Rainy Davis

Rainy Davis (born Denise Lorraine Davis in Brooklyn, New York) is an R&B/dance music singer-songwriter and producer who first achieved success in the ’80s.

She first began singing with a local band called Jamilia (which featured R&B singer Keith Sweat). She later joined female disco band Musique as a live performance member during their tours.

At the request of Amir Bayyan (a personal friend of the Jacksons), Rainy wrote the song “Sweetheart” for Janet Jackson along with her songwriting partner, Peter Warner.

She hoped to submit the song for Janet’s 1986 album, “Control”, but by the time the demo was completed, all of the songs for the album were chosen. Amir Bayyan, Christine Bayyan and Chris Lord-Alge suggested that Rainy should release the song herself.
In 1986, she released “Sweetheart” on the Supertronics record label. The song peaked at #42 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks.

It also peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 19 weeks) and #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In 1998, the song was covered by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey for Jermaine’s 1998 album, “Life in 1472” (which earned him a Grammy nomination).

After the success of “Sweetheart”, Columbia Records A&R executive Joe McEwan offered Rainy a production-artist deal for worldwide distribution which included buying her previous contract from Supertronics. She signed a record deal with the label, who dubbed her “America’s Sweetheart.”
In 1987, she released her debut studio album, “Sweetheart” which peaked at #61 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

Rainy’s record label sent her on a national tour to promote the album, including an appearance on “Soul Train” and a performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She was also a presenter at the Rhythm & Blues awards at Bally’s in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The follow-up single, “Lowdown So & So” peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 10 weeks), making it her highest appearance on the chart to date. The song also peaked at #39 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #14 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.
The third single released from the album, a cover version of Prince’s 1980 song, “Still Waiting” which peaked at #41 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The last single from the album, “4-Ever” didn’t make the charts at all. In 1987, she wrote and produced the song, “Spring Love” for The Cover Girls which was moderately successful on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.
In 1988, Rainy released her sophomore album, “Ouch!” which didn’t make the charts at all; it would be her last album released on Columbia Records.
The lead single from the album, “Indian Giver” peaked at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. It was also moderately successful on the R&B charts, peaking at #41 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The title song was released as the follow-up single from the album, but it didn’t appear to make the charts at all.
In 1993, Rainy released the single, “Story Book Romance” on the Ripe Recordings label. These days (according to research), she is the founder and president of Rainysongs Entertainment, a digital distribution company.

To see the website for Rainysongs Entertainment, go to:
https://www.rainysongs.com/

To see a video for “Sweetheart”, go to:

To see a video for “Lowdown So & So”, go to:

To see a video for “Indian Giver,” go to:

To see a video for “Ouch,” go to:

Giggles

Giggles (born Maria Respeto in Brooklyn, New York) is a freestyle/dance music singer from the late ’80s and ’90s. She got her stage name from producers Zahid Tariq and Todd Terry.

Giggles was born and raised in Brooklyn. She attended and graduated from South Shore High School where she received vocal and musical training. She later got a record deal with Cutting Records.
In 1987, she released her debut single, “Love Letter” which peaked at #21 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.

The song received heavy airplay in New York and became a huge crossover hit. The song’s success led to Giggles performing in clubs throughout New York and the West Coast.
In 1988, she released her second single, “Hot Spot” which peaked at #48 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (staying on the chart for a week) and #21 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
In 1992, Giggles released her debut and only album to date, “He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not” on Cutting Records which didn’t make the charts at all.
The lead single from the album, “What Goes Around Comes Around” peaked at #18 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. It also crossed over to the pop charts where it peaked at #47 on the Billboard Hot 100, #24 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart and #8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Recurrents chart.
The follow-up single, “He Said She Said” peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks.
The last two singles from the album: the title song and “Memories of Love” didn’t appear to make any impact on the charts at all.
In 1998, she released the single, “I Will Survive” on the Metropolitan Recording Corporation label which didn’t chart.
These days, Giggles is still performing. In 2019 released the single, “Memories” on the Charlie Rock Productions label. In 2022, she and Charlie Rock released the single, “Luckygirl Luckyguy”.

To see Giggles’ official website, go to:
https://mariarespeto.webs.com/

To follow Giggles on Facebook, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/TheMariaRespeto

To see a video for “Love Letter,” go to:

To see a video for “Hot Spot,” go to:

To see a video for “What Goes Around Comes Around,” go to:

To see a video for “He Said She Said,” go to:

To see a video for “He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not,” go to:

To see a video for “Memories of Love,” go to:

To see a video for “I Will Survive,” go to:

To see a video for “Memories,” go to:

To see a video for “Luckygirl Luckyguy”, go to:

Tiana

Tiana (born Tiana Bonilla on May 2, 1967 in Vermont) was a female freestyle\dance music singer from the early ’90s. Not much background information is given about this artist, but she was signed to MicMac Records.
In 1990, she released her self-titled and only album on MicMac Records which didn’t appear to make the charts at all.
The lead single, “First True Love” peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. It also peaked at #81 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her only appearance on the chart to date.
The follow-up singles from the album: “Tell Me Why” and “Come to Me” failed to make any impact on the charts at all.
In 1991, Tiana released the single, “My Love Is Free” which also didn’t chart at all. After that, nothing much was heard from her for the rest of the decade.

During the late 2000s, she was a part of the “Freestyle Invasion Live” tour with other freestyle artists. These days (according to a comment back in 2019), Tiana is apparently working as a substitute teacher.

To see a video for “First True Love,” go to:

To see a video for “Tell Me Why,” go to:

To see a video for “Come to Me”, go to:

To see a video for “My Love Is Free,” go to:

Shomari

Shomari was an R&B trio from New Haven, Connecticut which consisted of brothers N’mandi and Rahsaan Langley & their cousin, Troy Frost.

In 1992, Shomari released their debut album, “Every Day Has a Sun” on Mercury Records, which peaked at #77 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The first single, “If You Feel the Need” peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

The follow-up single, “Let it Be Me (Say You Love Me)” peaked at #59 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

After that, it seemed that the group had faded into obscurity. These days, the Langley brothers continue to perform in Connecticut, but it’s unknown what Troy Frost is up to.

To see Shomari’s MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/shomarientertainment

To see the music video for “Let It Be Me,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtmzY8VWhHg

To see the music video for “If You Feel the Need,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggajcHXX5RY

[updated on 05\13\12]

Portrait

Portrait were an R&B quartet from the 90s that originally consisted of Eric Kirkland & Michael Saulsberry (from Los Angeles, California), Irving Washington III (from Providence, Rhode Island) and Phillip Johnson (from Tulsa, Oklahoma).
In 1992, the group released their self-titled debut album which peaked at #70 on the Billboard 200, #16 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, and #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.
Their first single, “Here We Go Again!” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #11 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #3 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 30 weeks.

The song also peaked at #37 on the U.K. Singles chart. Portrait even appeared in an episode of “Family Matters” performing the song.

The second single from the album, “Honey Dip” peaked at #102 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #18 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.

The last single, “Day By Day” peaked at #42 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.

Portrait was featured on the “Addams Family Values” movie soundtrack with the song, “Be Thankful For What You Got” which managed to peak at #59 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks.

In 1995, Portrait released their sophomore album, “All That Matters” which peaked at #131 on the Billboard 200 chart and #26 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

During that same year, Phillip Johnson was replaced by Kurt Jackson (from Aurora, Colorado).

The first single, “I Can Call You” peaked at #119 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, #32 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #22 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. In the U.K., the song peaked at #61 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The follow-up single, a cover version of the Bee Gees’ hit song, “How Deep is Your Love” peaked at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #51 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. The song also peaked at #41 on the U.K. Singles chart.

Portrait was featured in the Black Men United song, “U Will Know” on the “Jason’s Lyric” movie soundtrack.

They also appeared on the movie soundtrack, “Blankman.” They were also featured on the Quincy Jones single, “Slow Jam” with Babyface and Tamia.

In 1996, Portrait released their third album, “Picturesque” that was released only in Asia. It’s unknown how or if the album was successful. After that, the group had seemed to have faded into obscurity.

In 2005, Portrait briefly resurfaced with their fourth album, “Share My Love” which they independently released.

Michael Saulsberry is a songwriter, producer and composer. He also works as a phlebotomy technician. It is unknown what the other members of Portrait are up to today.

To see the music video for “Here We Go Again,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDUk6b7MuA

To see the music video for “Honey Dip,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwVkuKr19h8

To see the music video for “Day By Day,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMCFpzEbliE

To see the music video for “How Deep is Your Love,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1upXUuuQl4

To see the music video for “I Can Call You,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qC1Wf1RFHc

[updated on 05\20\13]

Tia

Tia (born Tia Bocker) is a former pop\dance music singer from the late ’80s.

At the age of 18, she was discovered dancing at a club in Merrick, Long Island, New York by DJ Jim “Chopper” Cohn’s wife, Kathy. Chopper and Kathy later approached her to become a part of their entertainment company.
In 1986, Tia made her one and only chart appearance with the single, “Boy Toy” which peaked at #16 on Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 14 weeks) and #32 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart; it also managed to make the pop charts where it peaked at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her follow-up singles: a cover version of Alisha’s song, “Baby Talk,” “Cupid” and “Sugar Baby” failed to make any impact on the charts at all. She recorded a full album called “Sugar ‘n Spice,” but it was never released presumably due to the poor chart performance of the singles.
After that, nothing much was heard from Tia until 1992 when she released the single, “Dance to the Music” in France which also didn’t appear to make the charts at all.
In 2010, her unreleased album was released in France as a compliation album called “Absolutely” which contained mixes of “Boy Toy,” “Baby Talk,” “Cupid” and a few other unreleased tracks.

In later years, Tia switched from dance music to rock music; she was a member of bands such as BlueScream and Sinsanity. These days (according to research), she continues to perform music as a member of the music duo, Eye Violet.

To follow Tia on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/Tia0203/

To see the Facebook page for Eye Violet, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/eyeviolet

To see a video for “Boy Toy,” go to:

To see a video for “Baby Talk,” go to:

To see a video for “Cupid,” go to:

To see a video for “Sugar Baby,” go to:

To see a video for “Dance to the Music,” go to:

Promise Circle

Promise Circle was a dance music duo from the late ’80s/early ’90s that consisted of Alina Bianco and Raul Rodriguez.
In 1987, the duo released their debut single, “Be Mine Tonight” on Atlantic Records which peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. It also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
Their follow-up single, “Easy to Touch” peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
In 1989, Promise Circle released the single, “Do Your Dancing” on the Roll Records label which didn’t appear to make the charts.
In 1990, they released the single, “And The Beat Goes On” on Pandisc Records. Afterwards, it seems as if Promise Circle faded into obscurity.

To see a video for “Be Mine Tonight,” go to:

To see a video for “Easy to Touch,” go to:

To see a video for “Do Your Dancing”, go to:

To see a video for “And the Beat Goes On,” go to:

Linear

Linear is a freestyle\pop music group from Fort Lauderdale, Florida that consisted of founder & singer Charlie Pennachio, percussionist Wyatt Pauley and bassist & guitar player Joey Restivo.

Charlie began his career by launching his own record label, Futura International Records when he was 19 years old. The group originally consisted of Charlie, Wyatt, Joey, drummer Gerald Rappaport, guitarist Phil Conneilly and backup singer & keyboardist Ricki Archer.
In 1989, the group released their debut single, “Sending All My Love” which was a regional success at first.

A year later, Charlie, Wyatt and Joey were signed to Atlantic Records as a trio and the song became a pop hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100; it also peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and was certified Gold in May of 1990.
In March of 1990, Linear released their self-titled debut studio album which peaked at #52 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold, selling more than 500,000 copies in the United States.
The follow-up single, “Don’t You Come Cryin’” peaked at #70 on the Billboard Hot 100. The last single released from the album, “Something Going On” failed to make the charts at all.
In April of 1992, the group released their sophomore album, “Caught in the Middle” which failed to make the album charts at all.
The only charting single, “T.L.C.” was a moderate pop hit, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, “Smile If You Like Sex” failed to chart.
Linear released their last single to date, “Let’s Go All The Way” in 1994 on the Raw Entertainment Group record label. Afterwards, it seemed as if they faded into obscurity.

In later years, Charlie Pennachio went on to work as a songwriter, producer, publisher, A&R executive and manager. These days (according to research), it appears as if he’s still active with his music career.

Wyatt Pauley went on to for form a band called the Pauley Lane Band. Joey Restivo (now Joey “Bang” Restivo) has his own record label called Artists at Play and also owns businesses in fields such as hotels, concierge medical services, entertainment, digital marketing and promotion.

To follow Charlie Pennachio on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/linearbandcharlie/?hl=en

To follow Joey Restivo on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/joeybangrestivo/?hl=en

To see a video for “Sending All My Love,” go to:

To see a video for “Don’t You Come Cryin’,” go to:

To see a video for “Something Going On”, go to:

To see a video for “T.L.C.,” go to:

To see a video for “Smile If You Like Sex”, go to:

To see a video for “Let’s Go All The Way”, go to:

Trisha Covington

Trisha Covington (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an R&B singer from the ’90s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Columbia Records.
In 1994, Trisha released her debut album, “Call Me.” It’s unknown how or if the album ever made the charts.

The first single, “Why You Wanna Play Me Out” peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #26 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.

The follow-up single, “Slow Down” peaked at #79 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks.

After that, it appeared as if Trisha had faded into obscurity, but in 2008, she appeared on Randy Jackson’s album, “Music Club, Vol 1” on the track “What Am I So Afraid Of” which also featured singers Keke Wyatt and Kiley Dean.

As of 2011, she is currently working on a new album with two recently released songs “Good Together” and “Broken Record.” Recently, she went on tour to Africa with Jermaine Jackson and is appearing in various shows.

To see Trisha’s MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/triciacovington

To see the music video for “Why You Wanna Play Me Out,” go to:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3m8lj_trisha-covington-why-you-wanna-play_news

To see the music video for “Slow Down,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL-ipSL45c0

[updated on 05\13\12]