Debbie Trusty was a female R&B\dance singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to West End Records.
In 1982, Debbie released the single, “Searchin’ For Some Lovin’.” It’s unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Debbie has faded into obscurity.
To see a fan-made video for “Searchin’ For Some Lovin’,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7GM59k8zlc
Inez Brooks was an R&B singer from the early 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to West End Records.
In 1981, Inez released the single, “Chillin’ Out” It’s unknown how or if the single ever made the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Inez Brooks has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from Inez since the 80s.
[updated on 09/20/2020]
Wanda & The Way It Is is an R&B band that originally consisted of Wanda (whose real name is Janet Laing), Lily White, Pam Fleming and Jenny Hill.
The band’s name is a reference to the character Wanda von Dunajew from Sacher Masoch’s novel “Venus in Furs”. The name was thought up by Stanley Crouch (who was a writer for the Village Voice) after he heard a song Janet recorded called “Go Get Him”.
Wanda & The Way It Is formed in 1984 and their first gig was opening up for singer Martha Reeves. After performing all over in Manhattan, they signed to 4th & Broadway Records in 1987.
During that same year, they released the single “We Got the Feeling” which didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all.
After that, the A&R guy for Wanda & the Way It Is passed away and Janet struggled with an alcohol addiction which she beat years later. She later began writing stories under the pseudonym “Wanda von Dunagoy”.
According to a comment I received back in 2013, the band was back in the studio, working on a new album and in 2014, they released the album “Epiphany” which is available on iTunes, Amazon.com and CD Baby.
The current line-up for the band consists of Wanda, Dionne McClain-Freeney, Sherryl Marshall, Deborah Berg, Bernice Brooks, Pam Fleming, Jenny Hill, Lily White, Sean Dixon and Mark Unthank.
To see the band’s official website, go to:
http://www.wandaandthewayitis.com
[Updated on 04\06\2016]
Clubhouse Orchestra was a pop\dance music act from the ’80s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to 4th & Broadway Records.
In 1987, they released the single, “Jump Right On the Case” which didn’t appear to make the charts. The song was written and produced by Alan George & Fred McFarlane.
After that, it seems as if Clubhouse Orchestra has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.
[There are no videos available for this blog entry.]
Debra Dejean (from Memphis, Tennessee) was a female dance singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about Debra, but she was signed to the Handshake Records And Tapes label.
In 1981, Debra release her only self-titled album. It’s unknown how or if the album ever made the charts at all.
The first single, “Are You Lovin Somebody/You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” was released, but didn’t make the charts.
Debra’s second single, “Goosebumps/Underfire” was released, but once again, it failed to make impact on the charts.
The last single, “Strange Love” failed to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Debra Dejean has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since the 80s.
To see a fan-made video for “Strange Love,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81OsiMP3Vgg
To see a fan-made video for “Are You Lovin’ Somebody,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ZNXMOzCY4
To see a fan-made video for “Goosebumps,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7vkG2TjWs
Connie Brighton was a female R&B\soul singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to The Handshake Records and Tapes label.
In 1984, Connie released the single, “The Clapping Song\Keep on Clappin’.” It’s unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Connie has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since.
[There are no videos available for this entry]
The Tamperer featuring Maya was an Italian dance music group that consisted of Italian record producers Mario Fargetta & Alex Farolfi and American female singer, Maya Days.
Later on, Guiliano Saglia and GianLuca Mensi joined the project. In 1998, they released their debut album “Fabulous” on Jive Records.
Their first single “Feel It” (which sampled The Jacksons’ song “Can You Feel It”) peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in September of 1998 and #43 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom (where it was certified gold), Belgium, Ireland and the dance charts in Canada.
The group’s follow-up single “If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better” (which sampled Madonna’s song “Material Girl”) peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in May of 1999 and #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
It was successful in the United Kingdom where it peaked at #3 on the U.K. Singles chart and was certified silver.
In 2000, the group returned to released their final single, “Hammer to the Heart” (which was based on ABBA’s song “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”) peaked at #6 on the U.K. Singles chart and was moderately successful internationally.
After that, nothing much was heard from The Tamperer featuring Maya and they faded into obscurity.
Today, Mario Fargetta (now under the name “Fargetta”) continues to DJ and appears to be active in the music business. Maya Days is an actress and has appeared on the television show “Damages.”
To see the music video for “Feel It,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht-m4vMWRqA
To see the music video for “If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFNcBB3nZok
To see the music video for “Hammer to the Heart,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSiuOoCh9g
Dakota Moon was a pop rock, R&B, and country band from Los Angeles, California that consisted of Ray Artis, Joe Dean, Mike Malloy and singer Ty Taylor. Ray & Ty were from New York and Joe & Malloy were from California.
All four of them sang vocals, but Joe played guitar, Ray played bass and Malloy played percussion. The quartet met at a recording session in Los Angeles for music producers Andrew Logan and Mike More. They had such chemistry, they decided to form a band.
Ray & Ty moved to Los Angeles and the band began to play regularly on the L.A. club circuit. After Sylvia Rhone (the head of Elektra Records) spotted Dakota Moon in concert, she offered them a recording contract which they accepted. Before making their debut album, they toured as the opening act for Tina Turner in 1997. By the end of the year, they recorded their debut album.
In April of 1998, Dakota Moon released their self-titled debut album which didn’t appear to make the Billboard 200 chart.
The first single “A Promise I Make” peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1998, #19 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in May of 1998 and #37 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart.
The follow-up single “Another Day Goes By” peaked at #19 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in November of 1998 and #36 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart.
Dakota Moon released two more singles from the album: “She Knows” and “Your Smiling Face” which didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all.
In 2002, Dakota Moon released their last album to date “A Place to Land” which also didn’t make the Billboard 200.
The only single to chart was “Looking For a Place to Land” which peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in February of 2002 and #27 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart.
After that, it seems as if Dakota Moon has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since the 2000s.
To see a fan-made video for “A Promise I Make,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2y5xh_-JFg
To see a fan-made video for “Another Day Goes By,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7eHOiON6w
To see a fan-made video for “Looking For a Place to Land,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1XfpXep7k0
Samantha Cole (born on October 31, 1978 from Southhampton, New York) is a female pop singer from the ’90s.
In 1997, Samantha released her only self-titled album on Universal Records which didn’t appear to make any album charts at all.
The first single from the album, “Happy With You” peaked at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her only chart appearance in the United States.
The follow-up singles from the album: “Without You” and “You Light Up My Life” were released, but didn’t make the charts at all. In 2004, “Without You” was covered by American Idol singers Kimberley Locke and Clay Aiken which topped the charts in Asia.
In 2001, Samantha was featured on reggae singer Shaggy’s song, “Luv Me Luv Me” which peaked at #5 on the UK Singles chart, but didn’t make the charts in the United States.
In 2005, she released a cover version of Animotion’s song, “Obsession” which gained airplay on radio. Around 2007, she dropped out of the music business, started working in the hospitality business and started a family.
These days, Samantha resides in Danbury, Connecticut where she is a divorced mother of three children. In 2019, she released a new single, “Hitchhiker” and followed it up in 2020 with the song, “Human.”
To follow Samantha on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/voicecole
To follow Samantha on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/samantha_cole/
To see a video for “Without You,” go to:
Cartouche was a dance group from Belgium that consisted of members Myrelle Tholen and Jean-Paul Visser.
In 1991, the group released their only album “House Music All Night Long” on Scotti Bros. Records. It’s unknown how or if the album charted at all.
The first single “Feel the Groove” peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1991, #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in May of 1991 and #18 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Single Sales chart.
The song became a hit in France, peaking at #13 on the charts. It was also moderately successful in the U.K., Belgium and on the dance music charts in Canada.
The follow-up single “Let the Music Take Control” peaked at #46 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in October of 1991, but didn’t appear to chart anywhere else.
Two more singles from the album “Hold On” and “Do Your Thing” were released, but didn’t make the charts at all.
In 1993, Cartouche released the single “Shame” which didn’t appear to make the music charts in the U.S. or internationally.
In 1994, Cartouche’s single “Touch the Sky” was released and it topped the dance music charts in Canada for 6 weeks in mid-1995.
In 1995, Cartouche released the single “Miracles” which peaked at #3 on the dance music charts in Canada.
Cartouche released two more singles: “Feel the Rain” and “Runnin’ Up That Hill” before apparently fading into obscurity.
As of 2007, Jean-Paul Visser resides in Holland while Myrelle Tholen runs a street-dance school in Essen, Belgium. She is retired from singing and is married with two children.
To see the music video for “Feel the Groove,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-xaL4_cep4
To see the music video for “Let the Music Take Control,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r9TV3fk_cA
To see a fan-made video for “Hold On,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlDkYVJ79cc
To see a fan-made video for “Do Your Thing,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlqoxvfIU3Q
To see the music video for “Shame,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=341Y5lwxoUI
To see a fan-made video for “Touch the Sky,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjAYoCY99Vg
To see a fan-made video for “Miracles,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPr5rZeKYM
To see a fan-made video for “Feel the Rain,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOL4z2RCm4U
To see the music video for “Runnin’ Up That Hill,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIx6phNNwP0
rareandobscuremusic 
