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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In the long-standing tradition of prefabricated pop acts, the Miami-based trio Exposé was the creation of producer/songwriter Lewis A. Martineé. Martineé brought together Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno, supplying them with a batch of songs penned by himself and the result was a slew of pop, dance, and R&B charting singles.... [+] 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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Singer/songwriter Junior sparked the British R&B/pop invasion of the '80s with his classic "Mama Used to Say." Though Sade Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and Billy Ocean had more hits, it's worth noting that Junior was a pioneer when he created and presented British-based R&B/pop music to audiences outside the U.K. some ten years earlier. Many of his... [+] Read More

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TLC were one of the biggest-selling female R&B groups of all time, riding a blend of pop, hip-hop, and urban soul to superstardom during the '90s. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas managed to appeal equally to pop and R&B audiences, blending catchy hooks and bouncy funk with a sassy, sexy attitude.... [+] Read More

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Brothers Dwayne and Raphael Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian have proven themselves durable guardians of the soul and funk tradition, while also infusing their music with enough contemporary devices to remain popular. This Oakland trio scored a number one R&B hit right out of the box in 1988 with "Little Walter," a song that generated some... [+] Read More

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