Kym was a female dance singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Award Records.
In 1984, Kym’s single, “Give Me the Dance” peaked at #67 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 8 weeks. After that, it seemed as if Kym had faded into obscurity.
To see a fan-made video for “Give Me the Dance,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUEOjDGYN2o
Robe was an R&B studio band that was formed by music producer Alvin Davies. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to the 2000 AD Music label.
In 1987, Robe released their sole single, “Turn on the Moon” which peaked at #70 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. After that, it seems as if Robe has faded into obscurity.
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Ileana (born Ileana Holland) is a female dance\freestyle\pop singer from the late ’80s.
She grew up in a musical family; her parents were a Latin music group called Los Deltos while she and her sisters performed as singers and dancers (under the name The Sound City Girls) on a Puerto-Rican television show, “The Nydia Caro Show.”
She later moved on to join a group called Triple Exposure with her husband, Glen. She also performed in the Disneyland house band, Krash.
In 1989, Ileana released her self-titled and only album on Telarc Records, which didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts.
The only single released from the album, “Ay, Ay, Ay (Si Papi)” didn’t appear to make the charts. After that, it seemed as if Ileana had faded into obscurity.
According to the Isle of Deserted Pop Stars blog, Illeana has continued to perform as the lead singer for corporate & wedding band, Soulville. She has also done commercials and television work along with being the lead arranging vocalist for the “American Idol” live shows.
To see a video for “Ay, Ay, Ay (Si Papi),” go to:
Stephanie Mills (born Stephanie Dorthea Mills on March 22, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York) is a female R&B singer who got her start in the ’70s, but gained success on the R&B charts during the ’80s and early ’90s.
As a child, she began singing gospel music in church. When she was 9 years old, she appeared in the 1968 Broadway musical, “Maggie Flynn”. At the age of 11, she performed at Amateur Night at the Apollo, winning for six straight weeks in a row which led to her becoming the opening act for the Isley Brothers.
In 1973, Stephanie signed a record deal with Paramount Records and released her debut single, “I Knew It Was Love” which didn’t make the charts.
In October of 1974, she released her debut album, “Movin’ in the Right Direction” on ABC Records. The title song was released as a single, but didn’t chart at all.
During that same year, Stephanie earned the role of Dorothy in the Broadway musical, “The Wiz” and maintained the role until 1979. She later signed a record deal with Motown Records after producer Suzanne De Passe suggested it.
In October of 1975, she released her sophomore album, “For the First Time” which didn’t generate a lot of success on the charts. The album was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
In March of 1979, Stephanie released her third studio album, “What Cha’ Gonna Do with My Lovin’” on 20th Century Records. The album peaked at #22 on the Billboard 200 and #12 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The title song became a hit, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 24 weeks.
The follow-up single from the album, “Put Your Body in It” peaked at #8 on Billboard’s National Disco Action Top 40 chart, staying on the chart for 35 weeks along with the track, “You Can Get Over” (which managed to peak at #1 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #55 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks).
In April of 1980, Stephanie released her fourth studio album, “Sweet Sensation” which peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The album was certified Gold.
The title song peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on Billboard’s Disco Top 100 chart (staying on the chart for 23 weeks) and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles, staying on the chart for 21 weeks.
The follow-up single, “Never Knew Love Like This Before” became Stephanie’s biggest hit to date, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 22 weeks.
It also peaked at #4 on the U.K. Singles chart, #5 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and #5 on Billboard’s Disco Top 100 chart (along with “Sweet Sensation”).
In 1981, the song won a Grammy Award for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance”. During that same year, Stephanie won an American Music Award for “Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist”. In June of 1980, Stephanie married singer Jeffrey Daniel (from R&B group Shalamar); the couple divorced in 1983.
In April of 1981, she released her fifth studio album, “Stephanie” which peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
Stephanie scored another hit with the lead single from the album, “Two Hearts” featuring the late Teddy Pendergrass.
The song peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100, #49 on the U.K. Singles chart and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks. It also peaked at #82 on Billboard’s Disco Top 100 chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
The follow-up single from the album, “Night Games” peaked at #33 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
In July of 1982, Stephanie released her sixth studio album, “Tantalizingly Hot” on Casablanca Records which peaked at #48 on the Billboard 200 and #10 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “Last Night” peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. It also peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (staying on the chart for 6 weeks).
The follow-up single, “Keep Away Girls” peaked at #13 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
The last charting single from the album, “You Can’t Run From My Love” peaked at #59 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 8 weeks) and #15 on Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.
In November of 1982, Stephanie released the album, “Love Has Lifted Me” which was originally recorded in 1975 after the release of “For the First Time”.
In 1983, she released her seventh studio album, “Merciless” which peaked at #104 on the Billboard 200 and #12 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single, “Pilot Error” peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. It also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart (staying on the chart for 16 weeks).
The follow-up single, a cover version of Prince’s 1982 song, “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?” peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks.
In September of 1984, Stephanie released her eighth studio album, “I’ve Got the Cure” which peaked at #73 on the Billboard 200 and #10 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single, “The Medicine Song” became a number-one hit for Stephanie, topping Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart for a week, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.
The song also crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. Internationally, it was moderately successful on the music charts in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The follow-up single from the album, “Edge of the Razor” peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Disco chart (staying on the chart for 14 weeks) and #47 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.
The last single, “In My Life” peaked at #92 on the U.K/ Singles chart, but didn’t make the charts in the United States.
In 1985, Stephanie was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Fletch” with the track, “Bit By Bit” which peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
It also peaked at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #52 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
During that same year, Stephanie released her ninth self-titled album on MCA Records. The album peaked at #47 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “Stand Back” peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart and stayed on the chart for 8 weeks. It also peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, (staying on the chart for 14 weeks).
The second single, “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love” (which was written by Angela Winbush & René Moore) became Stephanie’s first number-one hit on the R&B charts, topping Billboard’s Hot Black Singles for a week in May of 1986, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.
The last single released from the album, “Rising Desire” peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart staying on the chart for 14 weeks.
In 1986, Stephanie was featured on the single, “King Holiday” which also featured R&B and hip-hop artists such as Whitney Houston, El DeBarge, Stacy Lattisaw, Teena Marie, The Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow. The song was a moderate R&B hit, peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart.
In June of 1987, she released her tenth studio album, “If I Were Your Woman” which peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single, “I Feel Good All Over” became Stephanie’s second number-one R&B hit, topping Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart for 3 weeks, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.
In 1988, Patti LaBelle admitted that she was given a chance to record the song by the writers of the song, Gabriel and Annette Hardeman (who was a background singer for Patti at the time), but she passed on it because she believed it wasn’t a “Patti song”.
The second single from the album, “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me” became Stephanie’s third number-one R&B hit, topping Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart for a week and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. It also peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Club Play Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
The third single, “Secret Lady” peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
The title song (which was a cover version of Gladys Knight and the Pips’ 1970 song) peaked at #19 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.
In 1987, Stephanie appeared in the NBC TV special, “Motown: Merry Christmas” performing the song, “Christmas Everyday” (which was written by late actor/comedian, Redd Foxx).
In 1988, she was featured on late R&B singer Robert Brookins’ cover version of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s 1972 song, “Where is The Love” which was moderately successful on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, peaking at #18.
In June of 1989, Stephanie released her eleventh studio album, “Home”. The album peaked at #82 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single from the album, “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)” became Stephanie’s fourth number-one R&B hit, topping the chart for a week and staying on the charts for 18 weeks.
The title song became Stephanie’s last number-one R&B hit to date, topping the chart for a week and staying on the chart for 18 weeks just like the previous single did.
The third single from the album, “Comfort of a Man” peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks.
The last single released from the album, “Real Love” peaked at #53 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. During that same year, Stephanie got married to Dino Meminger, but the marriage ended in 1991 after less than two years.
In 1991, Stephanie released her twelfth studio and first holiday album, “Christmas” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. She was also featured on J.T. Taylor’s song, “Heart to Heart” which was moderately successful on the R&B charts.
In July of 1992, she released her thirteenth studio abum, “Something Real” which peaked at #22 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single, “All Day All Night” peaked at #20 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.
The follow-up single from the album, “Never Do You Wrong” peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #33 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
During that same year, she was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Tom And Jerry: The Movie” with the track, “All in How Much We Give”. She was later released from her record contract with MCA Records.
In 1993, Stephanie reprised her role as Dorothy in a short-lived revival of “The Wiz”. During that same year, she got married for the third time to Micheal Saunders. The marriage ended in 2001.
In September of 1994, she released her fourteenth studio and first gospel music album, “Personal Inspirations” on the GospoCentric Records label. The album peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and #20 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Christian Albums chart.
Afterwards, Stephanie took a break from recording music. In 1997, she played the lead role in the musical, “Children of Eden” in New Jersey.
In 1999, she released the single, “Latin Lover” on the MAW Records label; however, it doesn’t appear that the single made the charts. In 2001, she gave birth to a son named Farad, who has Down syndrome.
In 2004, Stephanie released her fifteenth studio album, “Born for This!” independently on the Lightyear record label. The album peaked at #25 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
Two tracks from the album, “Can’t Let Him Go” (which received airplay on urban contemporary radio) and “Free” were released as singles, but didn’t make the charts at all. She also toured and made appearances on gospel television shows.
In 2010, Stephanie released the single, “Yesterday” on the CJ Entertainment record label. Two years later, she released another single, “So in Love This Christmas”. In 2015, she was cast in the role of Aunt Em in the NBC live musical production of “The Wiz”.
In August of 2018, Stephanie made headlines when she accused singer Sam Smith of cultural appropriation after making a remark in an Instagram video that they didn’t like Michael Jackson, but stated that his song, “Human Nature” was a “decent song”. She referred to them as being a “one-hit wonder”.
These days (according to research), Stephanie is still active with her music career. In 2021, she released the single, “Let’s Do the Right Thing”. She is also the founder of a non-profit organization for people with special needs in Charlotte, North Carolina called The 444LOVE Foundation.
To see Stephanie Mills’ official website, go to:
https://iamstephaniemills.com/
To follow Stephanie Mills on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/iamstephaniemills/
To see the website for Stephanie Mills’ non-profit organization, The 444LOvE Foundation, go to:
https://444love.org/
To see a video for “I Knew It Was Love”, go to:
To see a video for “What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'”, go to:
To see a video for “Never Knew Love Like This Before”, go to:
To see a video for “Sweet Sensation”, go to:
To see a video for “Two Hearts” (with Teddy Pendergrass), go to:
To see a video for “Last Night,” go to:
To see a video for “Keep Away Girls”, go to:
To see a video for “Pilot Error”, go to:
To see a video for “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, go to:
To see a video for “The Medicine Song,” go to:
To see a video for “Bit By Bit,” go to:
To see a video for “Stand Back,” go to:
To see a video for “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love”, go to:
To see a video for “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me,” go to:
To see a video for “I Feel Good All Over”, go to:
To see a video for “Where is the Love” (with Robert Brookins), go to:
To see a video for “Something in the Way You Make Me Feel,” go to:
To see a video for “Home,” go to:
To see a video for “Comfort of a Man,” go to:
To see a video for “All Day All Night,” go to:
To see a video for “Never Do You Wrong,” go to:
To see a video for “Latin Lover”, go to:
To see a video for “Free”, go to:
To see a video for “Can’t Let Him Go”, go to:
To see a video for “Yesterday”, go to:
To see a video for “So In Love This Christmas”, go to:
To see a video for “Let’s Do The Right Thing”, go to:
Magic Lady were a female R&B trio from Detroit, Michigan that featured singers Linda Stokes, Jackie Steele and Kimberly Ball.
The trio was formed by Linda and her husband, Michael Stokes. All three women were background vocalists for artists such as Shirley Caesar, Bob Seger, Keith Barrow, Enchanted and the Soul Searchers.
In 1980, they released their self-titled debut album on Arista Records which didn’t appear to generate a lot of success. The two singles released from the album: “Love Feelin'” and “That’s the Way We’ll Always Say Goodnight” failed to chart.
In 1982, Magic Lady released their sophomore album “Hot ‘N’ Sassy” on A&M Records, but it didn’t make the album charts.
The only single from the album to chart was “Red Hot Stuff” which peaked at #52 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
By 1988, Magic Lady was down to a duo after Kimberly Ball left. During that same year, they released their last self-titled album on Motown Records which didn’t chart at all.
The lead single, “Betcha Can’t Lose (With My Love)” which peaked at #45 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. It also managed to peak at #58 on the UK Singles chart.
The follow-up single from the album, “Wait a Minute” didn’t make the charts. Afterwards, it seems as if Magic Lady has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since the ’80s.
To see a video for “Love Feelin”, go to:
To see a video for “Red Hot Stuff”, go to:
To see a video for “Betcha Can’t Lose (With My Love),” go to:
To see a video for “Wait a Minute”, go to:
Craig Mack (born Craig Jameson Mack on May 10, 1971 in Trenton, New Jersey) was a hip-hop rapper from the ’90s.
As a teenager, Craig released his debut single, “Just Rhymin'” under the name “MC EZ and Troup” in 1988 on Fresh Records, but it didn’t generate a lot of success.
While working as a go-fer for hip-hop group EPMD, he hooked up with Sean “Puffy” Combs who offered him a spot on a remix version of Mary J. Blige’s song, ”You Don’t Have To Worry.” Impressed with Craig’s rapping skills, Puff Daddy signed him to a record deal with his record label, Bad Boy Entertainment.
In July of 1994, he released his debut single, “Flava in Ya Ear” which became a hit, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 (making it his only highest appearance on the Hot 100) and #4 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 28 weeks.
The song also topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and was also certified Platinum by the RIAA, selling 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
The remix version of “Flava in Ya Ear” featured late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Rampage and Busta Rhymes. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Rap Solo Performance”.
On September 20, 1994, Craig released his debut album, “Project Funk da World” which peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 and #6 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.
Although the album received good commercial feedback, it was overshadowed by the huge success of the Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, “Ready to Die” (which was also released in September of that same year as well).
The follow-up single from the album, “Get Down” peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart. It also peaked at #2 on Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #17 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks).
The last single released from the album, “Making Moves With Puff” failed to make any impact on the charts at all.
During the ’90s, Craig was featured on remixes by artists such as Veronica, Brownstone, Boyz II Men and Gina Thompson. He was also featured on the Sound of Blackness’ song, “Spirit.”
On June 24, 1997, he released his sophomore album, “Operation: Get Down” which peaked at #46 on the Billboard 200 and #17 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. Unlike his debut album, the album didn’t generate a lot of success.
The only single from the album to make the charts was “What I Need” which managed to peak at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart, #9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #55 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart (staying on the chart for 13 weeks).
After his second album flopped, Craig had left Bad Boy Records and his popularity began fading away. In 2002, it was announced that he was working on a third album which was supposed to be released in 2007, but apparently, those plans never materialized (although he did release a single in 2006 called “Mack Tonight”).
Craig would later leave the music scene for the next few years. In 2012, a video was leaked on YouTube, saying that he had joined a Christian ministry in Walterboro, South Carolina. In November of that same year, Beazylife Distribution released a new Craig Mack mixtape called “Operation Why2K? – Hosted by B-Eazy” through music website, DatPiff.com.
In 2017, Craig released his last studio album, “The Mack World Sessions.” The album contains 18 tracks that were recorded between 2000 and 2006.
Sadly on March 12, 2018, Craig Mack died from heart failure at a hospital near his residence in Walterboro, South Carolina. He was 47 years old.
Following Craig’s death, rapper Erick Sermon had written on Twitter that he was completing work on Craig’s new album; it’s currently unknown whether or not the album will be released posthumously.
To see a video for “Flava in Ya Ear,” go to:
To see a video of the remixed version of “Flava in Ya Ear,” go to:
To see a video for “Get Down,” go to:
To see a video for “Making Moves with Puff,” go to:
To see a video for “What I Need,” go to:
To see a video of the remixed version of “What I Need,” go to:
To see a video for “Mack Tonight”, go to:
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