As a singer, producer, and songwriter, Babyface was an inescapable presence in virtually every major facet of pop music during the '90s. His own recordings helped rejuvenate the R&B tradition of the smooth, sensitive, urban crooner and made him a staple of urban contemporary radio. Yet their considerable success was eclipsed by his songwriting... [+] Read More

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"The fusion of funk & Soul and Island flavors, to the grooves of sexy beats." A catch phrase as hypnotic as the sounds created by benhur.
The idea behind Pacific R&B, is to blend all elements from the pacific south, the south east asian region all together, for music knows no border. Making R&B music at it's best. Music, like all races... [+] Read More

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The female vocal quartet En Vogue was conceived and put together by the production team of Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, both former members of Club Nouveau. Foster and McElroy wanted a vocal group who could exude sultriness and intelligence in addition to vocal proficiency, and as producers, they wanted material that would fuse R&B and girl... [+] Read More

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Although not as well-known as other New York hip-hop acts of the early '80s, Staten Island's Force M.D.'s were a vital crew in the early history of street hip-hop and one of the first vocal groups to fuse doo wop-influenced harmonies with hip-hop beats. Originally a street troupe known as the LD's, the group sang and danced on Greenwich Village... [+] Read More

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This seminal R&B trio was the first group to sport the new jack swing sound, essentially traditional soul vocals melded to hip-hop beats, with credit for the genre's invention going to founder, multi-instrumentalist, and super-producer Teddy Riley. Riley formed his first band, Wreckx-N-Effect, while still a teenager, with brothers Markell Riley... [+] Read More

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New York vocalist Jeff Redd began singing with the Sophisticated Gents at 17. Uptown/MCA later signed him as a solo artist, and his 1990 debut release was called A Quiet Storm. It included some elaborate ballads and was a competent Urban Contemporary release, although it didn't make much commercial noise. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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Among the up-and-coming ballad stylists in the '90s urban contemporary generation, Keith Washington rode to fame with his 1991 LP Make Time for Love. The song "Kissing You" was an R&B smash, and later was heard as background music on an NBC soap opera. Washington issued the follow-up LP You Make It Easy in 1993. After a lengthy absence, he... [+] Read More

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Peabo Bryson is among the world’s most dynamic and gifted vocal talents. Over the course of a career spanning from the mid-`60s but truly igniting in the `70s, the 2x-Oscar and Grammy-winner has amassed a fan base, critical acclaim, gold albums and an avalanche of awards by being one of the truly best friends a good song ever had…many of which... [+] Read More

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Ralph Tresvant sang lead on New Edition's hits and had his own gold number one R&B hit with the silky "Sensitivity." He was the last member to release a solo project of his own. All of the group's previous members had number one R&B hits: Bobby Brown with "Girlfriend " and Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronald DeVoe as Bell Biv DeVoe (aka BBD)... [+] Read More

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Riff is among several '90s vocal ensembles greatly influenced by classic doo wop and R&B. This New Jersey pop/R&B quintet formed as the Playboys while still in high school, gaining prominence when they sung in Lean on Me. Changing their name to Riff, Kenny Kelly, Anthony Fuller, Dwayne Jones, Steven Capers, and Michael Best signed with SBK and... [+] Read More

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When she was a teenager in the early '80s, urban soul singer Stacy Lattisaw had a string of Top 40 R&B hits, with three songs -- "Let Me Be Your Angel," "Love on a Two Way Street," "Miracles" -- crossing over to the pop mainstream. Lattisaw recorded her first album for Cotillion Records at the age of 12 in 1979, under the direction of producer... [+] Read More

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When Vanessa Williams began her singing career, she was known chiefly as the Miss America pageant winner who'd been forced to renounce her title for posing in Penthouse magazine. Williams not only put the scandal behind her, she all but obliterated it, turning out a series of slick, sophisticated hits that made her one of the most popular adult... [+] Read More

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R&B singer/songwriter Vesta Williams shot to success with her 1986 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy; " Vesta 4 U, issued two years later, launched another smash, "Congratulations." Subsequent efforts were less successful, however, and after 1993's Everything-N-More she left longtime label A&M; a five-year hiatus preceded the release of Vesta's next... [+] Read More

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