Okay, now I have to mention the one an only "SADE" even though she was a huge star, but dropped out of the picture. Today, I saw an interview on "Timeless" caught the last 15 minutes of the show. Not sure when this interview was done though. I hope it comes back on again, so I could see it again. No one can take Sade's place. She had her own, bluesy, jazz style. I love this song "Cherish the Day" and a host of her other songs. My sister named her daughter after her. It was sad when Sade took a long break from music industry, but her classics still live on.



[Edited 1/2/09 20:32pm]

bboy87 said:

He was big enough. In addition to "Missing You," he had 3 other top-4 hits ("Touch Me, Tease Me," "Faded Pictures" with Joe, and "Happily Ever After").

Say what you want about Carl Thomas, but "I Wish" and "Summer Rain" were both fantastic.

My niece likes this guy "DWELE" He's kind of new on the scene, I suppose. Nice voice though. He's collaborated with a few artists. He did a cover of "I Wanna Go Outside in the Rain" with jazz artist, Boney James that sounds real nice..

This a track called "Weekend Love" by "DWELE".

[Edited 1/2/09 21:12pm]

What?? Nobody can't give "Freda Payne" no love?

Band of Gold - Freda Payne

This thread has reminded me of so many artists that I forgot about. It's a shame that the majority of these artists didn't blow up because most of them had talent compared to the bullshit that's on the radio today. The music world, specifically the R&B world, could have been so much different today had the industry made substance number 1 over style. It's a damn shame I tell ya.

Gregory Abbott - (was married to Freda Payne) He had a hit out called "Shake You Down"



http://www.gregoryabbott....remake.mp3
You can click on here to hear a snippet of his song "Shake You Down" because the video on youtube will last only a few minutes and then disappear, even though you could hear the song in its entirety on youtube.
The link above is from his official site.
[Edited 1/2/09 21:40pm]

The one and only "Bill Withers" He's already a star and has classics, but I just wanted to add him on this thread and a few of his songs that I love. Bill has that deep, bluesy, raw soul.



Use Me


Who Is He?


Grandma's Hands

[Edited 1/2/09 22:10pm]

2elijah said:

I love that song! I listen to it and Old Lovas all the time

bboy87 said:

Cool. I like his cover of "I Wanna Go Outside in the Rain" with Boney James. Dwele has a nice voice.

purplecam said:

I agree with you. Today, it's mostly fly by night, manufactured artists, with no classics to leave. Then again there are so many independent artists with talent, that's not picked up by these record companies. You can tell we're starving for real music.

You have to search for them on your own today. The way I see it, thank goodness we have classics from many of these artists we posted here, that we could always go back and look for their music again and purchase it.
[Edited 1/2/09 21:56pm]

I thought Cherokee was gonna be large. Her damn album didn't even come out!!!


She was in that Gap Ad covering Back in Black.



I thought her first single I Swear was dope.

I thought the songs I heard off her album were dope.

All of a sudden, she was dropped from Arista?!?!

Good job L.A.!!! Drop a good songwriter with talent!!!


[Edited 1/2/09 22:00pm]

bboy87 said:

beyonce

JackieBlue said:

Tamia and deborah cox are superb.
Shanice is not quite in their category but good.
While i like amerie she is not in the category with the other 3.

2elijah said:

Ay! I'm just sayin'!

2elijah said:

Ain't he and El locked up?

Paris9748430 said:

Ah Cherry! Love her. Actually, you're talking about her 2nd album - Soul Parade - that wasn't released. I have her debut called "I Love You...Me" and it was real nice! But I JUST got Soul Parade from her at a concert she did in L.A. and that album is freakin' bananas! I love it! That album has - Bilal, Musiq, Floetry, Jill Scott, Andre 3000, and Rahsaan Patterson on it! BANANAS!

bboy87 said:

I thought she was from New Orleans

2elijah said:

Freda Payne was a "cabaret singer", just like Dorothy Dandridge & Lena Horne before her, just not as successful.

She and Barbara McNair got the raw deal because by the 60s, intrests were shifted toward a RAWER breed of female singers, as opposed to the refined and sophisticated ladies of the cabarets, folks got sick of that scene, they wanted some throwing down, thats why Tina Turner & Aretha Franklin ruled that era with an iron fist.

2elijah said:

my fave. female singer!!!

Harlepolis said:

Born in N.O

grew up in Oakland

bboy87 said:

YES! That little bastid could sing I loved "You" too. He never did get traction

EmbattledWarrior said:

Do you think the lewd conviction stopped his career progressing or was it just the wrong kind of music? Or like many child-stars did he just fall by the wayside as he got older?

Deborah Cox.

I loved her,
but haven't heard nothing but
the album with, "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" on it.

IstenSzek said:

Rahsaan Patterson's career hits a certain level in my opinion due to his sexuality.
Americans of African descent are so narrow-minded in that they tend to hold homosexuality as such a negative that they lose perspective on talent or accomplishment.
This is what handicapped with Tevin Campbell after his arrest in Los Angeles for soliciting an undercover male cop for sex. It also stunted Jesse Powell. Some MCA/Universal staffers didn't even like going on promo appearances with him and 'gay bashed' him behind his back.
Some posters may say well Luther Vandross broke through and so did Freddie Jackson. Yeah true, but Jackson couldn't buy a comeback hit now.
It seemingly has no effect on people like Elton John, or the late Freddie Mercury (lead singer of Queen).

RnBAmbassador said:

Part of the reason that it has not effected Elton or Freddie as much, is because they embraced their sexuality. Instead of keeping everybody guessing and in some cases, denying it, they are like, "Yes, this is me....love me or leave alone".

You're wrong about Elton John and Freddie Mercury. Elton John married a sound engineer (a woman) in the mid 80s and Freddie was pretty much publically in denial until the mid 80s too. It's no accident that both artists saw a big downturn in their popularity in the States upon them more or less coming out. You forget that the Mid West of the USA doesn't tend to be the most open part of the States, and is responsible for a huge percentage of sales.

Elton used to hold dinner parties for the 80s/90s pop hierarchy all the time at his home. George Michael did want to come out for ages, but Elton dissauded him from doing it at one of these parties, referring to the change in his fortunes in the USA when he did. Holly Johnson told me this a while back.

Rahsaan's career hasn't got anything to do with his sexuality. His mainstream chance at success was gone when he was dropped from MCA, and he doesn't have potential mass appeal. He was always very camp, but only came out in 2007. Maybe the mass public just recognises a whiny, self indulgent singer when they see one. Tevin was on the wane too when he was arrested.
[Edited 1/3/09 6:03am]

Mong said:

You got that right! When they found out The Kid's real name on Kids Inc., they named an ice cream flavor after him...

...Rahsaan Tutti Frutti! Of course, as a kid my reaction was

Speaking of that show:

2elijah said:

One of my favorite singers and media shy.

RnBAmbassador said:

Jesse Powell??? Never heard that...



.
[Edited 1/3/09 13:56pm]

Someone mentioned Chante Moore which I agree with. She's almost non-existent right now but I also thought Kenny Lattimore would have been bigger.