Cooler Kids

Cooler Kids were a house music\dance group from Brooklyn, New York that consisted of vocalist Sisely Treasure, producer Kaz Gamble (or DJ Kazimir) and former bassist for Luscious Jackson, Jill Cunniff. They were signed to DreamWorks Records.

The idea behind the group came during an e-mail correspondence that began with a fan message from Sisely to Kaz. The two of them began working on music with Jill, whose role was described as the “muse\sage\groove godmother” & production team Pop-Rox.
In 2002, they released their debut single “All Around the World (Punk Debutante)” which peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #21 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

The song was featured on the soundtrack to “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” and was also featured in the pilot episode of the Fox Network teen drama “The O.C.”
In 2003, Cooler Kids released their only album “Punk Debutante” which didn’t appear to make the Billboard album charts at all.
Their follow-up single “Morning Star” peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart, becoming their highest chart appearance on the Billboard dance charts.

During that same year, Cooler Kids joined Erasure on their North American tour and they even took a float in New York City’s gay pride parade in an attempt to raise their profile among gay listeners.
Cooler Kids released a promotional single called “Life After Sex” which went nowhere on the charts.

By 2005, the group seemed to have disbanded, but Sisely and Kaz continued to perform as boygirl (which was their side project from Cooler Kids) until about 2008.

In 2007, Sisely was a contestant on the CW Network reality show “Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll,” but she was cut after the third week of the show.

From 2008 to 2010, Sisely was the lead singer of music group Shiny Toy Guns. She is currently pursuing a solo music career.

These days, Kaz continues to be active as not only a music producer, but a filmmaker as well.

To see the music video for “All Around the World (Punk Debutante),” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Morning Star,” go to:

Natalie

Natalie (born Natalie Nicole Alvarado on September 2, 1979 in Clear Lake City, Texas) is a female pop\R&B singer from the 2000s.

After completing high school, Natalie chose to study criminal justice. She was a cheerleader for the NBA team, the Houston Rockets, and worked as a back-up dancer for various rap and R&B artists from Houston, Texas. While working as a cheerleader, she also worked on her songwriting skills and even added rapping to her dance performances.

Producer Charles Chavez (who is also the founder of Latium Entertainment) believed that Natalie would have potential as a successful music artist, and introduced her to music producers Play N Skillz & Happy Perez. She was initially signed as a rapper, but later focused on singing which she had frequently done for hooks on various songs.
In February of 2005, Natalie released her debut single, “Goin’ Crazy.” A radio program director in Tulsa, Oklahoma found the original mp3 version of the song and immediately began spinning it in regular rotation.

Soon, “Goin’ Crazy” became the #1 most-requested song on the radio station and went into power rotation which led to other radio programmers taking notice of it.

By April of 2005, the song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 (making it her highest-charting single to date). It also peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, #10 on the Billboard Pop 100 & Pop 100 Airplay charts, #17 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart and #27 on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart.
In May of 2005, she released her self-titled debut album which managed to peak at #16 on the Billboard 200.
The follow-up single, “Energy” (featuring Baby Bash) was a moderate hit, peaking at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100, #34 on Billboard’s Pop 100 Airplay chart, #36 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart and #49 on the Billboard Pop 100.
A third single from the album, “Where Are You” (featuring singer Justin Roman) was supposed to be released, but it was eventually scrapped.

Natalie was the opening act of the 2005 Wango Tango music festival in Anaheim, California and appeared in the 2005 Latium Tour along with Frankie J and Baby Bash. She was also a model for Zalia cosmetics, and collaborated with Baby Bash & Chamillonaire on their albums.
In September of 2006, she released her sophomore album, “Everything New” which failed to make any impact on the charts and sold less than 5,000 copies.
The lead single from the album, “What You Gonna Do?” (featuring rapper Bun B) failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it managed to peak at #28 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart.
The follow-up single, “Love You So” peaked at #39 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart. She later signed a deal with EMI to become a songwriter.
In 2012, Natalie retired from singing to work with Houston Rockets Entertainment as a coach, choreographer and manager; however, in 2021, she returned to her music career and released an EP called “Winter.”

To follow Natalie on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/og_nat_boogie/?hl=en

To see a video for “Goin’ Crazy,” go to:

 

To see a video for “Energy,” go to:

 

To see a video for “Where Are You” (featuring Justin Roman), go to:

To see a video for “What You Gonna Do” (featuring Bun B), go to:

To see a video for “Love You So,” go to:

To see a video for “Make it Real” (from her “Winter” EP), go to:

[Updated on 11\30\2021]

Chris Cuevas

Chris Cuevas (born in Long Beach, Missisippi) is a former pop singer from the ’90s. His musical aspirations began when he was only 4 years old. At the age of 6, he began playing the guitar and started playing the piano when he was 10 years old.

He opened up for artists such as Lacy J. Dalton, Reba McEntire, Dave Edmonds, B.J. Thomas and Bob Hope. When he was 14 years old, Chris starred on “Star Search” where he won first place in his age group.

After hearing about an article in a national teen magazine promoting pop singer Debbie Gibson and her interest in working with up & coming talent, Chris’ father got in touch with Debbie’s mother who liked what she heard from Chris and ended up being signed to Atlantic Records.

In 1991, Chris released his debut album “Somehow, Someway.” It’s unknown how or if the album ever made the charts.

His first single “Hip Hop” peaked at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #39 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

The follow-up single from the album “You Are The One” peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his only pop hit on the chart to date.

On the album, Chris sang a duet with Debbie Gibson called “Someday.” He also went on a world tour with her, going to places such as Los Angeles, New York, Europe & Asia.

After that, Chris moved to Tennessee where he switched from pop music to country music. In 2009, he released an EP called “Rush” which is available for digital download.

These days, Chris continues to be active in the music business, still performing.

To see the music video for “I Need You,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Someday,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Hip Hop,” go to:

The Main Attraction

The Main Attraction were an R&B vocal group from Memphis, Tennessee that consisted of Jerry Askew, Tony Black, Wayne Douglas Jr., Archie Love, Roosevelt Nickelberry Jr. and Eric Shotwell.

The group was formed by Archie Love. Archie formed his own band called Freedom Express and by the time he was 18 years old, he became the drummer for The Soul Children.

He also toured with singers Denise LaSalle and J. Blackfoot along with working as a studio vocalist for various other arists such as the Bar Kays.

Roosevelt was featured on Galaxy’s 1978 album “Hot, Wet & Sticky.” Wayne has written songs for artists such as Galaxy & O.T. Sykes. He was also featured on Jerry Butler’s album “The Spice of Life.”
In 1986, the group released their only album “All the Way” on RCA Records. It’s unknown how or if the album charted at all.
Their first single “Reconsider” peaked at #69 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks.

The follow-up singles from the album “Rainy Night” and “She’s Stacked” failed to make any impact on the charts at all. In 1989, the Main Attraction released their last single to date “That’s the Way I Feel” on Satin Records. After that, the group went on hiatus and several members of the group went on to pursue solo music careers. Archie, Tony & Eric signed to Motown Records, changing their name to The Right Choice. They released their debut album during that same year, scoring a moderate R&B hit with a cover version of Al Green’s song “Tired of Being Alone.”

After that, it seems as if they have faded into obscurity. These days, Archie appears to still be active in the music business, releasing his most recent album “All About Love” in 2011.

As for the other members of the group, it’s unknown what they are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Reconsider,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Rainy Night,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “She’s Stacked,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “That’s The Way I Feel,” go to:

Toya

Toya (born LaToya Rodriguez on July 22, 1983 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a female R&B singer from the 2000s. She was born to an African-American mother & a Puerto-Rican father. She is also a graduate of the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School.

While attending St. Louis University, Toya was asked by music managers Courtney Benson & Tony Davis if she had a demo & if she would give it to them by the end of the weekend. She lied to them and then spent the next three days going to her classes, to work and to the studio where she recorded the demo until 6:00 in the morning. In May of 2001, Toya released her debut single, “I Do!” which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on Billboard’s Top 40 Tracks chart, #6 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, #8 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #25 on Billboard’s Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.

Toya was inspired to write the lyrics for the song after she saw male model Sean Newman, who happened to be the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ former boyfriend. Left Eye was also Toya’s labelmate at the time. In August of 2001, she released her self-titled debut album on Arista Records. The album managed to peak at #109 on the Billboard 200, #60 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and topped Billboard’s Heatseekers albums chart. The follow-up single from the album, “No Matta What (Party All Night)” peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100, #34 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart and #33 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart.

In 2002, Toya was featured on the single “Hey Ma” (featuring rappers Cam’ron, Freeky Zeeky and Juelz Santana) which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. She was also featured on the song “Stick Out Ya Wrist” featuring rapper Nelly.

After that, Toya took a hiatus from the music scene. In 2005, she married Tamaurice “Tee” Martin, a former University of Tennessee quarterback & current assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Together, they have two sons: Kaden (born in 2004) and Cannon (born in 2012).

In 2006, Toya was featured on the album “Hard Times in Da Country” on the track “I Had a Dream” (featuring Terror Time). In January of 2011, she announced on Twitter that she wanted to record music again. As of April of 2013, she is currently attempting to record music.

To see the video for “I Do,” go to:

To see the video for “No Matta What (Party All Night),” go to:

 

Co-Ed

Co-Ed were an R&B group from Atlanta, Georgia that consisted of members Jeff Bowden, Jeff Coleman, Bianca Spear and Nikki Gresham. In 2000, they released their debut single, “Roll Wit Me” which peaked at #64 on Billboard’s Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks. In 2001, Co-Ed released their debut (and only) album “Utopia” which peaked at #75 on Billboard’s R&B Albums. The follow-up singles from the album, “Sumthin’ On You” and “Been Around Town” were released promotionally, but didn’t make the Billboard charts at all.

Co-Ed were also featured on Pastor Troy’s 2001 single “Can You Stand the Game” before fading into obscurity. It’s unknown what the members of the group are currently up to these days.

To see a video for “Roll Wit Me,” go to:

To see a video for “Sumthin’ on U,” go to:

To see a video for “Been Around Town,” go to:

 

Message from the Music-Know-It-All

Due to the recent IOS update for the iPad, I am currently using the WordPress app to post entries.

Please keep in mind that the photos in the entries might be enlarged. I have tried to post pictures in WordPress using Safari, but there are some issues possibly connected to the IOS update.

I will have access to a computer sometime this week and I’ll probably be able to adjust the photos and post YouTube links as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
The Music-Know-It-All

The Chimes

The Chimes were a dance music trio from Scotland that consisted of singer Pauline Henry (born in Jamaica), bassist Mike Peden and drummer James Locke. In 1989, the trio released their debut single “1-2-3” which peaked at #60 on the U.K. Singles chart.

In the United States, the song peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, #14 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles chart, topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart for 2 weeks in February of 1990 and #41 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. Their second single “Heaven” peaked at #66 on the U.K. Singles chart. In the United States, it became their second dance hit, topping the chart for a week in April of 1990.

It also peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #54 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks. The Chimes’ third single, a cover version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” peaked at #6 on the U.K. Singles chart. In the U.S., the song also peaked at #47 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. In 1990, the Chimes’ debut (and only) album was released. It peaked at #162 on the Billboard 200 and #71 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. In the U.K., the album peaked at #17 on the U.K. Albums chart.

The third single “True Love” peaked at #48 on the U.K. Singles chart. In the United States, the song peaked at #65 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. The trio’s last single “Love Comes to Mind” peaked at #49 on the U.K. Singles chart. After that, it seemed as if the Chimes faded into obscurity.

Pauline Henry has enjoyed success as a solo dance music artist in the United Kingdom. In 2012, she and her band the Isle of Wight performed at Bestival.

These days, Pauline continues to be active in the music business. As for their other members, their whereabouts are unknown.

To see the music video for “1-2-3,” go to:

To see the music video for “Heaven,” go to:

To see the music video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” go to:

To see the music video for “True Love,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Love Comes to Mind,” go to:

 

West Coast Crew

West Coast Crew were a hip-hop\rap group from Los Angeles, California that consisted of Cassonova Malone (born in 1965), D-Rock (born in 1964 from Monroe, Louisiana), J-Bone (born in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois), Lemon Lime (born in 1963) and Mr. J (born in 1964).

The group was founded in 1983. They have performed with artists such as Kopper, Pennye Ford, Naughty Naughty, Roger Clayton & Chrystal.

Lemon Lime started his music career when he was 10 years old, writing lyrics & performing in various clubs & talent shows. By the time he was 16 years old, he had his own dance production.

D-Rock started his music career when he was 7 years old, writing poetry & singing in church. When he was 13 years old, he & his family moved to Los Angeles where he formed his own band called D and the Rockers.

Mr. J. began to write poetry when he was 6 years old. By the time he was 11 years old, he was a member of the Clansville Crew. He later performed at junior high & elementary schools in Los Angeles.

Cassonova Malone began his music career when he was 4 years old, playing the drums in church.

When he was 6 years old, his mother taught him piano and at the age of 12, Cassonova began exploring different instruments.

J-Bone began singing in church when he was only two years old. When he was 8 years old, he started writing his own songs. He later moved to California with his brother. In 1983, the group signed to Jam Power Records where they released a promotional mini album called “Jealous People\Wild” a year later.

In 1985, the West Coast Crew released their debut album “In the Mix” on KMA Records. It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all.

The only single to chart was the song “Jail Bait” which managed to peak at #61 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.

Two more singles from the album “Put the Pipe Down” and “D.O.A.” were released, but didn’t make the charts at all.

During that same year, another single “We Are the Crew” failed to make the charts.

After that, it seems as if the West Coast Crew has faded into obscurity. It’s unknown what they are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Jail Bait,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “D.O.A.,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “We Are the Crew,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Put the Pipe Down,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Wild,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Jealous People,” go to:

Little T

Little T was a hip-hop artist from the ’80s. Not much information is given about this artist, but Little T was signed to Party Crew Records.

In 1985, Little T released the single “Seven Years Old.” The song was written by A.C. Sider and David E. Williams (who also arranged & produced the song).

It’s unknown how or if the single made any music charts at all. After that, it seems as if Little T has faded into obscurity.

[There are no videos available for this entry]