Willie Max

Willie Max were an R&B music trio from the late ’90s that consisted of the Smith sisters: Rose, Sky and Lyric.

The girls were born in Detroit, Michigan. They began their career in the late ’80s when they were teenagers, performing under the name “The Smith Reflections”. They began to establish themselves by working as a opening act for music groups such as Tony! Toni! Tone!

The trio’s work attracted the attention of Raphael Saadiq, who took them under his wing and helped reshape their image. He renamed the trio Willie Max after the first names of their parents.
In 1998, Willie Max signed a record deal with Raphael’s record label, Pookie Records. During that same year, they released their debut and only studio album, “Bona Fide”.
The lead single from the album, “Can’t Get Enough” peaked at #20 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks. The song was also a moderate hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #49 on the chart and also peaked at #38 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The follow-up single from the album, “I’m Not Your Girlfriend” flopped on the charts. Afterwards, it seems as if Willie Max faded into obscurity. Not much has been heard from them since the ’90s.

To see a video for “Can’t Get Enough”, go to:

To see a video for “I’m Not Your Girlfriend”, go to:

4Kast

4Kast was a female R&B girl group consisting of members Kisha, Kia (born Kia Jeffries), Sharissa (born Sharissa Dawes) and Tasha from New York. The group was formed in 1995 and Kia was a member of the short-lived early-’90s R&B group, Oscar.

In 1998, 4Kast released their debut album “Any Weather” on RCA Records. It’s unknown how or if the album ever charted.

The first single “I Tried” peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #46 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.

The follow-up singles “Miss My Lovin” and “If I Could/I Tried” didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all. After that, they had appeared to have faded into obscurity.

These days, Sharissa has a moderate solo career. In 2002, she scored her only highest Hot 100 chart appearance to date with the song “Any Other Night.”

Kia is now pursuing a solo career as a singer/songwriter under the name “Babydoll.” She was featured on rapper Akinyele’s song “Put It In Your Mouth.” In November of 2012, she killed her abusive husband in self defense, but was not charged with his death. She has also appeared on the VH1 network show “The Gossip Game.”

To see Kia Jeffries’ Reverbnation page, go to:
http://www.reverbnation.com/kiababydolljeffries

To see a fan-made video for “I Tried,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxWIrff9HHg

As a bonus, here’s the music video for Sharissa’s minor solo hit “Any Other Night.” To see the video, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ZeuHUZcoc

[updated on 08/01/13]

7669

7669 were a female R&B quartet from the early 90s that consisted of members Thicknezz, Shorti 1 Forti, E-Boog-E and Big Ang.

Their music was produced by Full Force and they were signed to Motown Records.
In 1993, the group released their one and only album “7669 East From a Bad Block.” It’s unknown how or if the album ever charted.

The first single “So High” peaked at #35 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks, making it their highest appearance on the chart.

The last single from the album “Joy” peaked at #72 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the charts for 9 weeks. The song also peaked at #60 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The last single from the album “Heree Ah Cumm” was released, but didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all.

After that, 7669 had faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.

To see the music video for “So High,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RrMiUwkAnY

To see the music video for “Joy,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf8P5yRmmqE

[updated on 05\07\12]

4.0

4.0 was an R&B group from Atlanta, Georgia that consisted of members Tony “T-Bone” Hightower, Sammy “Cat Daddy” Crumbley, Jason “JJ” Sylvain and Ron “Hollywood” Jackson.

In 1997, the group released their self-titled debut album on A&M Records which peaked at #100 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

Their biggest hit to date “Have a Little Mercy” peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #28 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart.

The song was produced by legendary music producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. After that, they have seemed to have faded into obscurity.

These days, it appears if Sammy Crumbley works as a songwriter at hits4uman in the Greater Atlanta Area. Jason Sylvain appears to still be active in the music business as well. It’s unknown what the other members of the group are up to these days.

To see the music video for “Have a Little Mercy,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foVT4ogLBlM

[updated on 03\01\14]

The Real Seduction

The Real Seduction were an R&B vocal quartet from New Orleans, Louisiana that consisted of twin brothers Stacy & Tracy Braden along with Lawrence Pierce and Dennis Gordon.

 

In 1993, the quartet released their debut album “It’s Real” on Atlantic Records. It’s unknown how or if the album ever charted.

The first single, “Ain’t Nuttin’ Wrong” peaked at #82 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, lasting on the chart for 7 weeks.

The last single released from the album “Baby Where Were You?” peaked at #76 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, making it their highest chart appearance to date and staying on the chart for 7 weeks.

After the poor performance of their one and only album, The Real Seduction faded into obscurity. Nothing has been heard from them since.

To see a fan-made video for “Baby Where Were You,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeLyHwFqIvo

To see a fan-made video for “Ain’t Nothing Wrong,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnCeljlPEag

[updated on 08/01/13]

Robbie Mychals

Robbie Mychals (born in Richmond, Virginia) was an R&B singer from the early ’90s. He had a music style similar to Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown.

In 1990, Robbie released his self-titled debut album on Alpha International Records which peaked at #71 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The first single “Can’t Get Enuff of U” peaked at #49 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.

The second single “One Mile From Paradise” peaked at #19 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the charts for 13 weeks, making it their highest chart appearance to date. The song also marked the recording debut for Boyz II Men, who provided background vocals on it.

The last single released from the album “Do For You Do For Me” featuring singer Lori Fulton, peaked at #46 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 8 weeks.

After that, nothing much was heard from Robbie and has seemed to have faded into obscurity. It’s unknown what he’s up to today.

To see the music video for “One Mile from Paradise,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2SCAgYFwBE

To see the music video for “Can’t Get Enuff Of U,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYPTMwKhtUc

To see a fan-made video for “Do For You Do For Me,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDuXl-doRv4

[updated on 08/01/13]

Geoff McBride

Geoff McBride (born on October 23, 1960 in Lexington, North Carolina) is an R&B singer from the 90s.

As a child, he sang gospel music and he even performed for the governor of North Carolina and former President Jimmy Carter. He formed his first band when he was 18 years old.

In 1990, Geoff released his debut album “Do You Still Remember Love” on Arista Records which peaked at #55 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The first single, “Gotta Good Thing” peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the charts for 13 weeks. The song became Geoff’s highest chart appearance to date.

The second single from the album, “No Sweeter Love” peaked at #20 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.

The last single from the album, “Doesn’t That Mean Something” peaked at #37 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the charts for only 9 weeks.

After that, Geoff took some time off from the music biz to take personal control of his music.

During that time, he lived to Atlanta, Georgia and later got married. He sang on musician Amy Lee’s two albums, was a former sax player for Jimmy Buffett and sang for North Point Community Church in various areas of service for six years & BigStuf Camps.

Geoff co-wrote songs with Ben Holst under the name “Holst & McBride” where they opened for Aaron Neville at The Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points in March of 2003 and played at the Athens Human Rights Festival in that same year too.

He also sang with Guild of Sound (who are from Lawrenceville, Georgia) with Mark Copeland, John Sussewell, Steve Freeman and Don Klayman.

Geoff also provided vocals on the album “Valentines: The Music of Jim Brickman” with singer Felicia Sorenson and did commercial jingles such as Dark & Lovely, MARTA, Coca Cola and Chevrolet.

In 2006, he relocated to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida with his family where he has been working with musicians Tim Jackson, Chris Clifton, Duke Bardell and Donny Sundal.

Geoff was also the lead singer for the Rhythm All-Stars promo recording for JoMar Records, but he left in February of 2008.

In December of 2008, he released the single “Christmas Is” which is available on CD Baby. In 2012, Geoff was a contestant on the NBC series “The Voice,” but was eliminated. He continues to still be active in the music business.

To see Geoff’s official website, go to:
http://www.geoffmcbride.com/welcome.cfm

To see Geoff’s official Facebook page, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/GeoffMcBrideMusic

To follow Geoff on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/geoff_mcbride

To see Geoff’s official MySpace page, go to:
https://myspace.com/geoffmcbridemusic

To see Geoff’s Reverbnation page, go to:
http://www.reverbnation.com/geoffmcbride

To see Geoff’s CD Baby page, go to:
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GeoffMcBride

To see the music video for “No Sweeter Love,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GahLJ4WToFk

To see a fan-made video for “Doesn’t That Mean Something,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SUnP_pKToc

To see a fan-made video for an extended remix version of “Gotta Good Thing,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHYRCHcB8i8

[updated on 08/01/13]

S.H.E.

S.H.E. was an R&B trio from the mid-’90s that consisted of singer\actress Tyren Perry and her younger sisters, Jaimee (born Jaimee Monae Foxworth on December 17, 1979 in Belleville, Illinois) and Jania.

During their childhood, the girls would always sing around the house together. When their family moved to Los Angeles, they booked gigs doing session work and performances for Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie’s Children of the World project along with starring in various television shows.

In 1989, Tyren and Jania provided background vocals on Quincy Jones’ album, “Back On The Block” and Tyren released her only album, “Don’t Rush It” on Columbia Records. During that same year, Jaimee landed a role on the ABC network sitcom, “Family Matters” in the role of Judy Winslow.

In 1993, Jaimee’s character was written off the show after requesting a pay increase which the producers (who didn’t know what to do with the character of Judy Winslow anyway) were unable to do. Later, the girls’ family began to suffer from financial issues due to their parents putting in so much for their careers. 

Tyren, Jaimee and Jania decided to form a music trio called S.H.E. and were noticed by Shaquille O’Neal, who featured them on his 1996 album, “You Can’t Stop The Reign.” After that, Shaquille signed them to his record label, T.W.IsM. Records and they released their debut single, “My Secret Is…” which attracted little attention.

Despite that, S.H.E. released their only studio album, “3’s A Charm” in 1997 which didn’t generate a lot of success.  

During that same year, they were featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Steel” with the track, “We Got Heart.” Afterwards, the girls remained out of the spotlight and it was rumoured that their parents had declared bankruptcy. 

In later years, Jaimee battled substance abuse and depression; she also acted in pornography films under the name, Crave. In 2008, she was featured on the Vh1 network series, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” where she got help for her substance abuse issues. In May of 2009, she gave birth to a baby boy with her ex-boyfriend, Michael Shaw.

Jaina was the lead vocalist for the B.B. King’s All Star Band and portrayed the role of Effie White in the Los Angeles theater production of “Dreamgirls.” She has done songwriting, worked as a choreographer and designer, and also scored a dance hit with The Perry Twins called “Active My Body” in 2007. According to research, Jaina is currently dabbling in directing.

Tyren was the lead singer of a heavy metal music group called Kai’s Army. These days (according to research), the sisters live in California and also have a podcast called “The S.H.E. Show.”

To follow the S.H.E. Show on Instagram, go to:

https://www.instagram.com/thesheshowpodcast/

To see Tyren’s Facebook page, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/PropheticNotteProductions

To follow Tyren on Instagram, go to:

https://www.instagram.com/officialtyrenperry/

To see Jaina’s website, go to:

https://www.jania.net/

To follow Jaina on Instagram, go to:

http://www.instagram.com/jania_singndancegirl

To follow Jania on Twitter, go to:

http://www.twitter.com/singndancegirl

To follow Jaimee on Instagram, go to:

https://www.instagram.com/jaimeethefoxx/

To follow Jaimee on Twitter, go to:

https://twitter.com/jaimeethefoxx

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

To see a video for “We Got Heart”, go to:

[updated on 12\15\2021]

Sexual Harrassment

Sexual Harrassment was a dance-pop\R&B music project from the early ’80s that was created by DJ and producer Lynn Tolliver Jr. (under the pseudonym David Payton), who wrote all of the lyrics and music for the project.

The project consisted a changing roster of vocalists and musicians such as Alicia Starr, Charlie Inez, Dale Jackson, Kelly Albright, Lourdes Figueroa and Lynne Poole.
In 1982, they released their only studio album, “I Need a Freak” on the Heat Records label which didn’t chart at all.
Their debut single, “I Need a Freak” didn’t make the charts, but it was notably sampled in 2005 by the Black Eyed Peas for their song, “My Humps”. In 2011, Lynn Tolliver Jr. won a $1.2 million lawsuit against his former collaborator, James McCant, who licensed use of the song without his permission.
The follow-up single from the album, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” didn’t appear to make any impact on the music charts at all.
In 1984, Sexual Harrassment released the single, “We Want Prince” which also didn’t make the charts at all.
In 1986, they released the single, “These Are the Things That I Like” on the Future Entertainment record label which flopped.

Afterwards, nothing much has been heard from Sexual Harrassment and it seems as if they have faded into obscurity.

To see a video for “I Need a Freak”, go to:

To see a video for “K-I-S-S-I-N-G”, go to:

To see a video for “We Want Prince”, go to:

To see a video for “These Are the Things That I Like,” go to:

Bobby Nunn

Bobby Nunn (not to be confused with singer Bobby Nunn who sang with R&B groups the Coasters and the Robins in the 50s and 60s) was an R&B\funk singer from the early ’80s. He got his start as a protege for the late Rick James and played synthesizer on Rick’s earlier hits.

 

In 1982, Bobby released his debut album “Second To Nunn” which peaked at #148 on the Billboard 200 chart and #14 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The first single from the album “She’s Just a Groupie” peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, #28 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play and #15 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the charts for 13 weeks, making it his highest chart appearance to date.

The follow-up single “Got To Get Up On It” peaked at #36 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the charts for 10 weeks.

 

In 1983, Bobby released his sophomore album “Private Party” which peaked at #41 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The title song managed to peak at #50 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 8 weeks.

The second single “Hangin’ Out at the Mall” peaked at #50 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.

The last single “Don’t Knock It (Until You Try It)” was released, but didn’t chart. After that, nothing much has been heard from Bobby. It seems as if he’s faded into obscurity.

To see a fan-made video for “Private Party,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLtc_k8Ec0

To see a fan-made video for “She’s Just a Groupie,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CJJAEwcA3U

[updated on 05\07\12]