Patti Austin

Patti Austin (born on August 10, 1950 in Harlem, New York) is a female R&B\jazz singer who made her first debut on the music charts in the ’60s, but it wasn’t until the ’80s that she got numerous pop, R&B and dance hits on the charts.

Patti’s father, Gordon Austin was a jazz trombonist, her godmother is singer Dinah Washington and her godfather is musician\producer Quincy Jones. At the age of 4, Patti made her singing debut at the Apollo Theater and signed a record deal at the age of 5. During the ’60s, she worked as a session musician who sang background vocals & commercial jingles.
In 1969, Patti’s song “The Family Tree” managed to peak at #46 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 2 weeks.
In 1976, she released her debut album “End of a Rainbow” on jazz record label, CTI Records which managed to peak at #31 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. The only song from the album to chart was “Say You Love Me” which peaked at #63 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
In 1977, Patti released her follow-up album “Havana Candy” which peaked at #116 on the Billboard 200.

The song “We’re in Love” peaked at #90 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks. In 1978, she appeared on Quincy Jones’ song “Love, I Never Had It So Good” (which also featured Charles May) which peaked at #60 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.

Patti later sang on a song called “Love Light” by Japanese musician Yukata Yokokura and appeared on Michael Jackson’s album “Off the Wall”, singing a duet with him called “It’s the Falling in Love.” She also provided vocals for artists such as Angela Bofill, Noel Pointer and Roberta Flack.
In 1980, Patti released her third album “Body Language” which peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and #62 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The title song managed to peak at #45 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
During that same year, Patti appeared on Quincy Jones’ album “The Dude” on the track “Razzmatazz” which managed to peak at #45 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks. She was later signed to Quincy Jones’ record label, Qwest Records.
In 1981, Patti released her fourth album “Every Home Should Have One” which peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, #16 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #9 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.
The first single from the album “Do You Love Me” (along with another track from the album “The Genie”) topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart for 2 weeks in October of 1981 and peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.
The second single, the title song peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, #24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and #55 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
Patti scored her biggest hit to date with the duet “Baby, Come To Me” featuring James Ingram which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks in February of 1983 and also topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart & peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart.

Originally, the song peaked at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was first released, but after gaining exposure when it was played on the ABC network soap opera “General Hospital,” it became a big hit.
In 1983, Patti scored a moderate hit with another duet featuring James Ingram called “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” (which was featured on the soundtrack to the film “Best Friends”) that peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart & #6 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 21 weeks.
During that same year, Patti released a compliation album called “In My Life” which peaked at #65 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The title song peaked at #92 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 3 weeks.
In 1984, Patti released her self-titled fifth album which peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200 chart.The first single from the album “It’s Gonna Be Special” (which was also featured on the soundtrack for the film “Two of a Kind”) peaked at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks. It also managed to peak at #5 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.
The follow-up single “Rhythm of the Street” (which was remixed by producer John “Jellybean” Benitez) peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #33 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
The last single from the album “Shoot the Moon” peaked at #49 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 10 weeks) & #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart. In 1985, she appeared on musician Narada Michael Walden’s song “Gimme Gimme Gimme” which was moderately successful on the R&B charts.
During that same year, Patti released her sixth album “Gettin’ Away With Murder” which peaked at #182 on the Billboard 200 and #25 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single “Honey For the Bees” peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 24 weeks and #6 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.
The follow-up single “The Heat of Heat” peaked at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming her last appearance on the Hot 100 to date), #14 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #13 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks.
The title song peaked at #72 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.
In 1988, Patti appeared in the film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” During that same year, she released her seventh album “The Real Me” which peaked at #56 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart & #7 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.
The only single released from the album was “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” which didn’t appear to make any impact on the charts at all.
In 1990, Patti released her eighth album “Love Is Gonna Getcha” on GRP Records which peaked at #93 on the Billboard 200, #45 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #4 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.
The only single to chart from the album “Through the Test of Time” peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and #60 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
In 1991, Patti released her ninth album “Carry On” which peaked at #75 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart & #13 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart, but missed the Billboard 200.
The only single to chart from the album “Givin’ Into Love” peaked at #55 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.
In 1994, she released her tenth album “That Secret Place” which peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.
The only single from the album “Reach” became a top 5 dance hit, peaking at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.
In 1996, Patti released her eleventh album “Jukebox Dreams” which was only released in Japan. It’s unknown how or if the album made any impact on the charts.

In the late ’90s, Patti released two more albums “In & Out of Love” (in 1998) and “Street of Dreams” (in 1999), but they didn’t appear to make much impact on the charts at all.
In 2001, Patti released her fourteenth album “On the Way to Love” which peaked at #36 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.
In 2002, Patti released her fifteenth studio album “For Ella” (which was a tribute to jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald) which peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

In 2003, she collaborated with Hong Kong Cantopop singer Frances Yip on a program called “Papillon III” in the rotunda of the San Francisco City Hall in order to benefit the Jade Ribbon Campaign of Stanford University.In 2007, Patti released her sixteenth album “Avant Gershwin” which peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and won the 2008 Grammy Award for “Best Jazz Vocal Album”. She also sang and co-produced the charity single “We Are the World: 25 for Haiti”.
In 2011, Patti released her seventeenth album “Sound Advice” which peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. She also appeared in the Academy Award-winning documentary film “20 Feet from Stardom” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in June of 2013.

These days, Patti continues to be active with her music career and still performs live. She has written & created her own one-woman show and co-created a musical called “Beboperella.”

She is also active in philantrophic work with “The Over My Shoulder Foundation” (which she also co-founded) and performs for AIDS-related organizations.

To see Patti Austin’s official website, go to:
http://pattiaustin.com

To see a fan-made video for “The Family Tree,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Say You Love Me,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Love, I Never Had It So Good,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “We’re in Love,” go to:

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

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

To see a fan-made video for “Do You Love Me,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Every Home Should Have One,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Baby, Come To Me,” go to:

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

To see a fan-made video for “How Do You Keep the Music Playing,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “In My Life,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “It’s Gonna Be Special,” go to:

To see the music video for “Rhythm of the Street,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Shoot the Moon,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Honey For the Bees,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “The Heat of Heat,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Gettin’ Away With Murder,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” go to:

To see the music video for “Through the Test of Time,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Givin’ Into Love,” go to:

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

Fire on Blonde

Fire on Blonde was a pop\dance music duo from Los Angeles, California that originally consisted of singer Suzie Benson and keyboardist Jim Vukovich.
The duo formed in 1985 and a year later in 1986, they released their debut single “Stop and Think” which didn’t appear to generate any success. Due to creative differences with Suzie Benson, Jim Vukovich left Fire on Blonde in 1987 and was replaced by Swedish keyboardist Scott Rudgress.
During that same year, Fire on Blonde released their second single “Bounce Back” which also failed to gain any success, but three years later in 1990, pop\dance singer Alisha covered the song which became a moderate hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fire on Blonde’s last single “Wrong Number” was released, but didn’t chart. It also covered in 1990 by pop\dance singer Alisha for her album “Bounce Back.” In 1988, Fire on Blonde disbanded.

These days, Suzie Benson continues to sing along with doing voice over & writing songs for television & movie placements, vocal producing in-studio for artists and teaches voice & acting. It’s unknown what Jim Vukovich and Scott Rundgress are up to these days.

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

To see a fan-made video for “Stop and Think,” go to:

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

Linsey

Linsey was a husband & wife R&B duo from the ’90s that consisted of keyboardist\songwriter\producer Wayne Linsey and his then-wife, Lynne Fiddmont.

Prior to the formation of the duo, both Lynne and Wayne built up quite a career in the music business, each working with various artists such as Starpoint, the Emotions, George Howard, Brenda Russell, The Jacksons, Anita Baker, Ray Parker Jr., Phil Collins and Stevie Wonder.
In 1991, they released their only album “Perfect Love” on the Virgin Records America record label. It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all.

The only singles released from the album were “Sweet Talk” and “Searchin'”. Like the album, it’s unknown how or if the single managed to chart at all.

After that, not much was heard from Linsey and they later divorced. Since then, both Wayne and Lynne have continued to remain active in the music business with their respective careers.

Lynne Fiddmont went on to become an in-demand & touring singer, working with artists such as Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Kenny Loggins, Iggy Pop, Burt Bacharach, Stanley Clarke and Babyface. She has released three solo albums and is planning to release her upcoming album “Power of Love.”

Wayne Linsey is also active in the music business as a musician, producer, arranger and songwriter along with working as a touring musician, spending many years with R&B act Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. He has also worked in TV, film and award ceremonies (such as the Grammys, the Billboard Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and the Essence Awards) as well.

To see Lynne Fiddmont’s official website, go to:

HOME

To see Wayne Linsey’s official website, go to:
http://www.waynelinseymusic.com

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

To see fan-made video for “Searchin’,” go to:

Cristina

Cristina (born Cristina Monet-Palaci on January 2, 1959) is a former female pop singer who was best known for her “no wave” recordings back in the ’80s. She is the daughter of a French psychoanalyst and an American illustrator-novelist-playwright and attended Harvard, but later dropped out.

Cristina was working as a writer for the Village Voice when she met Michael Zikha (a wealthy heir to England’s Mothercare retail empire), who was starting his own record label, ZE Records and convinced her to record a song called “Disco Clone.”
In 1978, “Disco Clone” was released as a single which gained some cult success and encouraged ZE Records to release a full-length album.
In 1980, Cristina released her self-titled debut album on ZE Records. It was produced by August Darnell (from Kid Creole & the Coconuts). It’s unknown how or if the album charted at all.

During the same year, she released two singles: a cover version of the Beatles’ song “Drive My Car” (also released as “Baby, You Can Drive My Car”) and a cover of Peggy Lee’s song “Is That All There Is?” Like the album, it’s unknown how or if the songs made any impact on any music charts at all.

Another single from the album “La Poupée qui fait non” was released, but didn’t appear to generate a lot of success.
In 1981, Cristina released the single “Things Fall Apart” on ZE’s Christmas Record. It was produced by Was (Not Was), but it’s unknown if it charted at all. In 1983, she got married to Michael Zilkha.

In 1984, she released her follow-up album “Sleep it Off”. Despite receiving some moderate reception by critics, the album flopped along the only single released from the album “Ticket to the Tropics”.

After that, Cristina left the music business and went on to lead a more domestic life in Texas.

In 1990, Cristina and Michael Zilkha divorced & Cristina returned to New York where she continued to work as a writer, contributing reviews & essays to various publications such as London’s Times Literary Supplement and has also made demos for books on tape.

In 2005, Cristina’s two albums were re-issued and her debut album was re-issued under the name “Doll in the Box.”

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

To see a fan-made video for “Is That All There Is?,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Baby, You Can Drive My Car,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “La Poupée qui fait non,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Things Fall Apart,” go to:

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

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club was a pop music band from New York City, New York. The band formed in 1979 and underwent several line-ups, including one where pop singer Madonna (yes, the Madonna) was the drummer.

In the early ’80s, the Breakfast Club included brothers Dan (who sang lead vocals & played guitar) & Ed (who played guitar as well) Gilroy, Madonna (who also sang lead vocals) and bassist Angie Smit. Madonna ended up leaving the Breakfast Club to create a new band called Emmy and the Emmys.

In the mid-’80s, the band consisted of the Gilroy brothers (with Dan as the vocalist and Ed as the guitarist, bassist Gary Burke, keyboardist Paul Kauk and drummer Stephen Bray. The Breakfast Club were first signed to ZE Records, but they later signed with MCA Records and two new members: bassist Randy Jackson and percussionist E. Doctor Smith joined the band.
In 1984, the Breakfast Club released their debut single “Rico Mambo” which didn’t appear to make the charts at all. A re-recorded version of the song was released as a single in 1986, but once again, it didn’t chart.
Their second single “Right on Track” became a hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #64 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 8 weeks) in 1987. The song was also moderately successful in the United Kingdom & Australia.
In 1987, the band released their debut (and only) self-titled album which peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The third single from the album “Kiss and Tell” peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single “Never Be the Same” peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart, but missed the Hot 100.
The last single released from the album “Expressway to Your Heart” peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and also missed the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1988, the Breakfast Club were featured on the soundtrack to the film “License to Drive” with a cover version of the Beatles’ song “Drive My Car” which was released as a single, but didn’t chart. During that same year, they were also nominated for “Best New Artist” at the Grammy Awards, but lost to Jody Watley.

The band recorded a second album, but it was never released and after that, the Breakfast Club disbanded.

Since then, Stephen Bray went on to co-write songs for Madonna and in 2005, he made his Broadway debut as the composer & lyricist for the play “The Color Purple” in which he was nominated for a Tony Award for his work on the show.

Dan Gilroy briefly dabbled in acting, appearing in children’s TV programs such as “Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme” and “Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.”
In April of 2016, the Breakfast Club released an EP called “Percolate” which features songs from their unreleased sophomore album.

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

To see the music video for “Right on Track,” go to:

To see the music video for “Kiss and Tell,” go to:

To see the music video for “Never Be the Same,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Expressway to Your Heart,” go to:

To see the music video for “Drive My Car,” go to:

Vision

Vision was an R&B duo from the ’80s that consisted of members Brandon McLaughlin and Leni Law. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to the Wilbe Recording Corporation record label.
In 1986, they released their only album to date, “Exposed.” It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all. The title song was released as the first single, but it didn’t appear to chart at all.
The follow-up single from the album “Do It Tonight” also failed to make any impact on any music charts at all.

After that, it seems as if Vision has faded into obscurity, but according to the Soul and Funk Music website, they now reside in Atlanta, Georgia, but it’s unknown if they’re still active in the music business.

To see a fan-made video for “Do It Tonight,” go to:

Stefanie Bolton

Stefanie Bolton (from Memphis, Tennessee) is an R&B\jazz singer & songwriter that released her debut album in the ’90s.

She has performed as a background singer & worked as a songwriter, working with artists such as Angie Stone, Howard Hewett, TLC, Lenny Kravitz, OutKast, Luther Vandross, Lyfe Jennings, Angela Bofill, Anthony Hamilton, Goodie Mob and Marvin Sapp.
In 1996, Stefanie released her debut album “Stefanie” on Bellmark Records. It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts.

Two singles were released from the album “Wrap My’celf Around You” and “Why”, but it’s unknown if either of them made any music charts at all.
Since then, Stefanie has continued to stay active with her music career and currently works as a singer for Edwin Hawkins along with being a cruise entertainer for the Holland American Cruise Line. In 2016, she released a single called “Cling to Me.”

To see Stefanie Bolton’s official website, go to:
http://stefaniebolton.com

To see a fan-made video for “Wrap My’celf Around You,” go to:

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

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

N.T.C.

N.T.C. (short for Nathan & T.C.) were a hip-hop\R&B duo from the ’90s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to Bellmark Records & DCT Productions.
In 1993, they released their debut single “Try My Luv.” It’s unknown how or if the single appeared on the music charts at all.
In 1994, N.T.C. released their debut (and only) album ” The Journey (A Quest 4 Luv).” It’s unknown how or if the song made any impact on the charts.
The follow-up single from the album “Saving My Luv 4 U” also didn’t chart, but a music video was made for the single.

After that, it seems as if N.T.C. has faded into obscurity. It’s unknown what the members of the duo are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Try My Luv,” go to:

To see the music video for “Saving My Luv 4 U,” go to:

AmerAsia

AmerAsia was an R&B music artist from the early ’80s. Not much information is given about this artist, but AmerAsia was signed to Honey Records.

In 1980, AmerAsia released the single “Dragon Lady / Right Direction.” It’s unknown how or if the song made any music charts at all. After that, it seems as if AmerAsia has faded into obscurity. It’s unknown what this artist is up to these days.

[Note: There are no videos available for this blog entry.]