Robert Brown, 5 February 1969, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. A former member of New Edition, Brown emerged in the late 80s as the king of swingbeat, the fusion of hip-hop beats and soul vocals also referred to as ‘new jack swing’. Like many of the genre’s stars, Brown is not gifted with either huge ability or personality, yet he stamped his authority on the scen
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22 May 1966, Washington, DC, USA. Gill’s expertly delivered soul vocal chords have been working since an early age. At the age of seven, he was singing with his three brothers in the gospel quartet the Wings Of Faith. His debut album was recorded when he was only 16. Following his meeting and subsequent recording with Stacy Lattisaw (Perfect Combination), she proffered
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One of a myriad of R&B-inspired American outfits who emerged in the early 90s, Mint Condition was formed by Larry Waddell (31 August 1963; keyboards), Homer O’Dell (b. 17 May 1965; guitar), Stokley Williams (b. 17 July 1967; vocals/drums), Jeff Allen (b. 17 November 1968; saxophone/keyboards), Keri Lewis (keyboards), and Ricky Kinchen (b. 7 July 1966; bass). The gro
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12 November 1978, Waxahachie, Texas, USA. Discovered by Quincy Jones (or the flautist Bobbi Humphrey, according to some accounts), the singer Tevin Campbell first appeared in 1988 on the US television show Wally & The Valentines, which was followed by a part in Prince’s movie Graffiti Bridge. He was still only 14 years old when he appeared on Quincy Jones’ Back
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Al Brown, 1969, New York City, New York, USA. Briefly one of the most popular voices of the ‘New Jack Swing’ movement of the late 80s, Sure! represented more traditional soul values than other swingbeat singers such as Bobby Brown, concentrating on his smooth vocal stylings rather than the backing beats. Remarkably unambitious during his early years, Sure! amused h
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Acronym for Sisters With Voices, these ‘ghetto sisters’ from Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York, comprised the talents of Coko (Cheryl Gamble), Taj (b. Tamara Johnson) and Lelee (b. Leanne Lyons). Shaped by swingbeat producer Teddy Riley to reflect streetwise dress and attitude, the trio’s sound was somewhat harder than that which might be expected of ‘new
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This swingbeat trio from Oakland, California, was formed by brothers Dwayne (14 February 1963, Oakland, California, USA; lead vocals, guitar) and Raphael Wiggins (b. Charlie Ray Wiggins, 14 May 1966, Oakland, California, USA; lead vocals/bass), and their cousin Timothy Christian (b. 10 December 1965, Oakland, California, USA; drums). They arrived with ‘Little Walter
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Widely applauded as the originators of swingbeat, a fusion of hip-hop beats with gospel/soul vocals also referred to as ‘new jack swing’, Guy was formed by Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling. At the close of the 80s the New York trio broke big by combining Aaron’s talented larynx with the studio know-how of producer Riley. The sound and image was much cop
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This versatile close-harmony soul unit enjoyed an almost unprecedented level of success during the early 90s, beginning with 1991’s US Top 3 debut single ‘Motownphilly’. The original line-up comprised Wanya ‘Squirt’ Morris (29 July 1973, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), Michael ‘Bass’ McCary (b. 16 December 1971, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Among the more eloquent practitioners of ‘new jack swing’ or swingbeat, Jodeci enjoyed huge success in the USA during the 90s. The band was formed by two pairs of brothers: Joel ‘JoJo’ (10 June 1971, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA) and Cedric ‘K-Ci’ Hailey (b. 2 September 1969, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA), and ‘Mr’ Dalvin and Donal
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15 November 1953, Natchez, Mississippi, USA. O’Neal was one of the best-known soul crooners of the late 80s. In 1978, he joined Flyte Tyme with future producers Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis. The group (as Time) became the backing band for Prince, although O’Neal was soon dismissed for insubordination. During the early 80s, he began a solo career as a vocalist, making
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One sister, Bunny DeBarge (15 March 1955), and four brothers, Mark (b. 19 June 1959), James (b. 22 August 1963), Randy (b. 6 August 1958) and El DeBarge (b. 4 June 1961), combined to form this family group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, in 1978. Signed to Motown Records in 1979, they were viewed and marketed as successors to the young Jackson Five, a ploy helped by the phys
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2 October 1956, Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. A singer-songwriter, who was especially successful in the late 80s, Jackson was brought up in Harlem, and sang at the White Rock Baptist church while he was still a young child. Later, he worked in a bank before joining the group LJE, along with the singer, songwriter and producer Paul Laurence. In the early 80s, Jackson
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