Each day at 11 a.m. My92.7 will play four songs from some of the hottest old school artists like New Edition, Mint Condition, 112, R. Kelly , Tony Toni Tone’ and more!
My92.7 is giving you an opportunity to create your very own mini concert. Send us an email to my927charlotte@gmail.com with your artist suggestions, including four of the artists’ songs you would like to hear during the mini concert. Be sure to include your name and contact information. If your suggestion is chosen you will have an opportunity to introduce the mini concert on air and to win tickets to see Rickey Smiley Live on April 10!
*Artist information taken from a collection of websites.*
This week’s mini concert artists:
Week starting April 5th
Monday, April 5: Brandy
Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, Norwood first appeared in a supporting role on the short-lived ABC sitcom Thea in 1993. Her engagement led to her own star vehicle, successful UPN sitcom Moesha in 1996, and resulted into roles in the 1998 horror sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and the TV films Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s Cinderella (1997) and Double Platinum (1999), two of television’s best rated special programs.
In 1993, she signed a recording contract with Atlantic, releasing her self-titled debut album a year after. Following a major success with Grammy Award-winning “The Boy Is Mine“, a duet with singer Monica, and her second album Never Say Never in 1998, a series of successful records established her as one of the most successful of the new breed of urban R&B female vocalists to emerge during the mid-to late 1990s. Her latest studio album, Human (2008), was her first effort to be released on the Epic label after a label change in 2005.
Tuesday, April 6: 112
When four Atlanta, Georgia, high school students accepted an assignment to perform as a quartet at a school function in the 1990s, the event set the stage for their career as one of the major recording groups of the modern R&B era. The boy band, called 112, comprises Daron Jones, Mike Keith, Quinnes “Q” Parker, and Marvin “Slim” Scandrick. The foursome was the first to emerge as a major attraction on the startup Bad Boy Records in 1996, and by achieving multi-platinum record sales and winning an MTV video award and a Grammy, the group 112 brought crossover legitimacy to the label, which was largely the bastion of gangsta rappers.
An everyday group of school chums, Daron, Mike, Slim, and Q hailed from Walter F. George High School, and a family-like atmosphere has permeated the group from the beginning. Originally known as Forte, the group members first became acquainted in middle school, but the adolescent musical quartet was born when a teacher at their high school asked the boys to perform at a school coronation, and the four gelled musically into a polished quartet. A charismatic chemistry developed between them, and the boy band was born.
Wednesday, April 7: Aaliyah
A star in the R&B world before she was even out of her teens, Aaliyah’s promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. Even with only three albums under her belt, she’d already earned a place as a talented trendsetter among the R&B elite. Following a successful transition to a more mature image, Aaliyah played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic production style that consumed hip-hop and urban soul in the late ’90s. Her work with Timbaland, especially, was some of the most forward-looking R&B of its time, even while the competing neo-soul movement was gaining prominence. Aaliyah’s death came on the heels of her third and most accomplished album, making it especially unfortunate that she was robbed of a chance to continue her creative development.
Thursday, April 8: BBD
As members of the teenage R&B vocal group New Edition, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe kept fairly low profiles, leaving the limelight to singers Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown, and later Johnny Gill. But when Brown went solo in 1986, Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe began thinking about pursuing their own separate paths together. Two years later – with some prodding from prominent hip-hop producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – Bell Biv DeVoe was born, and the fierce, provocative pop funk it eventually unleashed on the charts marked a dramatic departure from New Edition’s wholesome image.
Friday, April 9: Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson is the younger sister of the singing Jackson brothers, including the late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. She released her first album in 1982; her career really took off with the 1986 album Control, which included the hit single “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” She quickly became a regular fixture in pop music and on MTV, known for her smartly sexy songs and high-energy dancing (the choreography in her videos was done by Paula Abdul). In 1999 she was a guest artist with Busta Rhymes on his hit “What’s It Gonna Be.” She also ventured into the movies, starring with Tupac Shakur and Maya Angelou in the 1993 film Poetic Justice. Her other albums include Damita Jo (2004, with a title taken from Jackson’s middle name), 20 Y.O. (2006) and Discipline (2008).
Jackson is currently featured in Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married Too?”
Monday, March 29: Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, and former fashion model. A relative of several prominent soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother at night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis.
Houston released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a female artist at the time of release. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston’s crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV enabled several African-American women to follow in her success.
Following her marriage to singer Bobby Brown, Houston appeared in her first starring role in the feature film The Bodyguard in 1992. The film’s original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, Houston’s remake of the 1974 Dolly Parton song “I Will Always Love You“, became one of the best-selling singles in music history.[2] Houston continued to star in feature films and contributed to soundtracks including Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996).[5] After the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records in 2001 for a historic $100 million.[5] She subsequently released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney the following year with One Wish: The Holiday Album being released in 2003. Amidst widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston’s marriage to Brown ended in 2006.
Tuesday, March 30: Tony, Toni, Tone’
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American new jack swing/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band’s heyday, it was composed of D’wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq (born Charlie Ray Wiggins) on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley on drums. Other members were Elijah Baker, Carl Wheeler, Randall Wiggins, and Amar Khalil, who is the current lead singer of the group, and Antron Haile.
The group’s name is derived from Andy García‘s portrayal of an Italian American sharpshooter in The Untouchables. In high school, a friend of D’wayne joked that the teacher would call him “Tony, Tony, Tony” if they saw the way he was dressed. Originally, the band went by “Tony, Tony, Tony” as a joke, until they realized it had a nice ring to it.
Wednesday, March 31: Troop
Troop is an R&B group from Pasadena, California. TROOP has had four number one singles and ten top ten singles on the Billboard R&B Charts. They have also completed five albums, which include three certified gold and one certified platinum album. TROOP is an acronym for “Total Respect Of Other People”.
Thursday, April 1: Hi-5
Hi-Five is an American R&B quintet based out of Waco, Texas who had a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the early 1990’s with “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)“. Hi-Five was formed in 1990, and consisted of the late Tony Thompson, Roderick “Pooh” Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley. Easley was later replaced by Treston Irby.
Hi-Five was originally signed to Jive Records in late 1989 and released their first album, Hi-Five, in 1990. The album went platinum and was produced by legendary producer Teddy Riley; it included such singles as “I Just Can’t Handle It” (R&B #10), “I Can’t Wait Another Minute” (Pop #8, R&B #1), and their biggest hit to date, “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)”, which went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[1] The group was aggressively marketed by Jive and was part of the “New Jack” sound that dominated much of the early to mid-1990’s urban contemporary radio format. Hi-Five enjoyed marginal mainstream success and were essentially similar in design to R&B counterparts such as H-Town, Shai, Public Announcement, and perhaps most notably, Boyz II Men.
After Hi-Five disbanded around 1993, group member Tony Thompson released a solo album, Sexsational, in 1995. He scored a minor hit with “I Wanna Love Like That”.
In 2005, Thompson re-incarnated Hi-Five with four new members, one of whom was his younger brother, Jordan. Their album The Return was released in 2006 on Thompson’s independent label, N’Depth.
On June 1, 2007, Tony Thompson died in his hometown of Waco, Texas. An autopsy later revealed that Thompson, who had a history of “huffing“, accidentally overdosed on freon.
Friday, April 2: Jagged Edge
Jagged Edge is an American R&B group that were originally signed through Jermaine Dupri‘s So So Def Records to Columbia Records. The group is made up of twin lead singers Brian and Brandon Casey (both born October 13, 1978), Kyle Norman, and Richard Wingo. Wingo was a late addition to the group, added after Kandi Burruss of Xscape recommended he be added. Kandi was also the one who brought the group to the attention of Dupri. The group has had a number of hit singles, many of which are produced by Dupri.
Jagged Edge began their mainstream recording career with the single “The Way That You Talk” in 1997. They followed this in 1998 with the album, A Jagged Era which managed to go gold featuring the singles “I Gotta Be” and “The Way That You Talk”. “I Gotta Be” reached #11 on the R&B charts and #23 on the Hot 100.
Following up their debut album, Jagged Edge released J.E. Heartbreak in 2000. The album was the group’s breakthrough album with several popular singles. The album went double platinum and had the hit single “Let’s Get Married” which topped the R&B charts and reached #11 on the Hot 100. The album’s second single, “He Can’t Love You” had similar success, reaching #3 on the R&B charts and #15 on the Hot 100. It also featured the track “Promise” which, albeit a late single coming out in 2001, reached #1 on the R&B charts and #9 on the Hot 100. The album’s lead single, “Keys To The Range”, however was the sole flop from the album.
Monday, March 22: Surface
Best known for its R&B and pop hit, “The First Time,” Surface was a R&B trio was popular from 1983 to 1994, when the group disbanded.
Tuesday, March 23: Bobby Brown
After achieving success as a member of one of the greatest boy groups of all time (New Edition), Bobby Brown embarked on a solo career in 1987. Brown had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a fusion of hip hop and R&B. His second album, Don’t Be Cruel, included popular songs such as “My Prerogative“. Brown is the ex-husband of R&B singer Whitney Houston and starred in the reality show Being Bobby Brown. He is currently a contestant on Celebrity Fit Club.
Wednesday, March 24: Guy
Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall and Timmy Gatling. Riley and Gatling were childhood friends growing up in Harlem, and previously collaborated in the band Kids At Work. As Riley’s reputation as a hip-hop producer grew in the mid-1980s, Hall was recruited to be the lead vocalist of what would become Guy. As well as writing songs for their trio, Riley and Hall collaborated on songwriting and production for Johnny Kemp (“Just Got Paid“) and Bobby Brown (“My Prerogative“).
Under the guidance of manager Gene Griffin, the group signed to Andre Harrell‘s Uptown Records, releasing their self-titled debut, Guy, in 1988. Gatling left after recording was completed and was quickly replaced by Aaron’s younger brother Damion Hall for the promotion and tour (with New Edition) of the record. The album contained the hit singles “Groove Me”, “Teddy’s Jam,” “I Like” and “‘Round And ‘Round (Merry-Go-Round of Love)” as well as “Piece of My Love” and “Goodbye Love”. The album earned Riley and the Hall brothers international fame as it went triple platinum.
Following on from this success, in 1989 the band featured on the soundtrack to Spike Lee‘s film Do The Right Thing with the song “My Fantasy”. However, in the same year they split acrimoniously from Gene Griffin,while Riley continued to produce and remix for other artists, firmly establishing himself as the figurehead of and driving force behind the New Jack Swing movement.
In 1990, Guy released their second album, The Future. The singles “Do Me Right” (Featuring Heavy D), “Wanna Get Wit U” and “Let’s Chill” exposed them to a broader, more mainstream audience. At this time, the band featured in Mario Van Peebles‘s film New Jack City, performing the song “New Jack City”. However, once the album’s promotion ended in 1991, the band disbanded with Riley later citing “the tragedy of our ex-manager” as the reason for the split. In the 1990s, Riley focused on producing other artists (such as Heavy D and Michael Jackson) and formed the R&B group Blackstreet. The Hall brothers both pursued solo careers during the 1990s, with Aaron in particular finding success.
Thursday, March 25: TLC
TLC is an American R&B and hip hop group, consisting of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.
Billboard magazine ranked the group as one of the greatest musical trios of all time. They have had several #1 singles, including “Creep“, “Waterfalls“, “No Scrubs“, and “Unpretty“, and have won four Grammy Awards. According to the RIAA and Billboard, TLC has sold more than 30 million records in the United States, making them the biggest selling R&B female group of all time. In 2008, the group was inducted into the All Time Hot 100 Artist Hall of Fame by Billboard, at 56th place.
Their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), was the first album by a female group to be awarded diamond certification by the RIAA, for selling over 11 million copies in the USA.
In early 2002, just before the release of TLC’s fourth album, 3D, Lopes was killed in a car accident in Honduras. Watkins and Thomas promoted 3D as a duo, and in 2005, hosted a reality television show, R U the Girl, with a grand prize of a chance to record a song and perform once in concert with the surviving group members, both of whom have released solo material and continued to collaborate occasionally.
In October 2009, TLC announced plans to record new material to be released “sometime soon.”
Friday, March 26: SWV
Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B/pop trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV had a series of hits, including “Weak“, “Right Here/Human Nature“, “I’m So Into You“. The group disbanded in 1999 to pursue solo projects, and reunited in 2005. SWV is currently ranked #100 on the Top 500 Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years.
Monday, March 15: Keith Sweat
A current-day radio host, Keith Sweat got his start in the music business started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called “Jamilah” in 1975. With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley. Additional members of the group included Peter DaCosta (vocals), Joseph McGeachy (sax), Dwight Banks (trumpet), and Kenneth Varner (keyboards). On November 25, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo album Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was “I Want Her” (#1 R&B/#5 Pop), while the title track from the album hit #2 on the R&B charts.
Check out “Something Just Ain’t Right.”
Tuesday, March 16: Levert
LeVert is a dance group, formed in Ohio in 1984, comprising the late Sean and Gerald Levert, the sons of O’Jays founder Eddie Levert, as well as Marc Gordon. In 1985, the group released their debut album, I Get Hot, which included tracks whose vocals drew strong comparisons to those of Sean and Gerald Levert’s father Eddie. Bloodline followed in 1986, and included the band’s first big R&B hit with (Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind, a track that went all the way to number one. However, the band’s next album, 1987‘s The Big Throwdown became an even bigger success, on the strength of the hit single “Casanova“, which gave the band a crossover hit onto the pop charts, peaking at number 5 in this market and making the UK Top 10. A pair of additional R&B top five singles, “My Forever Love” and “Sweet Sensation,” were also released from this album. The band’s success continued with their 1988 follow-up album Just Coolin’. Both The Big Throwdown and Just Coolin’ received gold certification.
It has been said that reunion plans were underway prior to the deaths of both Sean and Gerald Levert. It is said that Marc Gordon and Blaq Rose are still planning to release a new album.
Wednesday, March 17: Monica
Monica Denise Arnold, better known to fans as Monica, hit the national music stage in 1991 at the age of 11 after being discovered by Atlanta producer Dallas Austin. at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta performing Whitney Houston 1986’s “Greatest Love of All“. Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his Arista-distributed label Rowdy Records and immediately hired rapper and actress Queen Latifah as Monica’s first manager. Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producers Tim & Bob entered the studio with Arnold to start writing and producing her debut Miss Thang.[8] After two years of recording her debut album, co-produced by Daryl Simmons and Soulshock & Karlin, was released to mixed reviews on July 18, 1995, scored number 36 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It eventually sold over three million copies domestically and produced three top ten singles. Debut single “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)” and second single “Before You Walk out of My Life“/”Like This and Like That“, a double-A-single, both entered the top ten of the official Billboard Hot 100 and simultaneously became platinum-certified number-one hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, making Monica the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on latter chart. The album subsequently won Monica a Billboard Music Award, also earning her an American Music Award nomination in the category Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist.
Her career continued with the 1998 release of “The Boy Is Mine,” 2003 USA release of “After the Storm,” and 2006 release “The Makings of Me.” She is scheduled to release her sixth studio album, “Still Standing,” on March 23.
Thursday, March 18: Al B. Sure
An 80’s heartthrob, Al B. Sure has spent the last 10 years as a radio personality most recently on Clear Channel’s Hot. 92.3 in Los Angeles, which was the No.1 Urban AC radio show in its market. Before Clear Channel, Al hosted and produced his own syndicated radio show, “Secret Garden” through ABC Radio Networks. Every night Al took listeners for a romantic ride with current and classic music along with celebrity interviews and intriguing personalities from every spectrum of the entertainment world including Sports, Music, TV & Film. In 2008, Al B. Sure! narrated TV One’s popular music bio series “Unsung.”
He currently has an album on iTunes, Honey I’m Home, which was recorded on Hidden Beach Recordings/Universal Music Group. The new album is a musical biography that tells of a journey of love, romance and relationships. It’s his first studio-release in nearly 15 years.
Friday, March 19: EnVogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B[1] vocal quartet and trio from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.[2]
Through August 2008, En Vogue had sold over 20 million albums and singles worldwide.They had won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with three Soul Train Awards, two American Music Awards, and seven Grammy nominations. According to Billboard Magazine they were the 18th most successful act of the 1990s, and one of the most popular and successful female groups of all time. En Vogue has spent over 2,800 weeks on various Billboard charts.
Monday, March 8: New Edition
New Edition was one of the hottest boy groups in the ’80’s. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, the five-member boy band is considered as one of the the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s, a movement that led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men.
At the height of their early popularity in 1983, the group consisted of Ronnie DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, and Ricky Bell. Early hits included songs like 1983’s “Candy Girl” and 1984’s “Cool It Now“. Brown left in late 1985 to embark on a successful solo career. The group continued for a time with four members, but eventually recruited singer Johnny Gill to record their 1987 album Heart Break. The group went on hiatus in 1990, while its various members worked on side projects, such as the group Bell Biv Devoe. Gill and Tresvant also recorded successful solo albums.
“Mr. Telephone Man”
Tuesday, March 9: Prince
Prince has been called one of the most talented and commercially successful pop musicians of the last twenty years producing ten Platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label, writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. In addition, Prince has been a “talent promoter” for the careers of Sheila E, Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, as well as writing songs that became hits for other artists including Chaka Khan, The Bangles and Sinéad O’Connor, making him one of the most successful artists in music history.
“Do Me Baby/If I Were Your Girlfriend (Live)”
Wednesday, March 10: Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: the DeGrates (Donald “DeVante Swing” DeGrate, the group founder/leader, and Dalvin DeGrate) and the Haileys (main lead singer Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey and second lead singer Joel “Jo-Jo” Hailey). The group’s name is a combination of the names of all of its members: Jo-Jo, DeGrate (including both Dalvin and DeVante) and K-Ci.
Jodeci was the starting point for the careers of artists such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and Ginuwine. The group had a successful string of hit singles and platinum albums until the group went on hiatus after 1998. The Hailey brothers continued to perform together under the name K-Ci & JoJo, and had success on the pop charts beyond that of the original band.
“Forever My Lady”
Thursday, March 11: Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson is unarguably one of the biggest names and most-respected musical artists of the 20th century. Referred to as the King of Pop, he is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time, and one of the most influential. His contributions to music, dance and fashion, and a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Alongside his brothers, Jackson made his debut in 1964 as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5. His solo career began in 1971, he recorded 10 studio albums. His 1982 album Thriller sold more than 110 million copies, and remains the best-selling album ever; while four of his other albums rank among the world’s best-sellers. Jackson is credited with having elevated the music video from mere promotional tool into an art form. His videos for Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller made him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. He popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical style, vocal style, and choreography continue to transcended generational, racial and cultural boundaries.
“PYT”
