A Message From the Music Know-It-All

Hello, music fans!!

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The Music Know-It-All

Nu Shooz

Nu Shooz is a dance\R&B music group from Portland, Ohio during the mid-’80s. It was formed in 1979 by John Smith and his wife, Valerie Day, and originally began as a soul music group that consisted of 12 members.
In 1982, they released their debut studio album, “Can’t Turn It Off” on the Nebula Circle Records label which didn’t appear to generate a lot of success. Afterwards, the lineup dwindled down to seven members.
In 1985, Nu Shooz released the EP, “Tha’s Right” on the Poolside record label which didn’t appear to chart at all.

Acting on a dare from a local music writer, Gary Bryan from the KKRZ FM (Z-100) radio station put their song, “I Can’t Wait” on the radio. Although it gained popularity on radio stations in Portland, the group was turned down by every major record label.
A copy of “I Can’t Wait” made to the Netherlands where it was remixed by Peter Slaghuis as the “Dutch Mix”. The remix came back to the United States as an import on Dutch record label Injection Records where it attracted the attention of Atlantic Records, who signed Nu Shooz to a contract in January of 1986 and released the single a month later.

The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart for 2 weeks, staying on the chart for 12 weeks. It also peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, #38 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and #2 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 24 weeks.
Internationally, “I Can’t Wait” was successful in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Australia, France, Austria and Germany. Another single released from the EP, “Goin’ Too Far” didn’t appear make any impact on the charts at all.
On May 5, 1986, Nu Shooz released their sophomore album, “Poolside” which peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 units.
The follow-up single, “Point of No Return” topped Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart for a week in September of that same year, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.

The song also peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, #48 on the UK Singles chart and #36 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. Internationally, it was moderately successful in New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland and West Germany.
The last single released from the album, “Don’t Let Me Be the One” peaked at #39 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks.

In 1987, Nu Shooz were nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best New Artist”, but they lost to Bruce Hornsby & the Range.
On March 28, 1988, they released their third studio album, “Told U So” which peaked at #93 on the Billboard 200 and #49 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “Should I Say Yes” peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #17 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks.
The follow-up single, “Are You Lookin’ For Somebody Nu” peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. It also peaked at #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The third and last single released from the album, “Driftin’” didn’t appear make any impact on the charts at all.
In 1992, Nu Shooz released the single, “Time Will Tell” which failed to chart at all. The song was supposed to be featured on their upcoming album, “Eat & Run”, but it was never released. After Atlantic Records dropped them from the label, John and Valerie decided to disband the group during that same year.

Afterwards, John went on to write music for commercials and indie films. Valerie worked as an in-session percussionist, taught voice, and sang in jazz quartets and big bands. They also had a son named Malcolm.

In 2007, Nu Shooz was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. During that same year, they formed a spin-off jazz band called Nu Shooz Orchestra.
On June 10, 2010, they released their fourth album, “Pandora’s Box” on the NSO Music label. They also released music videos for the songs, “Spy vs. Spy” and “Right Before My Eyes” (which was animated by John and his son, Malcolm).
On June 28, 2012, Nu Shooz released their fifth studio album, “Kung Pao Kitchen.” A year later, they put the live group together for the first time in 20 years and joined the “Super Freestyle Explosion” tour.
On May 21, 2016, they released their sixth album, “Bagtown”. These days, Nu Shooz continues to perform together. In their spare time, Valerie works as a vocal teacher and has her own podcast, Living A Vocal Life. John dabbles in art and has his own website, Malco Creative.

To see Nu Shooz’s official website, go to:
https://www.nushoozmusic.com/

To follow Nu Shooz on Facebook, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/nushoozmusic

To follow Nu Shooz on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/nushoozmusic/

To follow Nu Shooz on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/nushoozmusic

To see Valerie Day’s official website, go to:
https://www.valeriedaysings.com/

To follow Valerie on Facebook, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/valeriedaysings/

To follow Valerie on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/valeriedaysings/

To follow Valerie on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/valerieday

To see John Smith’s website, Malco Creative, go to:
https://www.malcocreative.com/

To see a video for “Fashion” (from their “Can’t Turn It Off” album), go to:

To see a video for “I Can’t Wait”, go to:

To see a video for “Goin’ Too Far”, go to:

To see a video for “Point of No Return”, go to:

To see a video for “Don’t Let Me Be the One”, go to:

To see a video for “Should I Say Yes”, go to:

To see a video for “Are You Lookin’ For Somebody Nu”, go to:

To see a video for “Driftin’”, go to:

To see a video for “Time Will Tell”, go to:

To see a video for “Spy Vs. Spy”, go to:

To see a video for “Anytime” (from their “Kung Pao Kitchen” album), go to:

To see a video for “Crazy Thing” (from their “Bagtown” album), go to: