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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Jeanna Cie was a female pop/dance singer from the ’80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to MCA Records.
In 1987, she released her first single, “Don’t Believe in Love” which peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
In 1988, her follow-up single “Red Light, Green Light” failed to make the charts. After that, it seemed as if Jeanna faded into obscurity. Her whereabouts are unknown.
To see a video for “Don’t Believe in Love,” go to:
To see a video for “Red Light, Green Light,” go to:
Blak Panta (born in Jamaica) was a male reggae/hip-hop singer from the mid-’90s. Not much information is given about him, but he was signed to Tommy Boy Records.
In 1995, he was featured on the movie soundtrack to “New Jersey Drive” with the song “Do What U Want” which peaked at #109 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #78 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
After that, it seems as if Blak Panta has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.
Blancmange are an English synthpop duo from Harrow, Middlesex, England that originally consisted of singer Neil Arthur (born on June 15, 1958 in Darwen, Lancashire, England) and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe (born on October 29, 1954 in Hillingdon, Middlesex, England) & Laurence Stevens. They formed in 1979; however, Laurence left the band shortly after it was formed, leaving Neil and Stephen as a duo.
In 1980, they released their first EP, “Irene and Mavis.” The duo earned their first real exposure when they were featured on a track on the album, “Some Bizzare Album” along with music acts Soft Cell and Depeche Mode; this later led to Neil and Stephen signing a record deal with London Records.
In 1982, Blancmange released the double A-sided single, “God’s Kitchen/I’ve Seen the World” which peaked at #65 on the U.K. Singles chart. Their second single, “Feel Me” fared better, on the charts peaking at #46 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In September of 1982, Blancmange released their debut album, “Happy Families” which peaked at #30 on the U.K. Albums chart. The album was certified Gold.
Their third single “Living on the Ceiling” became a hit, peaking at #7 on the U.K. Singles chart. In the United States, the song managed to peak at #52 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (along with “Feel Me”).
The song was certified Silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 200,000 copies. One of the lyrics in the song “up the bloody tree” was edited as “up the cuckoo tree” on BBC radio and when the duo performed i on “Top of the Pops.”
The last single from Blancmange’s debut album, “Waves” was moderately successful, peaking at #19 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1984, the duo released their second album, “Mange Tout” which peaked at #8 on the U.K. Albums chart. The album become Blancmange’s most successful album to date. It was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
The first single from the album, “Blind Vision” peaked at #10 on the U.K. Singles chart. The song also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
The second single, “That’s Love, That Is” peaked at #33 on the U.K. Singles chart. It also managed to peak at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (along with the song, “Game Above My Head”).
The third single from the album, “Don’t Tell Me” peaked at #8 on the U.K. Singles chart and #44 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
The last single from the album, a cover version of ABBA’s single, “The Day Before You Came” peaked at #22 on the U.K. Singles chart (which was slightly higher than when ABBA’s version was released two years earlier).
In 1985, they released their third album, “Believe You Me” which peaked at #54 on the U.K. Albums chart and stayed on the chart for only two weeks. The lead single from the album, “What’s Your Problem” peaked at #40 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The follow-up single, “Lose Your Love” peaked at a low #77 on the U.K. Singles chart, but managed to peak at #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and #36 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart (along with the song “Ave Maria”).
The last single from the album “I Can See It” peaked at #71 on the U.K. Singles chart. In 1987, Blancmange disbanded.
In 1989, Stephen released an album of Indian-influenced music entitled “New Demons” along with Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria and Asha Bhosle under the name “West India Company.” In 1994, Neil released a solo album called “Suitcase.”
In 2011 (26 years after the release of their last album), Blancmange released their fourth studio album, “Blanc Burn” which peaked at #163 on the U.K. Albums chart.
After suffering from an abdominal aneurysm, Stephen Luscombe was forced to leave the band. Since then, Neil Arthur elected to continue recording and performing as Blancmange with the assistance of session players.
In November of 2013, Blancmange performed a U.K. tour where they played their 1982 debut album in its entirety at each show. During that same year, they released their fifth album, “Happy Families Too” which didn’t chart.
In 2015, Blancmange released the albums: “Semi Detached” (which peaked at #131 on the UK Albums chart) and “Nil By Mouth” (which didn’t make the charts).
In May of 2015, they announced the release of their cover version of Can’s song, “I Want More” as a limited edition twelve-inch record for “Record Store Day.”
In 2016, they released their eighth album, “Commuter 23” which also didn’t appear to make any album charts at all. In June of 2017, Fader (a new musical project between Neil Arthur and Benge) released their debut album, “First Light.”
In September of 2017, Blancmange released their ninth album, “Unfurnished Rooms.” It’s unknown how or if the album ever charted. In February of 2018, Near Future (another side project consisting of Neil Arthur and Jez Bernholz from Gazelle Twin) announced that they would release their debut album, “Ideal Home” in May of that same year.
In 2018, Blancmange released their tenth album, “Wanderlust” and announced a tour in the United Kingdom in November of that same year.
In 2019, their eleventh album, “Nil by Mouth II” which was originally released as a limited-edition run of 1,000 copies; it was later released on a larger scale on CD in June of 2020.
In 2020, Blancmange released their latest album, “Mindset.” The title song was released as a single in February of that same year.
David Peaston (born on March 13, 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an R&B/gospel singer from the late ’80s/early ’90s. He was the son of Martha Bass (who was a member of The Clara Ward Singers gospel group) and the brother of R&B singer Fontella Bass.
David attended the Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church with his mother as a child. He worked as a schoolteacher, but after being laid off in 1981, David moved to New York and began working as a background singer on recording sessions.
In the late ’80s, David won several competitions of “Showtime at the Apollo,” winning the audience over with his version of “God Bless the Child.” He was later signed by Geffen Records.
In 1988, David released his debut album “Introducing… David Peaston” which peaked at #113 on the Billboard 200, #7 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #66 on the U.K. Albums chart.
The first single from the album “Two Wrongs (Don’t Make It Right)” peaked at #84 on the U.K. Singles chart and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
The second single “Can I?” peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.
The third single from the album “We’re All In This Together” peaked at #91 on the U.K. Singles chart, #45 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and #11 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks.
The last single from the album “Take Me Now” peaked at #77 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
In 1990, David won the Soul Train Music Award for “Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.” He toured with Gerald Alston in Europe and Gladys Knight in the United States before moving to MCA Records in 1991.
During that same year, David released his sophomore album “Mixed Emotions” which peaked at #80 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single from the album “String” peaked at #69 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.
The follow-up single “Luxury of Love” peaked at #41 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.
In 1993, David recorded a gospel album with his sister and mother entitled “Promises: A Family Portrait of Faith.” He was later diagnosed with diabetes and had his legs amputated, forcing him to use prostheses.
In 2006, David released his last album “Song Book: Songs of Soul & Inspiration.” Sadly on February 1, 2012, he passed away from complications of diabetes. He was 54 years old.
Tag was a British pop/dance trio from the ’90s that consisted of singer Treana Morris and keyboard programmer Gareth Young.
Treana began playing the flugelhorn when she was 13 years old and went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. While attending school, she began writing pop songs with a friend which attracted the attention of Scotti Brothers Records, who signed Tag to a record deal.
In 1991, the duo released their only album, “Contagious.” It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all. They scored a minor pop hit with the song “The Way I Feel” which peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The follow-up singles from the album, “Love and Money” and “Don’t Play With My Heart” failed to make the charts at all.
In 1994, they released their last single to date, “The Better Part of Me” which failed to make the charts at all. After that, it seemed as if Tag faded into obscurity.
These days, it appears as if Treana Morris is still active in the music business; she was a former member of the band Wire Daisies from 2002 to 2007.
She played guitar in other bands along with singing backup vocals and performing with artists such as Miss Dynamite, Queen, Annie Lennox and Robbie Williams. Treana also began composing for television a few years ago, working with composer Dru Masters on a number of projects as well as cultivating her own sound.
Gareth has produced and written music for various artists such as Danni Minogue, Ronan Keating, Appleton and the Sugababes. These days, he mainly works in London, England and at his recording studio, Cube Recording Studio.
To see a video for “The Way I Feel,” go to:
To see a video for “Love and Money,” go to:
To see a video for “Don’t Play With My Heart,” go to:
Nia Peeples (born Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples on December 10, 1961 in Hollywood, California) is an actress and singer.
She is known for her roles on television as Nicole Chapman on “Fame,” Karen Taylor Winters on “The Young and the Restless,” Sydney Cooke on “Walker, Texas Ranger” and Pam Fields on “Pretty Little Liars.”
Her mother, Elizabeth was a flamenco dancer and her father, Robert was an artist. She moved to West Covina, California as a child; when she was eight years old, Nia began performing with her family, giving concerts for community groups and conventions along with doing dances from different cultures.
Nia attended West Covina High School where she was an “A” student, involved in the marching band, cheerleading, tumbling, volleyball, student government, choral singing and sang in a rock ‘n roll band. She attended UCLA on a music scholarship along with performing as Liberace’s opening act in Las Vegas on the weekends.
Nia attended UCLA for one semester as a voice major, but she later dropped out of school and took three jobs in order to pay for acting lessons. She studied singing with Gloria Rush and while attending Playhouse West, she learned the Sanford Meisner acting technique.
One day, she went to a rehearsal with a friend and was spotted by the producers who cast her in a play called “Music Shop” which lead to guest appearances on television shows such as “Hardcastle and McCormick” and “T.J. Hooker.”
Nia earned her first starring role portraying a deaf girl in the 1981 HBO network television movie, “A Single Light.” She later auditioned for and won the part of Nicole Chapman on “Fame,” staying on the show until 1986.
During that same year, she made a music video called “All You Can Dream” (which was made for the purposes of promoting the values of UCLA) and appeared in the music video for Prince’s song “Raspberry Beret.” In 1987, she hosted the American version of “Top of the Pops” which only lasted for a year. In 1988, Nia released her debut album, “Nothin’ But Trouble” on Mercury Records which peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200 chart. The first single from the album, “Trouble” topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart for a week in June of 1988, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The song also peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #71 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. The second single from the album, “High Time” peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. It also peaked at #31 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. The last single from the album, “I Know How (To Make You Love Me)” peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. In 1989, she appeared on the soundtrack to the flm, “Sing” with the track, “You Don’t Have to Think Twice.” In 1991, Nia released her second self-titled debut album on Charisma Records. The album didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all. The first single from the album “Street of Dreams” peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #73 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The song became her highest appearance on the Hot 100 and was featured in the 1992 film, “The Cutting Edge.” The second single from the album, “Kissing the Wind” peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also managed to make the music charts in Canada. The last single released from from the album, “Faces of Love” peaked at #88 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #33 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The song featured vocals from singer and then-husband Howard Hewett.
Nia hosted a short-lived dance variety TV show called “The Party Machine with Nia Peeples” which aired on the CBS network. In 2007, she released her third album, “Songs of the Cinema” independently.
These days, Nia is still active with her acting career and involved in other projects such as working as a voice teacher, a speaker and an author; in 2017, she released a children’s book called “The Little Apple Tree.”
She currently resides in Malibu, California and has two children from previous marriages: a son Christopher (from her marriage to singer Howard Hewitt) and a daughter, Sienna (from her marriage to Lauro Chartrand).
The Funk Club was an R&B music act from the late ’80s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to Scotti Bros. Records.
In 1989, they released their only album “Funky and Then Some.” It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts.
The only single released from the album was “Go Funk Club” which went nowhere on the charts. After that, it seems as if the Funk Club faded into obscurity. Their whereabouts are unknown.
Home Team was a hip-hop/rap duo from the ’90s that consisted of brothers Debonaire and Drugzie. Debonaire was a member of rap group Poison Clan.
In 1992, the duo released their debut album “Via Satellite from Saturn” on Luke Records. The album peaked at #50 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single “Pick it Up” peaked at #90 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart, #36 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #41 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.
The follow-up single “Back to the Bronx” was released, but didn’t make the Billboard charts at all. In 1993, they were feature on Luke’s holiday single “Christmas At Luke’s Sex Shop.”
In 1994, Home Team released their last album “Malignant Graffiti” which flopped, failing to make the charts at all.
After that, it seems as if Home Team has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.
Amy Holland (born Amy Celeste Boersma on May 15, 1953 in Palisades, New York) is a pop-rock singer from the ’80s.
Her mother, Esmereldy was a country music singer in the ’30s and ’40s and her father, Harry was an opera singer. She changed her last name from Boersma to Holland (after the origin country of her ancestors) because she thought that it would make a better stage name.
As a teenager, Amy moved to Los Angeles, California hoping to make a career for herself as a singer-songwriter. When she was 15 years old, she auditioned for the Beach Boys’ record label, Brother Records, but after the label folded, she signed a record deal with Capitol Records instead.
In 1980, Amy released her self-titled debut album on Capitol Records which peaked at #146 on the Billboard 200. It was produced by singer Michael McDonald (who would later become her husband).
Amy scored her biggest hit to date with the single “How Do I Survive” which peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The success of the song helped her earn a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist” in 1981, but did not win it. She would often perform the song live on music television shows such as the Japanese music show “Music Fair” and “Young Oh! Oh!”
In 1982, Amy was featured on rock singer Chris Christian’s single, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing / You’re All I Need To Get By” which managed to peak at #88 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1983, Amy released her sophomore album, “On Your Every Word” which failed to make any impact on the Billboard 200 at all.
The track, “Anytime You Want Me” managed to peak at #10 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. During that same year, Amy married Michael McDonald; they later had two children, Dylan and Scarlett.
After the release of her second album, she went on to provide vocals to soundtracks to films such as “Scarface,” “Night of the Comet,” “Teen Wolf,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Square Dance,” “The Lion of Africa” and “K-9.”
Amy and Michael later moved to a farm in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1995, Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer and recovered after many years of therapy. She later started collecting museum quality buttons, antique charms and old jewerly. After moving to Santa Barbara, California, she began writing and recording music again.
In 2008, Amy released her third album, “The Journey to Miracle River” on Chonin Records. It was produced by her long-time friend, Bernie Chiaraville (who was a singer/guitarist for Michael McDonald since 1988).
In 2016, she released her fourth studio album, “Light on My Path” which features a duet with her husband called “Prove That by Me.”
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Nia Peeples (born Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples on December 10, 1961 in Hollywood, California) is an actress and singer.
In 1988, Nia released her debut album, “Nothin’ But Trouble” on Mercury Records which peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The first single from the album, “Trouble” topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart for a week in June of 1988, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The song also peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #71 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
The second single from the album, “High Time” peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. It also peaked at #31 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The last single from the album, “I Know How (To Make You Love Me)” peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. In 1989, she appeared on the soundtrack to the flm, “Sing” with the track, “You Don’t Have to Think Twice.”
In 1991, Nia released her second self-titled debut album on Charisma Records. The album didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all.
The first single from the album “Street of Dreams” peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #73 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The song became her highest appearance on the Hot 100 and was featured in the 1992 film, “The Cutting Edge.”
The second single from the album, “Kissing the Wind” peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also managed to make the music charts in Canada.
The last single released from from the album, “Faces of Love” peaked at #88 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #33 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The song featured vocals from singer and then-husband Howard Hewett.
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