Musical Youth

Musical Youth are a pop\reggae group that are known in the US for their “one-hit wonder” status. They formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, England.

The original group members consisted of two sets of brothers; the Grant brothers: Michael (born on January 7, 1969) & Kelvin (born on July 9, 1971) and the Waite brothers: Freddie (also known as “Junior”; born on May 23, 1967) & Patrick (born on May 16, 1968).

In the late ’70s, Junior and Patrick’s father, Frederick sang lead with Junior at the beginning of their career. The group performed gigs at pubs in Birmingham and released a single called “Political/Generals” on a local record label, 021 Records. 

After they appeared on BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel’s evening show, Musical Youth signed a record deal with MCA Records; by that time, the Waite brothers’ father had left the group and was replaced by Dennis Seaton (born on March 2, 1967) as the lead singer.

In September of 1982, Musical Youth released their debut single, “Pass the Dutchie” which topped the U.K. Singles chart and was certified Gold. It also topped the music charts in Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In the United States, the song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 19 weeks) and #11 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Disco Top 80 chart (staying on the chart for 15 weeks).

“Pass the Dutchie” was a cover version of the Mighty Diamonds’ song, “Pass the Kouchie” (which is slang for “marijuana”), but it was changed to “Pass the Dutchie” (which means “cooking pot”). With the release of the song’s music video, Musical Youth became one of the first black artists to appear in a studio segment on MTV.

In October of 1982, Musical Youth released their debut album, “The Youth of Today” which peaked at #24 on the UK Albums chart, #23 on the Billboard 200 and #11 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.

The title song was released as the second single from the album and peaked at #13 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. It also made the music charts in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

The third single, “Never Gonna Give You Up” peaked at #6 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. It was also a moderate hit on the music charts in Belgium, France and Ireland.

The last single released from the album, “Heartbreaker” peaked at #44 on the U.K. Singles chart (staying on the chart for 3 weeks) and #68 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

In 1983, Musical Youth were featured on Donna Summer’s song, “Unconditional Love” which reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, but it was moderately successful in the United States. They also appeared in Donna’s 1983 television special, “A Hot Summer Night with Donna.”

During that same year, the group released their sophomore album, “Different Style” which peaked at #144 on the Billboard 200, #50 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart and #90 on the Canadian Albums chart; however, it failed to make the UK Album charts at all.

The lead single from the album, “Tell Me Why” peaked at #33 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks; it also made the charts in Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. The follow-up single, “007” peaked at #26 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

The third single, “She’s Trouble” peaked at #87 on the U.K. Singles chart; in the United States, the song peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #25 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

The last single released from the album, “Whatcha Talking ‘Bout” peaked at #81 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 5 weeks; however, it failed to make any impact in the United Kingdom or anywhere else at all.

In 1984, Musical Youth received a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist”; however, due to legal, financial and personal issues along with Dennis Seaton leaving the group & the Waite brothers’ alleged drug use, they disbanded in 1985. 

Dennis Seaton released a solo album in 1989 and formed his own short-lived band, XMY.  After his music career came to a halt, he worked as a delivery driver, worked in the car rental industry and received a music degree.

In 1993, plans were made to reform Musical Youth; however, Patrick Waite (who later went on to a life of crime) died from a hereditary heart condition at the age of 24. In later years, his brother, Freddie was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In 2001, Musical Youth reformed with only Dennis Seaton and Michael Grant; they made plans for a tour, but they were cancelled due to the September 11 attacks. In 2003, they finally performed as part of an annual series of nostalgia concerts featuring musicians from the ’80s called “Here and Now.”

In 2005, they performed at the Wiesen festival in Austria and released a cover version of Boney M’s song, “Mary’s Boy Child, Oh My Lord” in 2009. In 2013, they covered Jimmy Cliff’s song, “The Harder They Come.

Musical Youth’s third album, “When Reggae Was King” was scheduled to be released between 2016 and 2017, but it has yet to materialize (although it appears to have been released in 2018 according to Discogs.com). They performed tracks from the album at the Camper Calling Festival at Ragley Hall in August of 2017.

These days (according to research), it appears as if Musical Youth continues to perform at various concerts and Kelvin Grant is a member of the Reggae Rockers Intl band.

To see Musical Youth’s Facebook page, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/musicalyouthofficial

To see Kelvin Grant’s official website, go to:
http://www.kelvingrant.com/

To see a video for “Pass the Dutchie,” go to:

To see a video for “Youth of Today,” go to:

To see a video for “Never Gonna Give You Up,” go to:

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

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

To see a video for “007,” go to:

To see a video for “She’s Trouble,” go to:

To see a video for “Whatcha Talking About,” go to:

As a bonus, here’s a video for Donna Summer’s song, “Unconditional Love” (featuring Musical Youth):

[updated on 10/03/2020]

Charles & Eddie

Charles (born Charles Pettigrew on May 12, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Eddie (born Eddie Chacon) were an R&B\soul music duo from the ’90s.

Eddie was raised in Hayward and Castro Valley, California. He started his first band when he was 12 years old with neighborhood friends, Cliff Burton from Metallica and Mike Bordin from Faith No More. In his early 20s, he worked as a songwriter for CBS Songs.

Charles was raised in Philadelphia; he studied jazz singing at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and was later the lead singer of the band, Down Avenue, who were the winners of radio station WBCN’s 1985 “Rock ‘n Roll Rumble.” 

The duo were said to have met in 1990 on the New York City subway; according to Eddie, one of them was carrying a vinyl copy of Marvin Gaye’s album, “Trouble Man.”

In 1992, Charles & Eddie released their debut studio album, “Duophonic” on Capital Records where it peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200; it also peaked at #19 on the UK Albums chart and #83 on the ARIA Charts in Australia.

The lead single, “Would I Lie to You” became a hit for them, topping the U.K. Singles chart and was certified Gold in the United Kingdom. It also topped the charts in New Zealand, Austria and Germany. It was also certified Platinum in the United Kingdom, Silver in France and went Gold in Germany & Austria.

In the United States, the song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, #27 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #15 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and #59 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.

The follow-up singles from the album, “NYC (Can You Believe This City)” (which peaked at #33) and “House is Not a Home” (which peaked at #29) were moderately successful on the U.K. Singles chart and internationally.

Charles and Eddie were later featured on soundtracks to films such as “True Romance” (with the track, “Wounded Bird”), “Addams Family Values” (with the track, “Supernatural Thing”) and “Super Mario Brothers” (with the track, “I Would Stop the World”).

In 1995, they released their sophomore and final album, “Chocolate Milk” which failed to make any impact on the album charts at all.

The lead single, “I’m Gonna Love You (24-7 365)” peaked at #38 on the U.K. Singles chart and was moderately successful in Germany & Switzerland.

The follow-up single, “Jealousy” failed to chart in the United Kingdom, but managed to chart in Austria and Germany. In 1997, Charles & Eddie amicably went their separate ways.

In the late ’90s, Charles Pettigrew was diagnosed with cancer; he toured with the Tom Tom Club in 1998 along with co-writing and singing on several songs until he became too sick to perform. On April 6, 2001, Charles passed away from the disease at the age of 37.

After the duo split up, Eddie Chacon worked as a photographer and creative director. He also performed in an electronic music duo called The Polyamorous Affair with his wife, Sissy Sainte-Marie. In May of 2020, The Fader announced Eddie’s return to music after three decades and he released an album, “Pleasure, Joy and Happiness” in July of that same year. He is also the creative director for Autre Magazine.

To see Eddie Chacon’s official website, go to:
https://eddiechacon.com/

To see a video for “Would I Lie To You,” go to:

To see a video for “NYC (Can You Believe This City)”, go to:

To see a video for “House is Not a Home,” go to:

To see a video for “I’m Gonna Love You (24-7 365),” go to:

To see a video for “Jealousy,” go to:

To see a video for “Wounded Bird” (from the “True Romance” soundtrack), go to:

To see a video for “I Would Stop the World” (from the “Super Mario Bros” soundtrack), go to:

[updated on 10/03/2020]

Keedy

Keedy (born Kelly Ann Keedy on July 26, 1965 in Abilene, Texas) is a female pop singer from the early ’90s. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where her father worked for the United States Postal Service. 

In the mid to late ’80s, she was one of the lead singers of a dance\club music band in Milwaukee called Gerard which included her future husband, Greg Gerard, whom she would marry in 1989 (but they later divorced); during that same year, she and Greg signed a publishing deal with Geffen Records.

In February of 1990, she was signed to a record deal with Arista Records and her debut album, “Chase the Clouds” was released a year later in March of 1991. 

Although the album didn’t appear to chart, it received mixed, but mainly positive reviews from critics. To help promote it, Keedy toured in Japan and Europe, and was the opening act for Michael Bolton during the Milwaukee Summerfest.

The lead single from the album, “Save Some Love” peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a top 20 hit on the chart and her only highest charting song to date.

The follow-up single, “Wishing on the Same Star” (written by Diane Warren) peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Due to management changes at Arista Records, promotional support for the single was pulled and no other singles from the album were released.

Keedy remained at Arista Records and attempted to work on a follow-up album, but due to management shifts, the album was never released. After that, she left the label and returned to Wisconsin where she continued making music; in the mid-’90s, she joined a local cover band called the Orphans.

After leaving the band in May of 1996, Keedy teamed up with her second husband, guitarist Royce Hall of the Mosleys to form a band called The LuvByrds where they recorded music & posted demos on their MySpace page. These days, it’s unknown if The LuvByrds are still active or if Keedy is still active in the music business.

The Milk Carton Pop Stars blog was fortunate enough to get an interview with Keedy back in 2007 which you can read about here:
http://milkcartonpopstars.blogspot.com/search/label/Keedy

To see the music video for “Save Some Love,” go to:

To see the music video for “Wishing on the Same Star,” go to:

[updated on 10/03/2020]

The Afternoon Delights

The Afternoon Delights were a pop/dance music vocal quartet that consisted of musicians and female vocalists from the Boston, Massachusetts area which included Rebecca Hall, Janet Powell, Robalee Barnes and Suzanne Bouche (who is the sister of Canadian musician Pat Travers).

In 1981, the quartet released their debut single, “General Hospi-Tale” (which is a parody of the ABC network soap opera, “General Hospital”) which peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #22 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. The song was re-visited by “General Hospital” on April 28, 2013 as part of the series’ 50th anniversary.

During that same year, they released their only album, “General Hospi-Tale” on MCA Records to little success and their follow-up single, “Dancing for Pennies” failed to chart at all. 

After that, it seemed as if the Afternoon Delights faded into obscurity; it’s unknown what the members of the group are currently up to these days.

To see a video for “General Hospi-Tale,” go to:

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

[updated on 10/03/2020]

Trey Lorenz

Trey Lorenz (born Lloyd Lorenz Smith on January 19, 1969 in Florence, South Carolina) is an R&B singer from the early ’90s.

Growing up, Trey took piano lessons and sang in church with his parents, Lloyd, who worked as the director of a local job training program, and Bernice, who worked as a history teacher at Wilson High School where he graduated from. 

He first met Mariah Carey in February of 1990 while he was majoring in advertising during his junior year at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey; at the time, he was briefly singing with an R&B group called Squeak & the Deep. During that same year, he began his music career supporting Mariah on her first promotional tour.

In 1991, he provided background vocals on Mariah’s album, “Emotions”, co-wrote the song, “If You Go Away” for New Kids On the Block’s album, “Face the Music” and appeared on Redhead Kingpin and the FBI’s second album, “The Album With No Name on the tracks: “It’s a Love Thang (Word)”, “Nice and Slow” and “Get It Together.”

On March 15, 1992, Trey served as Mariah’s back-up singer when she appeared on “MTV Unplugged” where the two of them sang a cover version of the Jackson 5’s 1970 song, “I’ll Be There.” Their performance on “MTV Unplugged” was released a single and hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in June of that same year.

After that, Trey was subsequently offered a record deal with Epic Records and released his self-titled debut album in September of that same year. The album peaked at #111 on the Billboard 200, #32 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and topped Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.

The lead single, “Someone to Hold” peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, #18 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart & Top 40 Mainstream chart and #5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. The song was co-written & produced by Mariah Carey, who also provided backup vocals on the track as well.

The follow-up single, “Photograph of Mary” peaked at #46 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart (staying on the chart for 12 weeks), #6 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #11 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 11 weeks.

The last single released from the album, a cover version of the Commodores’ 1976 song, “Just to Be Close to You” peaked at #66 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

Afterwards, Trey was dropped from Epic Records and returned to being a background vocalist for artists such as Usher, TLC and late Tejano music singer Selena. In 1994, he was featured on pop singer Basia’s album, “The Sweetest Illusion” on the duet, “She Deserves It.”

In 1997, he began supporting Mariah Carey on her albums and concert tours. During that same year, he was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Men in Black” with the track, “Make You Happy” (which was co-written by Mariah); it was released as a promotional single, but didn’t chart.

In 2003, Trey was featured in Mariah’s tour to support her album, “Charmbracelet.” He was signed to her short-lived record label, MonarC Entertainment and to So So Def Records; however, he did not release any music under the labels.

In 2006, he released his sophomore album, “Mr. Mista” on the X-Ray Records label. During that time, he was featured in Mariah’s “The Adventures of Mimi” tour, singing three songs and doing background vocals. 

In 2010, Trey appeared on Jessica Simpson’s Christmas special in 2010 and sang a duet version of the song, “O Holy Night” with her. In 2014, he accompanied Mariah on “The Elusive Chaunteuse Show” tour from October 4 to November 16th. These days (according to research), it appears as if he is still singing and working as Mariah’s back-up singer.

To see a video for “Someone to Hold,” go to:

To see a video for “Photograph of Mary,” go to:

To see a video for “Just to Be Close to You,” go to:

To see a video for “Make You Happy,” go to:

To see a video for “Pisces” (from his “Mr. Mista” album), go to:

To see a video for “I’ll Be There” with Mariah Carey, go to:

[updated on 12/10/2021]

Rare and Obscure Music on Facebook

I’ve recently started a Facebook page for the “Rare and Obscure” music blog. Keep in mind it’s a work in progress, but I promise to have more stuff on the Facebook page for you to see.
To see the Facebook page, go to:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rare-and-Obscure-Music/133581693333210?v=wall

Sincerely,
The Music-Know-It-All

Jermaine Stewart

Jermaine Stewart (born William Jermaine Stewart on September 7, 1957 in Columbus, Ohio) wa an R&B\pop-dance music singer from the ’80s.

In 1972, Jermaine and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois. He later gained recognition as a dancer on “Soul Train”. While working on “Soul Train”, he met Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel.

After “Soul Train” relocated to Los Angeles, California, the three of them auditioned to become members of the R&B group, Shalamar (which was put together by “Soul Train” creator & host, Don Cornelius and booking agent Dick Griffey). Jody and Jeffrey were chosen to be in the group, but Jermaine lost out to singer Gary Mumford.

Despite that, Jermaine toured with Shalamar as a dancer for several years. While in London for a show, he met Mickey Craig from Culture club. After realizing that he was a talented singer, Mickey helped Jermaine put together a demo tape and Jermaine was given the chance to sing background vocals on Culture Club’s 1984 song, “Miss Me Blind”.
Due to his strong demo tape and his ties with Culture Club, Jermaine was able to land a record deal with Arista Records. In 1984, he released his debut studio album, “The Word Is Out” which peaked at #90 on the Billboard 200 and #30 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The title song peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 12 weeks) and #7 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.
The follow-up singles released from the album: “Get Over It” and “I Like It” failed to make the charts at all.
In May of 1986, Jermaine released the single, “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” which became his biggest hit song, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The song also peaked at #41 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 4 weeks), #35 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #64 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. Internationally, it made the charts in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Ireland and New Zealand.
In June of that same year, he released his sophomore album, “Frantic Romantic”. The album peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200, #31 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #49 on the U.K. Albums chart.
The follow-up single, “Jody” (which was inspired by Jody Watley) peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, #50 on the U.K. Singles chart and #9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart (along with the track, “Dance Floor”), staying on the chart for 9 weeks.

It also peaked at #81 on the Canadian Singles chart and #18 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks.

The fourth single released from the album, “Don’t Ever Leave Me” peaked at #76 on the U.K. Singles chart. The title song was released as the last single, but it didn’t make the charts.
In 1987, Jermaine appeared in the music video for Deniece Williams’ song, “Never Say Never”. During that same year, he released the single, “Say It Again” (which was originally sung by Shawn Christopher in 1983).

The song peaked at #7 on the U.K. Singles chart, #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks.
In 1988, he released his third studio album, “Say It Again”. The album peaked at #98 on the Billboard 200, #32 on the U.K. Albums chart and #45 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The follow-up single, “Get Lucky” peaked at #13 on the U.K. Singles chart and #12 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. The song also peaked at #69 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
The third single from the album, “Don’t Talk Dirty to Me” peaked at #61 on the U.K. Singles chart and #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The last single released from the album, “Is It Really Love?” only made the music charts in Germany, peaking at #41 on the German Singles chart.
In 1989, Jermaine released his fourth and last studio album, “What Becomes a Legend”. The the lead single from the album, “Tren de Amor” peaked at #97 on the U.K. Singles chart. It was also featured on the soundtrack to the film, “She-Devil”.
The follow-up single, “Every Woman Wants To” peaked at #95 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for only a week.

During that same year, he was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Weekend at Bernie’s” with the song, “Hot and Cold” which played during the closing credits. It was released as a single, but didn’t chart at all.

In 1992, Jermaine teamed up with Chicago music producer, Jesse Saunders for his fifth and last studio album, “Set Me Free” on Reprise Records; however, due to the title track flopping after it was released as a single, the album was ultimately shelved.

On March 17, 1997, Jermaine died from AIDS-related liver cancer in the Chicago suburb of Homewood, Illinois at the age of 39. His burial site was left without a tombstone or a grave marker until 2014 when a gravestone was placed there by his mother. At the time of his death, he was working on a new album titled “Believe in Me”.
In 2005, his brother released a compliation album of Jermaine’s music called “Attention: A Tribute to Jermaine Stewart” on BFG Records.

To see a video for “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off,” go to:

To see a video for “The Word Is Out,” go to:

To see a video for “Jody,” go to:

To see a video for “Don’t Ever Leave Me,” go to:

To see a video for “Say It Again,” go to:

To see a video for “Get Lucky,” go to:

To see a video for “Don’t Talk Dirty to Me,” go to:

To see a video for “Tren De Amour,” go to:

To see a video for “Every Woman Wants To,” go to:

To see a video for “Hot and Cold”, go to:

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

To see a video for “Get Over It”, go to:

To see a video for “I Like It”, go to:

To see a video for “Frantic Romantic”, go to:

Neneh Cherry

Neneh Cherry (born Neneh Marian Karlsson on March 10, 1964 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish dance\hip hop singer from the late ’80s and ’90s.

Neneh’s parents, Monika Karlsson (who was a painter and textile artist) and Ahmadu Du (who was a musician) separated early in her life. Monika remarried to late jazz musician, Don Cherry.

Through Monika’s remarriage, she has a half-brother, Eagle-Eye Cherry, who is a musician and two stepsiblings: Jan, who is a violinist and David, who is a jazz musician. From Ahmadu’s marriage to Maylen Jah, she has a half-sister, Titiyo, who is a singer and a half-brother, Cherno, who is a record producer.

In the early ’70s, she and her family moved from Sweden to the United States while Don Cherry was teaching at Dartmouth College and lived in a loft in New York City. When she was 14 years old, Neneh dropped out of school and moved to London when she was 15 years old.

While in London, she joined a punk rock music band called the Cherrys. She played in other bands such as the Slits, the New Age Steppers, Rip Rig + Panic and Float Up CP. She was also a DJ and played early rap music on the reggae pirate Dread Broadcasting Corporation.

In 1982, Neneh began her solo music career with a protest song called “Stop the War” (which was about the Falklands War). In 1983, she married drummer Bruce Smith and had a daughter, Naima; they divorced in 1984. She met her second husband, producer Cameron “Booga Bear” McVey at Heathrow Airport in 1986; they got married in 1990.
In 1987, she was featured on English music group, The The’s song, “Slow Train to Dawn” which was moderately successful in the United Kingdom and Australia.
In November of 1988, Neneh released her debut single, “Buffalo Stance” which became a hit, topping the music charts in Sweden and the Netherlands. The song topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart for a week, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.

It also peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the U.K. Singles chart, #16 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart, topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.

Neneh notably performed “Buffalo Stance” live on the British television series, “Top of the Pops” when she was 7 months pregnant with her second daughter, Tyson (who was born in 1989) which caused controversy because of the gyrating choreography while she was performing the song.
In May of 1989, she released her follow-up single, “Manchild” which peaked at #5 on the U.K. Singles chart. Internationally, the song made the charts in countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand and West Germany.
In June of 1989, Neneh released her debut studio album, “Raw Like Sushi” which peaked at #40 on the Billboard 200 and #62 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. Internationally, the album charted in Sweden, Australia, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland.
The third single from the album, “Kisses on the Wind” peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #20 on the U.K. Singles chart and #19 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. The song also peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The fourth single from the album, “Heart” was released in the United States and Australia only. The song peaked at #91 on the ARIA Singles chart in Australia and #73 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The last single from the album, “Inna City Mamma” was only released in Europe and New Zealand where it peaked at #31 on the U.K. Singles chart, #15 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart and #6 on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart in the Netherlands. It was also moderately successful in Ireland and Switzerland.
In 1990, Neneh was featured on the AIDS benefit compliation album, “Red Hot + Blue” with a cover version of Cole Porter’s 1936 song, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” which peaked at #25 on the U.K. Singles chart. The song also made the music charts in Sweden, Australia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.

During that same year, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best New Artist”; however, she lost out to pop music group Milli Vanilli, whose Grammy Award was later revoked. She also won the Brit Award for “Best International Breakthrough” and “Best International Solo Artist”. According to Soul II Soul member Jazzie B: “Neneh smashed her Brit Award in half and gave Soul II Soul a piece of the trophy”.

In 1991, Neneh returned to England to work on her next album; during that same year, she worked as an arranger on Massive Attack’s album, “Blue Lines”.

In October of 1992, she released her sophomore album, “Homebrew” which peaked at #27 on the U.K. Albums chart. Although it didn’t reach the same success as her debut album, it received critical acclaim.
The lead single from the album, “Money Love” peaked at #23 on the U.K. Singles chart. Internationally, the song was also moderately successful on the music charts in Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Greece.
The second single from the album, “Move with Me” was released only in Germany, but it failed to make the music charts there.
The third single, “Buddy X” peaked at #35 on the U.K. Singles chart, #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.

It also peaked at #22 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, #29 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #96 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 2 weeks.
The last single from the album, “Trout” (featuring Michael Stipe from REM) managed to peak at #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart and was popular on college radio.

In 1994, Neneh was featured on musician Youssou N’Dour on his song, “7 Seconds” which topped the music charts in France. It also peaked at #3 on the U.K. Singles chart and #98 on the Billboard Hot 100. It won a MTV Europe Music Award for “Best Song” and was nominated for a Grammy Award. During that same year, she was featured on Japanese musician Hiroshi Fujiwara’s song, “Turn My Back”.
In 1995, she was featured on a cover version of The Judds’ 1990 song, “Love Can Build A Bridge” (along with Cher, Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders and Eric Clapton) which became a number-one hit on the U.K. Singles chart. It was chosen to be the official song for Comic Relief during that same year.
Also in 1995, she recorded a cover version of Marvin Gaye’s 1972 song, “Trouble Man” for the album, “Inner City Bues: The Music Of Marvin Gaye”‘. It was released as a single, but it flopped on the charts.
In February of 1996, Neneh gave birth to her third daughter, Mabel (who is now a singer). In July of that same year, she released the single, “Woman” which peaked at #9 on the U.K. Singles chart and was moderately successful in other countries such as Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

In September of 1996, she released her third studio album, “Man” which peaked at #16 on the U.K. Albums chart. The follow-up single, “Kootchi” was released in Europe only; it peaked at #38 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The third and last single from the album, “Feel It” peaked at #68 on the U.K. Singles chart, but failed to make the charts in other countries.
In 1999, “Buddy X” was remixed by UK garage music duo, the Dreem Team and retitled “Buddy X 99”. The song peaked at #15 on the U.K. Singles chart and topped the U.K. dance music charts.

During the 2000s, Neneh made guest appearances on various songs by artists such as her half-brother, Eagle-Eyed Cherry, Gorillaz and Groove Armada. In early 2004, she presented a six-part series broadcast on BBC Radio 2 called “Neneh Cherry’s World of Music”.

In 2006, she formed a new band called cirKus along with her husband, Cameron and daughter, Tyson (now known as Lolita Moon); the band released two albums in 2006 and 2009. In April of 2007, Neneh presented a six-part cooking show with her friend, Andrea Oliver for the BBC2 channel, “Neneh and Andi: Dish It Up”.

In March of 2011, Neneh collaborated with the experimental jazz music group, The Thing and released the album, “The Cherry Thing” in 2012. She also collaborated with London music duo RocketNumberNine to record an album called “MeYouWeYou” and joined them to perform the entire album live at the Manchester International Festival in July of 2013.
In February of 2014, she released her fourth studio album in 18 years, “Blank Project” on the Smalltown Supersound record label. The album peaked at #41 on the U.K. Albums chart and #6 on the U.K. Independent Albums chart. To help promote the album, she toured Europe in February and March of 2014.
In October of 2018, Neneh released her fifth studio album, “Broken Politics” which peaked at #76 on the U.K. Albums chart and #8 on the U.K. Independent Albums chart. She promoted by the album by touring across North America, Australia and Europe in late 2018 and early 2019.
These days (according to research), Neneh is still active with her music career. In June of 2022, she released her sixth studio album, “The Versions” on EMI which features reworked and reimagined versions of her previous singles.

To see Neneh Cherry’s Facebook page, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/nenehcherryofficial/

To follow Neneh Cherry on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/nenehcherryofficial/?hl=en

To see a video for “Buffalo Stance”, go to:

To see a video for “Manchild”, go to:

To see a video for “Kisses on the Wind”, go to:

To see a video for “Heart”, go to:

To see a video for “Inna City Mamma”, go to:

To see a video for “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, go to:

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

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

To see a video for “Buddy X”, go to:

 

To see a video for “Troubled Man”, go to:

To see a video for “Woman”, go to:

To see a video for “Kootchi”, go to:

To see a video for “Feel It”, go to:

To see a video for “Kong” (from her album, “Broken Politics”), go to:

To see a video for “Slow Train to Dawn” (with The The), go to:

To see a video for “7 Seconds” (with Youssou N’Dour), go to:

 

To see a video for “Love Can Build a Bridge” (with Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Eric Clapton), go to:

Gina Thompson

Gina Thompson (born Lugenia Thompson in Vineland, New Jersey in 1974) is a female R&B singer who started her career in the 90’s.

She started singing at a young age and continued as a teenager. She also became the first black homecoming queen at her high school.

After graduating from high school, Gina signed a record contract with Mercury Records.
In 1996, Gina released her debut album “Nobody Does it Better” which peaked at #26 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart and #36 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The album was certified Platinum in 1998.
Gina’s biggest hit to date, “The Things That You Do” peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 29 weeks.

During that same year, she was featured on MC Lyte’s song, “Cold Rock A Party” as a background vocalist and was featured on MC Lyte’s 1997 album, “Seven & Seven” on the song, “It’s All Yours.”

Gina recorded a version of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers’ song, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” for the 1998 movie soundtrack with the same name. She was also featured on Missy Elliott’s sophomore album, “Da Real World.”

The second single, “You Bring the Sunshine” peaked at #53 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.

Gina’s sophomore album, “If You Only Knew” was supposed to be released in September of 1999 through Missy Elliott’s The Goldmind Inc. imprint label, but the album was shelved and never released.

The first single, “Ya Di Ya” (featuring Missy Elliot) peaked at #38 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.

Another single, “Caught Up” (featuring rapper Beanie Siegel) failed to chart at all. After that, Gina asked to be released from her record contract.
In 2008, Gina started work on a new album and released the song, “We Don’t Talk No More” which was #1 on the Musica Urbana Music Channel for a week.

In February 2009, she finally released her sophomore album, “Missing You” through Blue Mountain Records, Sunset Urban Records, and her own record label, MaLjo Entertainment.

After the album failed to chart, Gina was dropped from Blue Mountain Records. These days, she is still active in the music business today and has her own MySpace page.

To see Gina Thompson’s MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/ginathompson

To see the music video for “The Things We Do,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZYtzm9ZLs

To see the music video for “Ya Di Da,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv-2U6DZkcA

[updated on 05\07\12]

Mantronix

Mantronix were a hip-hop\funk group whose members consisted of DJ Kurtis Mantronix (born Kurtis el Khaleel on September 4, 1965 in Jamaica) and rapper MC Tee (born Touré Embden in 1966 in Haiti).

MC Tee was born in Haiti and emigrated with his family to the US, settling in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York.

Mantronix was born in Jamaica, moved to Canada with his family when he was 7 years old and at the age of 15, his family settled in New York City in 1980.

While working for Downtown Records in Manhattan as the in-store DJ, Mantronix met MC Tee in 1984. The two made a demo and eventually got a record deal with Sleeping Bag Records.
In 1985, Mantronix released their debut album, “The Album” which peaked at #47 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
Their debut single, “Fresh is the Word” became a hit, peaking at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
Mantronik’s second single, “Needle to the Groove” was moderately successful, peaking at #23 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart. Two more singles, “Bassline” and “Ladies” were also released.
In 1986, Mantronix released their sophomore album, “Music Madness” which peaked at #27 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The album attracted more electronic dance and funk music fans than hip-hop fans.
The first single from the album, “Who Is It” peaked at #21 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles chart and #68 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. Two more singles from the album, “Scream” and “We Control the Dice” were also released.

During the time the group was signed to Sleeping Bag Records, Mantronix was individually employed by the record label in the A&R Department where he signed hip-hop group EPMD to Sleeping Bag Records’ sister label, Fresh Records.

He produced music for other Sleeping Bag Records and Fresh Records artists & groups such as Nocera, KRS-One, T La Rock, Just-Ice and Joyce Sims. He shaped the original arrangement and production of Joyce’s hit single, “Come Into My Life.”
In 1988, Mantronix released their third album, “In Full Effect” which peaked at #18 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #108 on the Billboard 200 chart. This was the last album for MC Tee, who left to join the U.S. Air Force.
The only single to chart, “Simple Simon (You Gotta Regard)” peaked at #19 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart and #31 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

After MC Tee’s departure, he was replaced by emcee Bryce “Luvah” Wilson (born in 1972 in New York City) and Mantronik’s cousin, DJ D (born in 1969 in New York City). Mantronik met Bryce at Sleeping Bag Records while producing Bryce’s solo project which was never released.
In 1990, the newly formed Mantronix released their fourth album, “This Should Move Ya” which peaked at #161 on the Billboard 200 and #61 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. They were now signed to Capitol\EMI Records.
The first single from the album, “Got to Have Your Love” peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the song peaked at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100, #26 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 12 weeks), #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #6 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart.
The follow-up single, “Take Your Time” peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart and in the US, the song peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart and #37 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

After their fourth album, DJ D was replaced by singer Jade Trini (born Jade Trini Goring in 1972 in Queens, New York) for their upcoming and last album.
In 1991, Mantronik released their last album, “The Incredible Sound Machine” which peaked at #36 on the UK Albums chart, but failed to chart in the US.
The only single released, “Don’t Go Messin With My Heart” managed to peak at #22 on the UK Singles chart, but not in the US at all. After their European tour and promotion of their album, Mantronix split up. Kurtis Mantronix left the music biz for seven years.
In the late 90’s, Mantronix came back to the music scene in Britain, producing music for house and techno musicians.

In 1998, Mantronik released his first solo album, “I Sing the Body Electro.” Since then, he continues to be active in the music biz in electronic music today.
Bryce Wilson went on to be a member of Groove Theory with singer Amel Larrieux and produce music along with acting.

Jade Trini toured with Monie Love on her 1991 tour. In 1992, she became a born-again Christian. She currently lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut. In 2003, she independently released her first contemporary gospel album “The Devil Lost Another One.”

As for MC Tee and DJ D’s whereabouts, they are currently unknown.

To see a fan-made video for “Fresh is the Word,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxnQ1vv_CW8

To see the music video for “Bassline,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgD4x_SfyD8

To see a fan-made video for “Needle to the Groove,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT4VgyfLPKk

To see a fan-made video for “Ladies,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pjpfj3hZWE

To see a fan-made video for “Who is It,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2dQ8hdXhGE

To see a fan-made video for “Scream,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeaiZAoCFg8

To see a fan-made video for “We Control the Dice,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_gAhgGoxEM

To see the music video for “Simple Simon,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9TeOJnWeu4

To see the music video for “Got to Have Your Love,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z_dNHwlBzM

To see the music video for “Don’t Go Messin With My Heart,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvvHsmz_7c