Music you've never heard….'til now! A blog of rare, hardly-heard or remembered pop, hip-hop, R&B, freestyle, dance and country music from the '70s to the 2000s. From one-hit wonders to no-hit wonders, this blog has it all!!
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3 Tymes Luv was a short-lived female R&B girl group from the early 90’s that consisted of former Company B. member, Charlotte McKinnon, Michelle Nash, and Tami Hert. They were signed to Sunshine Records.
In 1991, the group released their debut single, “Irresistible” which peaked at #88 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart in May of 1992, staying on the chart for only 5 weeks.
A year later, they released the single, “I Wanna Groove” which didn’t appear to chart, but a music video was made for the song.
After that, it seemed as if 3 Tymes Luv faded into obscurity. Tami Hert had a short-lived solo career during the 90’s, but it’s unknow what she’s currently up to; Charlotte went back to a reformed version of Company B, and it’s unknown what Michelle Nash is up to also.
Tami Hert was a female R&B singer from the 90’s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Epic Records and was a member of the early 90’s R&B girl group, 3 Tymes Luv.
In 1997, Tami released her debut single, “If You Were Mine” which failed to make the Billboard charts at all.
In June of 1998, Tami’s debut album, “Hert So Good” was released in Japan, but it’s unknown how or if the album charted or why the album was never released in the United States. After that, it seems as if Tami has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since.
Side 2 Side were a hip-hop music act from the late 80’s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to Rebel Hill Records.
In 1989, Side 2 Side released the single, “We’re Not New To This” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Side 2 Side has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.
Cindy Cruize was a female freestyle singer from the 90’s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Hot Apple Records.
In 1994, Cindy released the single, “Baby You’re So Good” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Cindy has faded into obscurity.
Basia (born Barbara Trzetrzelewska on September 30, 1954 in Jaworzno, Poland) is a female pop\jazz singer from the late 80’s\early 90’s.
Basia grew up in a musical household; her parents ran a popular ice cream parlor in Jaworzno, Poland and her mother gave her piano lessons. She enjoyed singing from an early age and had an extensive collection of vinyl records.
In 1969, she made her musical debut as a guest of local amateur rock band, Astrya and performed with them at the Polish Festival of Beat Avangarde in Kalisz where they won. Because of the performance, she was a member of the popular Polish all-female vocal group, Alibabki from 1972 to 1974. She also sang with a rock band called Perfect from 1977 to 1979.
In 1979, Basia temporarily moved to Chicago, Illinois and later relocated to London in 1981 where she met Mark Reilly and long-time collaborator, Danny White (who is the brother of jazz guitarist Peter White).
In 1983, the three of them performed as the jazz-pop group, Bronze, but they later changed their name to Matt Bianco and released their debut album in 1984. The album was successful in Europe, selling more than 1.5 million copies and scored two Top 30 hits on the UK Singles chart. In 1985, Basia and Danny White left Matt Bianco to start Basia’s solo career.
On August 21, 1987, Basia released her debut album, “Time and Tide” on Epic Records which peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz albums chart. It was also certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Internationally, the album peaked at #61 on the UK Singles chart, #16 on the French Albums chart (and was certified Gold) and #50 on the Australian Albums chart.
The first single released from the album, “Prime Time TV” peaked at #88 on the UK Singles chart and #68 on the music charts in Germany; however, it didn’t make the charts in the United States.
The second single released from the album, “Run for Cover” failed to make the charts in the United States or internationally.
The third single, “Promises” fared better than the previous single, peaking at #48 on the UK Singles chart and #78 in Canada. In the United States, it managed to peak at #8 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
The fourth single released from the album, “Freeze Thaw” failed to make any impact on the music charts at all.
The fifth single from the album, “New Day For You” peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It was also moderately successful in the Netherlands.
The last single released from the album, “Time and Tide” became Basia’s biggest hit song to date, peaking at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #19 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in the US. It also peaked at #61 on the UK Singles chart.
On October 23, 1989, she released her sophomore album, “London Warsaw New York” which peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200. It also became her second number-one jazz album in the United States. It was certified Platinum in August of 1992, selling over one millon copies in the U.S.
Internationally, the album peaked at #68 on the UK Albums chart, #28 on the French Albums chart (and was certified Gold) and #33 on the Japanese Albums chart.
The first single from the album, “Baby You’re Mine” which peaked at #84 on the UK Singles chart. In the United States, it peaked at #18 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It also made the Adult Contemporary chart in Canada and was moderately successful in France.
The second single, “Cruising for Bruising” peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It also peaked at #86 on the UK Singles chart and was moderately successful in Canada, the Netherlands & France.
The third single from the album, “Copernicus” failed to make the charts at all; however, she performed the song live in November 1990 on “Late Night with David Letterman.”
The last single, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” peaked at #33 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The music video for the single contains footage shot in Seattle.
Basia’s sophomore album won a Grammy Award for “Top Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.” She also achieved success in Japan, the Philippines, & Europe, especially in France. In 1991, she released her first long-form video entitled “A New Day” which contains all of her videos and an interview.
On May 3, 1994, Basia released her third album, “The Sweetest Illusion” which peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200 chart; it was certified Gold by the RIAA in December of 1994 with sales in excess of 500,00 units. It also peaked at #39 on the French Albums chart and #6 on the Japanese Albums chart.
The lead single, “Drunk on Love” peaked at #41 on the UK Singles chart and topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for a week.
The follow-up single, “Third Time Lucky” managed to peak at #77 on the UK Singles chart; however, the last two singles: “Yearning” and “Perfect Mother” failed to make the charts at all.
During the tour in support of “The Sweet Illusion,” Basia played her first-ever solo concerts in Poland and the recordings from the two November shows at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway in New York were released in the fall of 1995 as her first-ever live album, “Basia on Broadway.”
In 1996, Basia contributed vocals to Peter White’s song, “Just Another Day” which was released as a single from his album, “Caravan of Dreams.”
In 1998, a compliation album, “Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia” was released; the album consisted of her notable hit songs, non-single tracks and new material (including a cover of the song, “Waters of March” written by Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobin). The album was Basia’s last release for Sony Records and it was a minor hit in Japan, largely due to lack of promotion from the label.
In 1999, she was featured as a guest vocalist of Spyro Gyra’s song, “Springtime Laughter” for their album, “Got the Magic” and recorded vocals for Taro Hakase’s cover version of “So Nice (Summer Samba)” from his album, “Duets.”
Basia left the music business after her mother died in 2000; not long after her mother’s death, her cousin died in a car accident which was followed by the passing of other close friends. She struggled with depression, lost motivation to work and thought that she would never return to singing again.
However, after some persistent efforts from Matt Bianco bandmates Danny White and Mark Reilly (who had started working together again), Basia agreed to return to the band; in 2004, they released the album, “Matt’s Mood” which received modest success on the charts and critical acclaim.
The positive response to the reunion of Matt Bianco and pleas from Basia’s fans encouraged her to start working on her next solo album. After she completed touring with the band, Basia and Danny White began working on new material for the album while Mark Reilly continued with Matt Bianco.
In March of 2009, Basia released her fourth studio album, “It’s That Girl Again” which peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. It received critical and commercial success, and was even certified Platinum in Poland. She promoted the album with an extensive tour.
A concert in Lodz, Poland was recorded for Basia’s second live album, “From Newport to London:
Greatest Hits Live … and More” which was released in September of 2011. In March of 2013, she performed a full show at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In 2013, Basia was honored in Poland with cultural awards including The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (which was rewarded by the President of Poland) and the Decoration for Merit to Polish Culture (which was rewarded by the Polish Ministry of Culture). In 2017, she recevied given the Silver Gloria Artis medal from the Polish Ministry of Culture for her artistic achievement.
In May of 2018, she released her fifth studio album, “Butterflies” which peaked at #50 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and #4 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. It also charted in Poland and Japan. In the fall of that same year, she embarked on a worldwide tour to promote the album.
These days, Basia is still active with her music career and continues to perform live; according to her official website, she has concert dates scheduled to begin in May of 2021.
Belinda West was a female R&B\dance singer from the 80’s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Panorama Records.
In 1980, she released the single, “Seabiscuit in the Fifth” which managed to peak at #92 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart in October of 1980, staying on the chart for only 2 weeks.
After that, it seemed as if Belinda has faded into obscurity, but according to a comment I received, Belinda (now Belinda Womack) continues to sing and has made a name for herself in Florida.
Krissy Lamp was a hip-hop\dance artist from the 80’s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Vision Records.
In 1989, Krissy released the single, “Feel the Beat Drop.” It’s unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Krissy Lamp has faded into obscurity.
Luis was a male freestyle singer from the 90’s. Not much information is given about him, but he was signed to Hot Records.
In 1991, Luis released the single, “Just Another Chance” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Luis has faded into obscurity.
Exo (born Samuel A. Cardona) was a male freestyle singer from the late 80’s. Not much information is given about him, but he was signed to Micmac Records.
In 1989, Exo released the single, “Why Did You Do It” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if he has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.
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