The Apollo Theater where they became "Apollo Sweethearts". The group enjoyed a modestly successful recording career, which included top 40 recordings such as their gospel-styled doo-wop renditions of traditional songs such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Danny Boy". In 1963, their ballad "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)" became a top 40 hit. In 1965, after recording for Newtown and Cameo-Parkway, the group landed a stint at Atlantic Records gaining some modest success recording Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow", a song LaBelle would record as a soloist over a decade later and which later became a concert staple in LaBelle's shows since. The group also recorded the modest pop hit, "All or Nothing". The group also sang background for Wilson Pickett's hit "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" while with Atlantic. In 1967, Cindy Birdsong shocked the group when she left to replace Florence Ballard of The Supremes. The abrupt exit caused friction between the group members and LaBelle wouldn't speak to Birdsong again for nearly 20 years.
During the late 1960s, the Bluebelles toured England where they had a local following. Elton John met LaBelle in the mid-1960s when he and his group Bluesology played background for the Bluebelles during their UK gigs. In 1970, the Bluebelles were dropped from Atlantic and also lost their manager Montague,who had signed Philadelphia's "Delfonics". The group almost signed with DJ promoters Frankie Crocker and Herb Hamlett, but Hamlett left the industry for a law career, leaving the group to eventually hire Dusty Springfield's manager Vicki Wickham, she advised the group to revive their image and sound. Though LaBelle admitted having difficulty with the change, she eventually agreed after her two band mates, including Nona Hendryx, convinced her the move would bring popularity to the group. Returning to America the following year, they changed their name to Labelle and released their self-titled debut on Warner Bros. Records. The same year, they gained a cult following after opening for The Who and appearing as backup for Laura Nyro's accomplished album, Gonna Take a Miracle. After releasing two more transitional albums, including 1972's Moon Shadow and 1973's Pressure Cookin', which had the group recording more political affair including a famed remake of Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". In 1973, the group was asked to change their look again, after discovering the success of glam rockers David Bowie and T-Rex, to glammed-up wardrobe. In time, the group's trademark wear included pieces of silver (LaBelle herself began wearing silver-haired wigs and knee-high silver boots).
In September 1974, after two weeks in New Orleans, Labelle released their landmark album, Nightbirds, which successfully mixed glam rock and soul with funk elements. Their biggest hit, "Lady Marmalade", became their very first number-one hit, and the group went on a successful national tour that started with a rave performance at the Metropolitan Opera House,[3] where they became the first contemporary pop group to open there and the first African American group to perform there. The group advised fans to "wear something silver" during the famed event. In 1975, Labelle became the first black vocal group to land a cover on Rolling Stone. The group founded some commercial and critical success with the releases of rockier efforts such as Phoenix and Chameleon, famed for the feminist funk classic, "Get You Somebody New" and Patti's magnum opus, a cover of Randy Edelman's rock ballad, "Isn't It a Shame", though it didn't match up with the success of Nightbirds. After failing to come to terms with musical direction, the group agreed to split up in early 1977 for solo careers.
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Kenneth Edmonds was born on April 10, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana[1] to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. Barbara was a pharmaceutical plant manager. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (which also included future After 7 bandmembers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom later had a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions.[citation needed] When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds's father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.[1]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career
Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" while he was still a teen. He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1977 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. Then, as a keyboardist in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership). One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow-Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album, and while it never hit the charts, the song is still played on quiet storm shows. Babyface remained in The Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.
[edit] Commercial success
In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul and '80s icon Sheena Easton.
In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Two of the label's early artists TLC were successful, becoming one of the best selling female groups in music history, and Toni Braxton. Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. TLC's first two albums on LaFace—1992's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool—combined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.
Babyface helped form the popular late-90s R&B group Az Yet.
Edmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” produced for Whitney Houston, was his first #1 Top 40 hit in the US. He also wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love To You," both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1995 7-week #1 hit "Take a Bow," and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack. He also wrote and produced the #1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Whitney Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Whitney Houston, Brandy and Mary J. Blige.
Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the Fox reality show Celebrity Duets.
Babyface was in the studio for about two years with Ashanti to produce her album The Declaration.[2]
His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label.[3]
He worked on the Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III, on the Kanye West-produced "Comfortable." He also worked with R&B singer Monica for her upcoming album Still Standing.
[edit] Awards
On August 30, 2006, Babyface was honored as a BMI Icon at the 6th annual BMI Urban Awards.[4] Throughout his career, Babyface has won the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year trophy seven times and a total of 51 BMI Awards, which includes Song of the Year for his Toni Braxton hit, "Breathe Again," in 1994.[5]
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Larry Blackmon (Cameo)
Larry Ernest Blackmon (born May 24, 1956) is the lead singer and frontman for the funk and R&B band, Cameo. He came to Cameo from the band, Black Ivory.
Along with his unique vocal style, Blackmon's other personal touches included sporting an elaborate high top fade haircut and a codpiece over his pants. His signature "ow!" was used as the intro for some of the band's songs and was sampled in Black Box's 1990 dance hit, "Everybody Everybody".
Blackmon appeared as a backing vocalist on Cyndi Lauper's 1989 album, A Night to Remember. He also had co-producer credits for Eddie Murphy's 1989 album So Happy.
The snare drum sound that Blackmon created for "Word Up!" and "Candy" was duplicated on releases by a wide range of artists.[1]
One of his sons is heavily involved in the New York political scene, while another son is currently involved in the hip hop music industry.
Slim (112)
112 formed in Atlanta, Georgia and consists of Marvin "Slim" Scandrick - born on September 25, 1979, one of three siblings, Scandrick plays all of the concert strings, including viola, cello, double bass, and violin; Michael Marcel Keith was born on December 18, 1979 - one of three brothers, plays the keyboard; Quinnes "Q" Parker, born on March 24, 1978, is credited with the mellow vocals; and vocalist Daron Jones - who often doubles as the record producer for 112, was born on December 28, 1978, the youngest of four children. As a student he joined the middle school chorus and the Atlanta Boys Choir. Strong, smart, and athletic, he maintained a B+ average in high school while playing receiver on the varsity football team and shooting guard for the varsity basketball club. He was also seen running cross country and track, and played tennis in high school. The group had its start when the members met while attending high school. Known as "Forte" at the time, the group performed talent shows at church and school and eventually gained the attention of Courtney Sills who brought the group to producers and Kevin Wales, the group's would-be managers. After being brought to the attention of Sean Combs via discovery by the production duo Tim & Bob, the group was quickly signed in front of a local club in Atlanta called "Buckhead 112 Club", which is credited to the group’s name 112. Soon afterwards they found themselves living in New York, recording their self-titled debut album. Released in 1996, the album eventually went double platinum. The album which was primarily produced by Tim & Bob entered into the top 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, and went on to sale over two million copies. It featured the hit singles "Only You" and "Cupid," both of which peaked at #13 on the Hot 100 and #3 and #2 on the R&B charts respectively.[1] The group also contributed to records by artists including Notorious B.I.G, Puff Daddy & Mase. The group eventually went on the road as the opening act for the Isley Brothers at Ron Isley's request, the first of four separate tours that saw the group criss-crossing the U.S. with Keith Sweat, New Edition and finally Puff Daddy and the Family, over an 18 month period. In the years that followed, they found themselves touring with other artists such as Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson.[2]
[edit] Rise to success (1997–2001)
Part III (2001)
A series of hot single tracks by 112 populated the charts in 1997, beginning with "Come See Me," which hit the top 40 in January. "Cupid," released in May, made the top 40 and was certified gold in the same month. By August the track went platinum. Another 1997 single, "I'll Be Missing You," hit the top 40 in June and was certified triple platinum by July. Attaining the number one chart position by August, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997. "I'll Be Missing You" sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven weeks and spent nine weeks at the top of the Hot Singles sales. The track also topped the R&B singles, R&B singles sales, and rap singles charts for eight weeks running. The group booked tours with the Isleys, Keith Sweat, and New Edition, as well as with Puff Daddy and the Family, totaling four separate tours. The group spent 18 successive months on the road fulfilling tour commitments.
Their sophomore project, Room 112 was released in 1998, and featured the hits, "Love Me" featuring Mase and "Anywhere" featuring Lil Zane. Both the album and the song "Love Me" were certified gold. Album sales surpassed the platinum level by May 1999, and double platinum sales were recorded in 2002.
A 2001 single, "It's Over Now," charted at the top of the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. Room 112’s follow-up, Part III was released in 2001, spun the hit Peaches & Cream, and earned the group their first and only Grammy nomination in the Best R&B Group or Duo category. While the group was in production on a new album for 2001, however, executive producer Combs was called to court repeatedly, regarding a shooting incident. Instead of taping at the usual accommodations in Combs's studio, 112 went to Nashville, Tennessee, to record the new disc. It was a move that signaled a pending split with Bad Boy Records. The album, Part III, was released on March 20, 2001, following an intensive barrage of advance radio publicity. Even in the absence of Combs, Part III took off with a running start. It raced up the charts to debut at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Surpassing gold sales in April, the album went platinum in May. To promote the album further, 112 joined Janet Jackson that summer for her All for You world tour.[3] Among the singles released from the album, an upbeat track called "Peaches and Cream"—which was credited in part to Combs—scored another crossover hit for the band. Released in June, the track soared to number one on the Rhythmic Top 40 and peaked at number four on the Hot 100. The group earned two award nominations for the song that year: an MTV Best Video nomination in September, and a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.[4]
[edit] Co-signing with Def Jam (2002-2006)
In 2002 the group members, having matured both personally and professionally, came to the realisation that a split with the Bad Boy label was necessary due to the lack of interest.[5] In search of greater creative control, 112 left Bad Boy Records in February 2002 and signed with Def Jam in July on their Def Soul-imprint, insisting that the breakup was amicable. They reiterated this no-hard-feelings attitude by going to Daddy's House to record a debut album for Def Jam. Disagreements remained over ownership rights to the 112 catalog of songs, and their fourth album Hot & Wet, the Def Jam debut disc, was waylaid as a result, while negotiations ensued between Lyor Cohen of Def Jam and Bad Boy owner Combs. With both sides ultimately in agreement, Hot & Wet appeared in November 2003, with its title song breaking into Billboard 's Hot 100 and the Rhythmic Top 40 that year. In 2004 the album charted on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album however failed to make any noticeable impression on the charts. From the album they released "Na, Na, Na" featuring Dancehall legend Supercat.
Pleasure & Pain, the group's fifth album, was released in 2005, eventually reaching platinum status and featuring the popular single "U Already Know." The album is their first to come with a parental advisory sticker, reportedly caused by a rap from Three 6 Mafia though a few songs on the album also contain profanity. Shortly after the release of the album though and amidst rumors of issues regarding money, the members separated to pursue solo careers and were subsequently dropped by Def Jam.
[edit] Controversy, hiatus and solo projects (2007–2009)
In 2007, 112 formed their own label One Twelve Music Group and were in talks with a joint venture deal with Irv Gotti's The Inc. Records-imprint to release an album in 2008 after being dropped from Def Jam Records.[6] The group continued to tour nationally and world wide, whilst they embarked on their own solo projects.
Daron Jones was reported to have left the group to pursue a solo career in 2007. However in 2008, he was seen performing with the group again while overseas in Germany and Belgium.
Slim is featured along with Three 6 Mafia on 8Ball & MJG's second single "Cruzin'" off of their album "Ridin High". He has signed his own label deal with Asylum/Atlantic called M3 Productions Inc. and released his solo debut album Love's Crazy in November 2008. He released his first single called "So Fly" featuring Yung Joc and Shawty Lo.
In an interview with MiddleChildPromotions, Q. Parker confirmed that his debut album is entitled "Real Talk" and is due for release in September 2008. He was in the studio working with Tim & Bob, The Pirates, Jammy, Bryan-Michael Cox, The Platinum Brothers and Crystal Johnson. The album will be released under a joint-venture between his own label NewFam Entertainment and Drift City Records.[7] The first single off the album is called "Crazy Crazy" and it features Rock City.
Michael Keith decided to leave 112 and go solo. He stated that a former groupmate stole his, and member Slim's, money. Causing the two to leave. Slim however states that he never fell out with anyone over money and is still with 112. The group now consists of members Q, Slim, and Daron. Mike said his business partner showed him that he wasn't receiving his royalty checks and that he needed to sue either Q or Daron. Q said that he respects Michael Keith as a man but wishes he would not put false rumors out in public. Mike says that his personal relationships with the other three members are good but business wise he can't deal with them anymore.[8] Q, Slim, and Daron have been performing without him overseas in Australia, France, and Germany. Mike released his debut solo album, Michael Keith, on September 30, 2008 as a digital download through iTunes and Amazon MP3. He also released two songs "She's My Superstar" and "Sexy" under the pseudonym "Dangerus" via the internet. In 2010, Michael Keith has reconciled with the other three members of 112 and will record with the group on their sixth studio album planned for release in 2010.
[edit] Reunion and new album (2010)
In March 2010, 112 returned to the studio, according to member Q. Parker.[9] The group is recording a follow up to the 2005 album, Pleasure & Pain. He broke the news via Twitter, "In the studio with my boys Mike and Daron! New 112 album comin soon!" The news of the group's reunion was also confirmed by member Daron Jones in an interview published on Sound-Savvy.com.[10] Jones confirmed that the reunion will include Mike and Q, but not Slim. Daron shared that Slim declined to be a part of the reunion, but not for reasons of contractual obligation, but simply opting out. He commented, "Slim just didn’t want to be a part of it".[11] The yet-to-be titled album currently doesn’t have a release date.[
Born in Birmingham, Alabama[2] to Reverend and Mrs. Dennis Edwards Sr., he began singing as a toddler, just two years old, in his fathers' church. His family moved to Detroit when he was seven.[2] As a high school student, Edwards sang with the Mighty Clouds of Joy gospel group, then in 1961 he organized his own soul/jazz group, Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs.[2] Before joining The Contours in 1967,[3] Edwards recorded a single for the obscure Detroit label, International Soulville Records. The single was a track called I Didn't Have to (But I Did) with Johnnie on the Spot.[2] The record is very rare and sought after by Northern soul fans.[citation needed]
[edit] The Temptations Years
Edwards was the first new Temptation to enter the group after their "classic five" heyday, when he replaced David Ruffin as lead singer in July 1968. Ruffin was allegedly fired for what some of his bandmates felt was unprofessional behavior. Edwards had been a friend of the group beforehand and in particular had been a friend of Ruffin's. The Temptations officially introduced Edwards on July 9, 1968 on stage in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. With his rougher gospel-hewn vocals, Edwards led the group through its psychedelic, funk, and disco periods; two of the Temptations songs he appears on, Cloud Nine (1968) and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (1972), won Grammy Awards.[2] Edwards remained in the Temptations until being fired by Otis Williams in 1977 just before the group's departure from Motown to Atlantic Records. After a failed attempt at a Motown solo career, Edwards rejoined the Temptations in 1980, when they returned to Motown.[2] In 1982, Edwards got the chance to sing with Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks as part of Reunion (The Temptations album) and tour. Edwards began missing shows and rehearsals, and was replaced in 1984 by Ali-Ollie Woodson.
[edit] Solo Artist
Motown re-launched Edwards' solo career, in 1984 with the hit single "Don't Look Any Further," a duet with Siedah Garrett.[2] The album of the same name reached No. 2 on the R&B charts and included the radio singles "(You're My) Aphrodisiac" and "Just Like You."[4] The 1985 follow-up album Coolin' Out included the title track, an R&B Top 30 hit; and "Try A Little Tenderness."[5] When problems arose between Woodson and the Temptations in 1987, Edwards was brought back once again, but was himself replaced by Woodson in 1989 after being fired a third and final time by Williams.
[edit] Ruffin, Kendricks, and Edwards
Edwards toured and recorded with fellow ex-Temptations Ruffin and Kendricks during the late 1980s as 'Ruffin/Kendricks/Edwards, former leads of The Temptations', although nothing was released.[2] The 1998 "Street Gold" DVD "Original Leads Of The Temptations" documents this historic period.[6] After the deaths of both Ruffin (1991) and Kendricks (1992), Edwards was forced to wrap up the project alone. In 1990 Dennis teamed up with Eddie Kendricks to release a dance/club track for A&B records entitled "Get it While it's Hot". The track was recorded at Fredrick Knight's recording studio in the duo's old home town of Birmingham, Alabama and produced and engineered by house music pioneer Alan Steward. The track created a lot of controversy as it contained a short rap sequence which did not sit very well with die hard Temptations fans. Edwards' Don't Look Any Further the Remix Album was released in 1998 containing updated dance mixes and the original 1984 track.
[edit] The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards
During the 1990s, Edwards began touring under the name 'Dennis Edwards & the Temptations', prompting a legal battle between himself and Otis Williams. It was decided that Edwards' group would be called 'The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards', the name that Edwards tours under to this day. Edwards' current group includes Paul Williams Jr., David Sea, Mike Patillo, and Chris Arnold.
Edwards was portrayed by Charles Ley in the 1998 biographical television mini-series The Temptations, though he was not heavily focused upon, as the mini-series gave more attention to the Ruffin/Kendricks-era Temptations line up.
Coko(SWV)
Clemons began her recording career as a choir member in Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Choir.[1]
[edit] Sisters With Voices
From 1990 to 1998, Coko sang with the platinum recording group, Sisters With Voices (SWV). Altogether the group issued 6 albums. After their 1998 Christmas album SWV disbanded. Two compilation albums were release after the disbanding; Greatest Hits (1999) and the Best of SWV (2001). Though many stories circulated as to why SWV disbanded, it was Coko herself who made the final decision.[2] In an interview, she said it was not a mutual decision and that many people tried to convince her to stay. She states that her reason for leaving was that the group was not communicating well and that she felt she would do better with a solo career.[2]
[edit] Solo career
After SWV disbanded, Coko went on to release her first solo album under RCA, titled Hot Coko, released August 1999. The first single, "Sunshine," which was dedicated to her son Jazz, reached the Top 40 position in the R&B charts that summer. However, both the album and singles did not gather the same mainstream success as Coko once did with SWV. Meanwhile, Coko was working on a second solo album titled Music Doll in early 2001, but RCA closed the black music division and the project was shelved. Since then, she has concentrated more on her family, and eventually married gospel producer and drummer for Israel and New Breed, Mike "Big Mike" Clemmons, the father of her second son, Jaylon. She currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[citation needed]
In 2001, Coko and her Mother Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble did a remake of the song "Tears in Heaven" (originally recorded by Eric Clapton) on the album Rhythm and Spirit: "Love Can Build a Bridge". The album featured other artists such as Jennifer Holliday, Patti Labelle, and Tramaine Hawkins. Clemons sang on the Brent Jones & TP Mobb single "Midnite" in 2002. She also appeared on Youthful Praise's 2003 gospel album Thank You for the Change singing lead on "Up There".
Coko's full gospel solo debut, Grateful, was released in the United States on October 31, 2006[3] and debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top Independent albums chart.[1] Grateful includes an all-star cover of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which features R&B singers Faith Evans, Fantasia Barrino and Lil Mo.[4] An alternate version, minus Faith Evans was performed on BET's Celebration of Gospel '07. A special edition of Grateful only available through Wal-Mart includes two bonus tracks "I Wish" and Brent Jones' "Midnite" featuring Coko on lead vocals.
Coko was reported to have joined an all-black touring cast performing the critically-acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues, along with Sherri Shepherd, Star Jones, Vanessa L. Williams, and others.[5] In June 2008, Coko performed in Japan for the Billboard Live Tour. She sang some of her solo hits "Sunshine", "Clap Your Hands", and the SWV song "Right Here/Human Nature".
[edit] Reuniting with SWV
Main article: Sisters With Voices
Coko reunited with SWV and performed during their first live performance in eight years in Los Angeles for urban radio station KKBT 100.3 "The Beat"'s Summerjam concert on August 20, 2005. They also appeared on the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour. SWV was featured in the XXL where they discussed single releases from their debut album It's About Time. In the interview, Clemons mentioned that the group would no longer perform sexually-explicit songs such as "Downtown" and "Can We" anymore out of a new respect for her beliefs as a Christian. The group's final performance took place in Toronto in late June 2007.[6]
On April 4, 2008, Coko returned with SWV to perform some of their hits for the local DJ Kid Kutts' birthday.[7]
Ronald Isley was born the third of six brothers (O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley, Ronald, Vernon Isley, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley) to Sallye Bernice (Bell) and O'Kelly Isley, Sr.[1] Ronald, like many of his siblings, began his career in the church. He began singing at the age of three, winning a $25 war bond for singing at a spiritual contest at the Union Baptist Church. By the age of seven, Ronald was singing onstage at venues such as the Regal Theater in Chicago, alongside Dinah Washington and a few other notables.
By his early teens, he was singing regularly with his brothers in church tours. In 1957, sixteen-year-old Ronald and his two elder brothers Kelly, 19 and Rudy, 18, moved to New York recording doo-wop for local labels before landing a major deal with RCA Records in 1959, where the trio wrote and released their anthemic "Shout". For much of the Isley Brothers' duration, Ron Isley would remain the group's consistent member of the group as well as the lead vocalist for most of the group's tenure with sporadic lead shares with his older brothers. In 1969, Ron and his brothers reformed T-Neck Records in a need to produce themselves without the control of record labels, forming the label shortly after ending a brief departure with Motown. In 1973, the group's style and sound drastically changed following the release of the 3 + 3 album where brothers Ernie Isley and Marvin Isley and in-law Chris Jasper permanently enter the brothers' lineup, writing the music and lyrics to the group's new sound. The younger brothers had been providing instrumental help for the brothers since the late 1960s.
After Kelly Isley's death in 1986 and Rudy Isley's exit to fulfill a dream of ministry in 1989, Ronald has carried on with the Isley Brothers name either as a solo artist or with accompanying help from the group's younger brothers, much more prominently, Ernie Isley. In 1990, Isley scored a top ten duet with Rod Stewart with a cover of his brothers' hit, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" and in 2003, Ronald recorded a solo album, Here I Am: Bacharach Meets Isley, with Burt Bacharach. In addition, Ron Isley became a sought-after hook singer for hip-hop acts such as R. Kelly, Warren G., 2Pac and UGK.
Ronald released his first solo album Mr. I on November 30, 2010. The album includes the first single "No More". It debuted at #50 on The Billboard 200 selling 22,243 copies. It was his first solo album to crack that chart.
In 2010, Isley received a "Legend Award", surveying Isley Brother music written largely by the younger brothers, at the Soul Train Music Awards.
Ricky Bell
he youngest of eleven children, Bell grew up in the Orchard Park projects. He began his career singing with close friend, Ralph Tresvant in a group called "Ricky and Ralph." Later, Bell, along with Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, and Ronnie DeVoe became New Edition. The group began a career in 1983 that has spanned twenty five years. After the departure of Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill joined the group in the mid 1980s. Before Gill joined the group, Bell was originally the oldest member of New Edition. After recording the Heartbreak album, Ricky was given the chance to be a solo artist but opted instead to form Bell Biv DeVoe.
The "best kept secret" originally gained the respect of the industry when record producer Jimmy Jam had an idea for a spin-off group called Bell Biv DeVoe with Bell as the lead singer. BBD as the group is commonly known, was the first group to integrate the elements of Rap and R&B consistently, calling their style "Hip-Hop smoothed out on an R&B tip with a Pop feel appeal to it." BBD's 1990 debut established Bell as a lead singer capable of chart topping success.
Although Bell had primarily performed as a backup vocalist with New Edition, during the 1990s he emerged as one of the most utilized voices on singles released by the group. With the exception of the ensemble songs, "Hot2Nite" and "Hit Me Off," and the Brown-led "You Don't Have to Worry," Bell performed lead or co-lead on the remainder of the group's charting singles. "I'm Still in Love With You," which also featured Ralph Tresvant, was so successful that a Spanish language version was recorded, "Siempre Tu," and "One More Day" has the distinction of being the only New Edition song with a solo member appearing in the video.
Other recordings featuring Bell's vocals include Red Bandit's 1990 single "Please Don't Cry," backup vocals on "Pretty Little Girl" from Bobby Brown's 1992 album, and, with Ralph Tresvant, on LL Cool J's 1997 song "Candy."
With Bell Biv DeVoe and New Edition, Bell has over two dozen television and film performances including Knight Rider, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, New York Undercover, Family Matters, the movie Krush Groove, and numerous music, variety, and awards programs.
In 2004, in a double wedding with Tresvant, Bell married actress Amy Correa. Ricky and his wife Amy currently have no children.
The bespectacled Ruffin initially sang backgrounds, while the role of lead singer mostly alternated between Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. He did sing a few lead parts both on stage and in the studio during his first year with the group, but his leads on these studio tracks would not be released for over a year, as they were considered not good enough to showcase Ruffin's vocals. Songwriter/Producer Smokey Robinson saw Ruffin during this period as a "sleeping giant" in the group with a unique voice that was, "mellow," yet, "gruff."[6] Robinson thought that if he could write just the perfect song for Ruffin's voice, then he could have a smash hit.[6] The song was to be something that Ruffin could "belt out" yet something that was also "melodic and sweet".[6] That song, "My Girl" recorded in November 1964 and released a month later, became the group's first #1 single and its signature song and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and front man.
The follow-ups to "My Girl" were also extremely successful singles, including "It's Growing" (1965), "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "My Baby" (1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" (1966), "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" (1967), "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967), and "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" (1968). Ruffin also shared lead vocals on the 1967 hit single "You're My Everything" with Eddie Kendricks. The tall, 6'3", Ruffin's passionate and dramatic performances endeared him to the Temptations' audiences and fans. According to Otis Williams, Ruffin (playfully nicknamed "Ruff" by the group) was initially a natural comedian and a hard-working singer when he first joined the group. Ruffin's most notable non-vocal contribution to the Temptations was the masterminding of their trademark four-headed microphone stand.
David Ruffin (center) with the Temptations 1967.
By 1967, however, ego problems with Ruffin became an issue for the group. He became addicted to cocaine and began missing rehearsals and performances. Refusing to travel with the other Temptations, Ruffin and his then-girlfriend Tammi Terrell traveled in a custom limo (with the image of his trademark black rimmed glasses painted on the door). After The Supremes had their name changed to Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1967, Ruffin felt that he should become the focal point of the Temptations, just as Diana Ross was for her group and began demanding that the group name be changed to David Ruffin & the Temptations. This led to a number of fights between Ruffin and the group's de facto leader, Otis Williams. In addition to the group's problems with Ruffin's ego, he began inquiring into the Temptations' financial records, demanding an accounting of the group's money. This caused friction between Ruffin and Gordy.
In mid-1968, the Temptations agreed that Ruffin had finally crossed the line when he missed a 1968 concert, to instead attend a concert being performed by his new girlfriend, Barbara Martin. Ruffin was replaced with former Contour Dennis Edwards, who had been a friend of Ruffin and the group as a whole, beforehand. Despondent that he had been fired from the group that he felt he had single-handedly brought to success, Ruffin began turning up at and crashing Temptations' concerts. When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", Ruffin himself would suddenly walk on to the stage, take the microphone from Edwards' hands, and steal the show, embarrassing the band but delighting the fans. The Temptations resorted to hiring extra security to prevent Ruffin from attending their shows.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, Ruffin filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label and an accounting of his money. Motown countersued to keep the singer from leaving the label and eventually the case was settled. The settlement required Ruffin to remain with Motown to finish out his initial contract (Ruffin joined Motown as a solo artist and always had a separate contract from the other Temptations, which some felt caused a lot of the in-fighting within the group).
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David Hollister (Blackstreet)
Hollister is cousin of musical artists act K-Ci & JoJo, Fantasia Barrino. He started developing fame as a musician in the early 1990s. Some of his biggest early appearances were with 2Pac on tracks like "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Keep Ya Head Up" where he was credited on both as "The Black Angel" as well as the original version of "Don't You Trust Me." The remake of which was released on Loyal to the Game.
His next big move was when he was signed to Teddy Riley's R&B group Blackstreet in 1994. He worked with the group on their first album and then left the group to pursue his own solo career. He was signed to DreamWorks Records and began working on an album.
In 1999, Hollister released his first album, Ghetto Hymns. The album was successful, going gold, and creating one hit single, "My Favorite Girl". "My Favorite Girl" reached #10 on the R&B charts.
Hollister's follow-up album, Chicago '85... The Movie was released in 2000. The album was an autobiographical work and went gold. "One Woman Man" the album's biggest single, reached #8 on the R&B charts. Also in 2000, Dave Hollister collaborated on "He Say, She Say" with Keith Sweat and T-Boz of TLC (written and produced by Andrew Lane).
For his third effort, Hollister moved to Motown Records. He hoped the new label would instill new energy into his music. The album, Things In the Game Done Changed was released in 2002 and fared poorly on the charts and radio.
As a result of the album's shortcomings, Hollister returned to DreamWorks where he released Real Talk in 2003. Following the album's release, Hollister moved to Gospo Centric.
Hollister is reportedly wrapping up his fifth album in the industry, The Book of David: Vol. 1 The Transition. The album will be coming out on September 26, 2006 from Gospo Centric.
He currently serves as Assistant Minister of Music for New Direction Christian Church satellite location in Collierville, Tennessee.
Dave has also reunited with his former group Blackstreet and will be performing with them on their upcoming reunion tour along with Guy Blackstreet's founder Teddy Riley's other group. In addition to Riley Blackstreet members Chauncey Hannibal, Mark Middleton, and Eric Williams will be a part of the reunion. Guy members in addition to Riley will include brothers Aaron Hall and Damion Hall. Teddy Riley has decided to only focus on Blackstreet and Mark Middleton and Eric Williams are no longer a part of the reunion. Blackstreet's lineup has tweeked again and now Mark Middleton & Eric Williams are back along with Teddy Riley & Dave Hollister. Chauncey Hannibal was there but is no longer with the group anymore as he's pursuing a solo career in Sydney, Australia. Teddy, Dave, Mark, & Eric will be on the New Jack Swing Tour in January 2011 along with Guy who Teddy has decided to give another shot and New Edition's spinoff group Heads Of State with members Bobby Brown. Ralph Tresvant, & [[Johnny Gill]. In addition to the Blackstreet reunion Dave is working on his 7th solo album overall and 5th R&B album Chicago Winds: The Saga Continues looking to be released 1st quarter 2011. He's working with Eric Dawkins, Steven Russell of R&B Group Troop, Stevie J., Mike City and others.
