Jody Watley
Encyclopedia
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records
whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul.
In 1987, she won the Grammy Award
for "Best New Artist
."
Along with Janet Jackson
and Madonna
, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards
most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her ‘Real Love’ video.
To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video.
Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop stylings with a funky edge. Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on "Friends
" featuring Eric B. & Rakim
, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop.
Watley has sold over 50 million albums and singles Worldwide.
In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard
magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia
in 2008.
Her early music influences are Diana Ross
, Marvin Gaye
, Stevie Wonder
, Michael Jackson
, The Jackson 5
, The Carpenters
, Roberta Flack
, Prince
, Grace Jones
and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson.
, Watley made her first stage appearance at 8 years old with family friend and godfather Jackie Wilson
. She got her start on the TV dance show Soul Train
at the age of 14. Documented by Ebony magazine in 1977 as a part of "The New Generation," Jody Watley was one of the most popular on the show and recognized as a trendsetter for her style and dance moves.
As popular stand-outs on the television show, Watley and fellow Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel
were selected to join Gary Mumford and become original members of the R&B group Shalamar
by show creator Don Cornelius
. (Mumford was shortly replaced by Gerald Brown
, and Brown
himself was soon replaced by Howard Hewett
as lead vocalist).
The lineup of Hewett, Watley, and Daniels would be the most successful. Watley remained with the group from 1977 to 1984. The trio released several albums and scored several hits including the US Top 20 "Dead Giveaway", and the R&B hits "The Second Time Around", "For The Lover In You", and "A Night To Remember". Watley, however, found it challenging to get songs she had written onto Shalamar albums; having limited success getting songs she wrote recorded . Due to conflicts within the group and disagreements and lack of payment from Solar Records, she eventually left the group in 1984.
Post-Shalamar, Watley moved to England
, and while there she recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae group Musical Youth
for their album Different Style. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). A brief stint with Phonogram Records
where two singles were released (in the UK, Europe & Australia - though crucially not America) under the moniker "Jody" (no second name), "Where the Boys Are" and "Girls Night Out."
Also during this era, and after departing the group, she took part in Bob Geldof
's historic Band Aid
recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas", which included Bono
, Boy George
, Sting, George Michael
and other prominent UK artists.
After two and a half years in England, Watley returned to America and secured a recording deal with MCA Records
, eager to establish her own identity. Her album Jody Watley
was released in March 1987, and she co-wrote six of the album's nine songs. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Watley would say that she wanted to showcase her voice against "really funky hard dance tracks." The album's lead single, "Looking for a New Love
", became a smash hit with an instant catch-phrase "hasta la vista, baby", and was certified gold. The album peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Top 200 Album Chart
, number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums Chart, and sold two million copies in the US, and a total of four million copies worldwide. It produced five uptempo dance and R&B singles that charted on the US Hot 100, with three peaking in the top ten: "Looking for a New Love" (US #2, #1 Dance, #1 R&B, UK #13); "Still a Thrill
" (US #56, #3 R&B #1 Dance); "Don't You Want Me
" (US #6 #1 Dance #3 R&B); "Some Kind of Lover
" (US #10 #1 Dance #3 R&B); and "Most of All" (US #60, #11 R&B)
Also included on her debut album Jody Watley
was the duet with George Michael
, "Learn To Say No", produced by Bernard Edwards
.
At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Watley won the award for Best New Artist, and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year, she also received nominations for four MTV Video Music Awards
and three Soul Train Awards.
Shortly after winning the Grammy Award, Watley would be featured in Harper's Bazaar
Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo
.
In the spring of 1989, Watley released her second album, Larger than Life
, co-writing eleven of the album’s twelve songs. The album sold over four million copies worldwide, reaching #16 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, and produced four singles: "Real Love
" (US #2, #1 R&B, #2 Dance, UK #31), a US gold single and her first top 40 UK single since "Looking for a New Love"; "Friends
" featuring Eric B. & Rakim
, (US #9, #3 R&B, #7 Dance, UK #21); and "Everything
" (US #4, #3 R&B), her first ballad release. The album's fourth and final single, "Precious Love", was a minor hit, peaking at #87 in the US. "Friends" is notable for being the first multi-format hit single to include the formula of a Pop/R&B singer featuring a guest rapper with the custom full 16-bar verses and bridge concept, and distinguishable from the rap "Intro" by Melle Mel on Chaka Khan's notable cover Prince single "I Feel For You". The successful "Friends" formula would become a mainstay formula in commercial pop music and was added as a category at The Grammy's under Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
in 2002.
During the summer of 1989, Watley’s "Real Love" video, directed by David Fincher
, was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards
including Breakthrough Video
, Best Art Direction
, Best Dance Video
, and Best Female Video
at the 1989 award show. That record was held until Michael Jackson
and Janet Jackson
's video "Scream" received 11 VMA
nominations in 1995. The next year, she was nominated for two Soul Train Awards, an NAACP Image Award
for Outstanding Female Artist, and a Narm Award
for Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me?
, was released in October 1989 and achieved gold status in America.
1989 also saw Watley featured in Harper’s Bazaar "Ten Most Beautiful Women" issue, photographed by Matthew Rolston
. That same year Jody Watley appeared on the cover of the Japanese high fashion magazine SPUR for its debut issue.
, where she continued to make her own style statements. In the videos for "Real Love", Watley would introduce a higher fashion aesthetic blending vintage and custom designs. "Friends" mixed couture by Jean-Paul Gaultier
, with an urban sensibility. She released a million-selling home video, Dance To Fitness. She was featured in the first celebrity ad campaign for Gap
LA Eyeworks and in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue
, Vogue Italia
, Rolling Stone
, Essence
, and Vanity Fair
. She was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People of 1990 in People Magazine.
In the same year, she contributed a jazzy rendition of "After You, Who?
" the compilation album "Red Hot + Blue
", an AIDS
-awareness charity recording of songs by Cole Porter
produced by the Red Hot Organization
.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski
, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue
Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout in 1996.
In 2006, Watley would walk the runway with designer Kevan Hall for LA Fashion Week.
She is also noted as an influence on contemporary designer Malan Breton
of Project Runway
.
She was inspired toward a more introspective approach for ‘Affairs Of The Heart", wanting to address social concerns.
In December 1991, Watley released her third album, Affairs of the Heart
, described by Justin Kantor in Guide to Soul as an overlooked standout of her 80s and 90s output. The album peaked at #124 on the US chart, and #21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.
The lead single, "I Want You," failed to crack the top 40, peaking at #61 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, though peaking at #5 on the US R&B singles chart, and #17 Dance. The second single, "I'm The One You Need
", reached #3 Dance and peaked at #19 on the US Hot 100. The final single was the ballad "It All Begins With You
", her first single to miss the US Hot 100. Watley earned an invitation by President George H. W. Bush
in 1992 to perform this song at the White House
. Watley used the opportunity to encourage the government to provide more support and funding for public schools. "
Watley recorded "It's All There" for the movie "Switch
" with legendary composer Henry Mancini
.
In November 1993, MCA released her fourth solo album, the introspective relationship themed Intimacy. Noting that the New Jack Swing
was all the rage in R&B at the time, Amy Linden wrote in People Magazine that Intimacy continued the process of Watley’s move toward more refreshingly adult themes and that Watley was deserving of serious attention. Watley herself acknowledged that the songs she wrote were always personal statements.
Intimacy with its songs of "romance and angst" reached #164 on the US Top 200 Album Chart and #38 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first single was "Your Love Keeps Working On Me", not a Hot 100 hit, peaked at #2 Dance and #26 R&B/Hip-Hop. Watley added video director to her resume for the next single, the spoken word tune "When a Man Loves a Woman
". "When A Man Loves A Woman" reached #11 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop and US #8 Dance. Although not a pop hit in the US or UK as well, the BBG Remix of this song topped the Dance charts in the UK. The album also contained the song "Ecstasy", produced by David Morales
, which became an underground hit and later appeared on her Greatest Hits collection. Like its predecessor, "Intimacy" would not be a strong seller, but would continue to give Watley better critical success.
, and released her fifth solo album, Affection, in July 1995. The album was engineered and produced by the legendary Booker T. Jones
and Angelo Earl
. She aligned Avitone with the independent Bellmark Records
for distribution. According to a review of the album "Affection" by Jose Promis of Allmusic, the release lacked the urgency and immediency of her dance-era hits, but was an engaging collection of slow burners, mid tempo and jazzy R&B. The album’s title track, "Affection", didn't crack the Hot 100 but became a moderate R&B hit, peaking at #28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
In 1996, Watley played Rizzo in the musical Grease
on Broadway Theater in New York City
, the first African American woman to play the role.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski
, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue
Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout.
That fall, Watley appeared on the platinum
-selling single "This Is For The Lover In You" by Babyface. The single also featured LL Cool J
and Watley’s former Shalamar bandmates Howard Hewett
and Jeffrey Daniel
, essentially reforming the group for the single. It was a remake of Shalamar’s R&B hit "For The Lover In You". As the year wound to a close, Watley took a hiatus from her own Avitone label, and signed with Big Beat/Atlantic Records
. The same year MCA Records released a Greatest Hits
album with Watley’s recordings for MCA.
, Watley was back in early 1998 with its lead singles "Off The Hook" and "If I'm Not In Love." "Off The Hook" peaked at #23 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and #73 Billboard Hot 100 but fared much better on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Propelled by remixes from Masters At Work
and Soul Solution(Dance act), the track reached #1 on the dance chart, making it her first #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit in nine years. Later the same year, a single of "If I'm Not In Love" was released, with promo mixes by Sal Dano (credited as BK Dano) and Lenny Bertoldo, and that song reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Big Beat Records was absorbed into its parent label, Atlantic Records
, which then shelved the album from a U.S. release, and left Watley in legal limbo for two years. Flower was, however, released in Canada, Great Britain, and Japan. The critically acclaimed release was championed by many UK magazines, including Blues and Soul and Echoes among others.
It was during the time she was unable to record, that Watley says she was inspired by 4Hero whose 1998 album Two Pages exposed her to the underground electronic dance music out side of the mainstream; she credits this inspiration for not retiring after the disappointment of how Flower was handled. The Saturday Night Experience Vol. 1, as Watley told music historian David Nathan.
In November 1999, Jody reactivated her independent label, Avitone, and released her seventh studio album via Universal Japan The Saturday Night Experience
featuring Jody Watley Vol. 1, a collection of organic club music tracks, inspired by her newfound love of electronic music. It was released exclusively in Japan along with a single, "Another Chapter," with remixes by DJ Soma. Also included on the project was the drum and bass
title song "Saturday Night Experience." As Watley told music historian David Nathan, "The Saturday Night Experience" was intended to be a concept album, aimed at people looking for something different. The Saturday Night Experience , as told to music historian David Nathan, Watley stated she had no desire to release the project in the U.S.
The title song of the same name was licensed to Giant Step
and included on their compilation "Giant Sessions, Volume 1 Mixed by Ron Trent".
The following year, MCA released 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jody Watley.
In 2001, Jody released her eighth studio album, Midnight Lounge
in Europe and Japan. In an interview with Billboard Magazine Watley would say, "An artist should always explore new frontiers."
"Midnight Lounge" was a collection of tracks that combined a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and electronic club music.
After achieving moderate success in its original release, Watley arranged for it to be released in the U.S. through her Avitone imprint in a short-term license deal with Shanachie Records on March 11, 2003. Midnight Lounge was Watley’s first studio album released in the U.S. in eight years, reaching Top 20 status on Billboard Top Electronic Albums
chart. Roy Ayers
appeared on the Masters At Work
produced, "I Love to Love", Junior Vasquez
and several other producers contributed remixes to the single release of "Whenever", bringing the track to #19 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart. One of the album’s other singles, "Photographs", became notable in the underground club scene with mixes by Phil Asher and East West Connection. The music and growth of Watley would achieve critical acclaim for the project and Watley, noting she had successfully updated her sound over the years and evolved successfully into a soulful chantese.
In 2005, Watley made history on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart when she re-released her 1987 hit "Looking For a New Love." The 2005 remix reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart, making her the first artist ever to take the same song to #1 in two different decades. Jody Watley now has the distinction of being among the few artists who have been to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in all of the past three decades (the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s).
The same year, Watley was invited to participate in the Force of Nature Relief Concert to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
. During the trip Watley and others (including The Black Eyed Peas
, Lauryn Hill
, and Jackie Chan
) were invited to the Royal Palace to meet The King and Queen of Malaysia for a special Tea reception in showing their gratitude for all involved with Force of Nature.
among others in a chilled electronic out musical style. Understanding the shifting paradigms in the music industry and the changing business models, Watley’s Avitone Recordings arranged for The Makeover
to be released exclusively to the Virgin Megastore chain in its first ever CD exclusive. It debuted at #1 for the retailer, and was accompanied by a Virgin mini-tour where she performed for customers and signed copies of the CD. The first single was a cover of Madonna's
"Borderline". The single reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in January 2007. The second single, a cover of Chic
's "I Want Your Love," reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play in June 2007.
In 2007, Watley was listed as #5 in the Year End Billboard Dance Play Artists. Her single "I Want Your Love" was #15 and "Borderline" #19 according to Billboard Year End Chart Review for 2007. In January 2008, "I Want Your Love" topped the U.K. Dance Charts in January, giving her her first U.K. mainstream dance hit in two decades.
In 2008, she launched an online music store, while scoring another Top Five Billboard Dance Single, "A Beautiful Life," bringing the total of Top Five Singles for The Makeover to three.
In May 2008, continuing over a decade of support for various charities dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS, Watley performed at Life Ball
, Europe's largest gala for the cause held in Vienna, Austria.
In May 2009, Watley’s Avitone signed a distribution deal with London based Alternative Distribution Alliance
Global.
In October 2009, an "International" version of "The Makeover' was released in the U.K. to positive reviews.
Pete Lewis from Blues & Soul
noted her evolution as an artist and performer as being showcased on the album. Further stating Watley being hailed by some, as exemplifying the 21st century recording artist continuing to exercise her own creative path.
Distinguishable from the original release, The Makeover "International Edition" featured new cover art and track listing. New inclusions featured the bossa-soul rendering of Bob Marley’s "Waiting in Vain", a sparsely arranged version of Carole King
's 60s ballad "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", Erasure
's anthem "A Little Respect", and a reworking of the Diana Ross dance classic "Love Hangover". Replacing the downtempo ambient version found on the 2006 "The Makeover", Watley recorded the new arrangement originally suggested by songwriter Pam Sawyer
, for Ross.
Reg Dancy from Basic Soul would write that Watley was able to handpick songs and make them seem as if they had been written for her.
Added to the line-up of producers which included King Britt, Mark de-Clive Lowe, 4Hero, DJ Spinna, and longtime co-collaborator Rodney Lee, are remixer/producers Marco Zappala from Brazil and Craig C. from the UK.
In February 2010 Jody Watley joined Jamie Foxx
onstage at a post Grammy event for a duet performance of her signature hit "Looking For a New Love" and also appeared in the VH1 documentary "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America".
Watley is currently finishing her 10th solo album, "Chameleon". Initially intended for release in 2010, she recently stated via a fan video greeting that the project is a work in progress.
.
Avitone Records
Avitone Recordings is an independent record label formed by singer/songwriter Jody Watley in 1995, established after Watley departed ways with MCA Records. The singer formed the label as a vehicle to support her own musical evolution outside of the major label system...
whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul.
In 1987, she won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
."
Along with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her ‘Real Love’ video.
To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video.
Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop stylings with a funky edge. Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on "Friends
Friends (Jody Watley song)
"Friends" is the second single from Jody Watley's second album, Larger Than Life. "Friends", like her previous single "Real Love", became a multi-format top-10 smash, reaching the top ten of the pop, R&B and dance charts in the U.S., as well as being her biggest single in the UK since her debut,...
" featuring Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop.
Watley has sold over 50 million albums and singles Worldwide.
In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia
Vogue Italia
Vogue Italia is the Italian edition of Vogue magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it is the least commercial of all editions of Vogue magazine and has been called the top fashion magazine in the world....
in 2008.
Her early music influences are Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced 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...
, Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson.
Early career: Soul Train and Shalamar (1977–1984)
Influenced by Diana RossDiana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Watley made her first stage appearance at 8 years old with family friend and godfather Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
. She got her start on the TV dance show Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
at the age of 14. Documented by Ebony magazine in 1977 as a part of "The New Generation," Jody Watley was one of the most popular on the show and recognized as a trendsetter for her style and dance moves.
As popular stand-outs on the television show, Watley and fellow Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel is an American dancer, singer-songwriter and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar. In Nigeria he is best known as an Idol series judge...
were selected to join Gary Mumford and become original members of the R&B group Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
by show creator Don Cornelius
Don Cornelius
Donald Cortez "Don" Cornelius is an American television show host and producer who is best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971-1993...
. (Mumford was shortly replaced by Gerald Brown
D-town records
Eieg/D-Town Music Group also called DMG is an American independent record label established in 2004 and distributed through Universal Music Group Distribution and based out of Dallas, TX...
, and Brown
D-town records
Eieg/D-Town Music Group also called DMG is an American independent record label established in 2004 and distributed through Universal Music Group Distribution and based out of Dallas, TX...
himself was soon replaced by Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
as lead vocalist).
The lineup of Hewett, Watley, and Daniels would be the most successful. Watley remained with the group from 1977 to 1984. The trio released several albums and scored several hits including the US Top 20 "Dead Giveaway", and the R&B hits "The Second Time Around", "For The Lover In You", and "A Night To Remember". Watley, however, found it challenging to get songs she had written onto Shalamar albums; having limited success getting songs she wrote recorded . Due to conflicts within the group and disagreements and lack of payment from Solar Records, she eventually left the group in 1984.
Post-Shalamar, Watley moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and while there she recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae group Musical Youth
Musical Youth
Musical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...
for their album Different Style. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). A brief stint with Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....
where two singles were released (in the UK, Europe & Australia - though crucially not America) under the moniker "Jody" (no second name), "Where the Boys Are" and "Girls Night Out."
Also during this era, and after departing the group, she took part in Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
's historic Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas", which included Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
, Sting, George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
and other prominent UK artists.
Jody Watley (1987 - 1988)
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, eager to establish her own identity. Her album Jody Watley
Jody Watley (album)
Jody Watley is the self-titled debut album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1987 . Although very successful as part of the R&B trio Shalamar, the impact of this solo debut made Watley a cultural style icon in R&B, pop, and dance music...
was released in March 1987, and she co-wrote six of the album's nine songs. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Watley would say that she wanted to showcase her voice against "really funky hard dance tracks." The album's lead single, "Looking for a New Love
Looking for a New Love
"Looking for a New Love" is the first single from Jody Watley's eponymous debut album. "Looking for a New Love" became one of the biggest pop and R&B singles of 1987...
", became a smash hit with an instant catch-phrase "hasta la vista, baby", and was certified gold. The album peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Top 200 Album Chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums Chart, and sold two million copies in the US, and a total of four million copies worldwide. It produced five uptempo dance and R&B singles that charted on the US Hot 100, with three peaking in the top ten: "Looking for a New Love" (US #2, #1 Dance, #1 R&B, UK #13); "Still a Thrill
Still a Thrill
"Still a Thrill" was the second single from singer Jody Watley's self-titled debut album. While the #56 peaking "Still a Thrill" didn't necessarily match the pop chart success of its blockbuster predecessor, "Looking for a New Love", it was, however, a major hit on both the R&B and dance charts in...
" (US #56, #3 R&B #1 Dance); "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
" (US #6 #1 Dance #3 R&B); "Some Kind of Lover
Some Kind of Lover
"Some Kind of Lover" was the fourth single from Jody Watley's self-titled debut, Jody Watley. "Some Kind of Lover" was Jody's third top 10 pop single from the album, and third number-one of the US dance chart, though the single found huge success in America, outside on the states the single only...
" (US #10 #1 Dance #3 R&B); and "Most of All" (US #60, #11 R&B)
Also included on her debut album Jody Watley
Jody Watley (album)
Jody Watley is the self-titled debut album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1987 . Although very successful as part of the R&B trio Shalamar, the impact of this solo debut made Watley a cultural style icon in R&B, pop, and dance music...
was the duet with George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, "Learn To Say No", produced by Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
.
At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Watley won the award for Best New Artist, and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year, she also received nominations for four MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
and three Soul Train Awards.
Shortly after winning the Grammy Award, Watley would be featured in Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo
Francesco Scavullo
Francesco Scavullo was an American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan and his celebrity portraits.-Biography:...
.
Larger than Life (1989)
Larger than Life (album)
Larger Than Life is the second album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1989 .-Track listing:All songs written by André Cymone and Jody Watley, except where noted.#"Real Love" - 4:23#"Friends" Larger Than Life is the second album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1989...
, co-writing eleven of the album’s twelve songs. The album sold over four million copies worldwide, reaching #16 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, and produced four singles: "Real Love
Real Love (Jody Watley song)
"Real Love" was the first single from Jody Watley's second album, Larger than Life. "Real Love" became one of the biggest pop and R&B singles of 1989. The single reached number-one on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and dance chart....
" (US #2, #1 R&B, #2 Dance, UK #31), a US gold single and her first top 40 UK single since "Looking for a New Love"; "Friends
Friends (Jody Watley song)
"Friends" is the second single from Jody Watley's second album, Larger Than Life. "Friends", like her previous single "Real Love", became a multi-format top-10 smash, reaching the top ten of the pop, R&B and dance charts in the U.S., as well as being her biggest single in the UK since her debut,...
" featuring Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
, (US #9, #3 R&B, #7 Dance, UK #21); and "Everything
Everything (Jody Watley song)
"Everything" is the third single from Jody Watley's second album, Larger than Life. "Everything" was the third consecutive top-ten Pop and R&B single from that album in the U.S., peaking at #4 and #3, respectively...
" (US #4, #3 R&B), her first ballad release. The album's fourth and final single, "Precious Love", was a minor hit, peaking at #87 in the US. "Friends" is notable for being the first multi-format hit single to include the formula of a Pop/R&B singer featuring a guest rapper with the custom full 16-bar verses and bridge concept, and distinguishable from the rap "Intro" by Melle Mel on Chaka Khan's notable cover Prince single "I Feel For You". The successful "Friends" formula would become a mainstay formula in commercial pop music and was added as a category at The Grammy's under Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
in 2002.
During the summer of 1989, Watley’s "Real Love" video, directed by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
, was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
including Breakthrough Video
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Best Art Direction
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Best Dance Video
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and Best Female Video
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
at the 1989 award show. That record was held until Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's video "Scream" received 11 VMA
VMA
VMA may refer to:* MTV Video Music Awards* United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons which use the AV-8B Harrier II aircraft* Vanillylmandelic acid, a metabolite in urine which may be measured to diagnose medical disorders* Vanthali Memon Association...
nominations in 1995. The next year, she was nominated for two Soul Train Awards, an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
for Outstanding Female Artist, and a Narm Award
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
for Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me?
You Wanna Dance with Me?
You Wanna Dance with Me? is a remix album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in October 1989 . The album is a compilation of Jody's biggest hits remixed.-Track listing:...
, was released in October 1989 and achieved gold status in America.
1989 also saw Watley featured in Harper’s Bazaar "Ten Most Beautiful Women" issue, photographed by Matthew Rolston
Matthew Rolston
Matthew Russell Rolston is an American photographer and music video director. Rolston is known for his signature lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design, and has been repeatedly identified throughout his career with the revival and modern expression of Hollywood glamour...
. That same year Jody Watley appeared on the cover of the Japanese high fashion magazine SPUR for its debut issue.
Music and Fashion (1990s and Beyond)
In 1990, Watley would continue to be involved with fashion. On her second album, she was photographed by fashion photographer Steven MeiselSteven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex...
, where she continued to make her own style statements. In the videos for "Real Love", Watley would introduce a higher fashion aesthetic blending vintage and custom designs. "Friends" mixed couture by Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
, with an urban sensibility. She released a million-selling home video, Dance To Fitness. She was featured in the first celebrity ad campaign for Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
LA Eyeworks and in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Vogue Italia
Vogue Italia
Vogue Italia is the Italian edition of Vogue magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it is the least commercial of all editions of Vogue magazine and has been called the top fashion magazine in the world....
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
, and Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. She was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People of 1990 in People Magazine.
In the same year, she contributed a jazzy rendition of "After You, Who?
After You, Who?
"After You, Who?" is a song written by Cole Porter for his 1932 musical Gay Divorce, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald - Dream Dancing...
" the compilation album "Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
", an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-awareness charity recording of songs by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski
Victor Skrebneski
Victor Skrebneski is a photographer born to parents of Polish and Russian heritage. He was educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1943 and attended the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1947 to 1949...
, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout in 1996.
In 2006, Watley would walk the runway with designer Kevan Hall for LA Fashion Week.
She is also noted as an influence on contemporary designer Malan Breton
Malan Breton
Malan Breton is a Taiwanese born fashion designer, costumer, columnist, producer & media personality, Based in New York City. "Malan Breton" also refers to his brands of apparel, jewelry, and accessories.- Life and career :...
of Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
.
Affairs of the Heart (1991-1992)
Watley would state that she was eager to change her musical range and image, and no longer wanted to be seen as just a dance diva.She was inspired toward a more introspective approach for ‘Affairs Of The Heart", wanting to address social concerns.
In December 1991, Watley released her third album, Affairs of the Heart
Affairs of the Heart
Affairs of the Heart is the third studio album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1991 .-Track listing:#"I Want You" #"Call on Me"...
, described by Justin Kantor in Guide to Soul as an overlooked standout of her 80s and 90s output. The album peaked at #124 on the US chart, and #21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.
The lead single, "I Want You," failed to crack the top 40, peaking at #61 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, though peaking at #5 on the US R&B singles chart, and #17 Dance. The second single, "I'm The One You Need
I'm the One You Need
"I'm the One You Need" is the second single from Jody Watley's third album, Affairs of the Heart. Produced by house music pioneer, David Morales, "I'm the One You Need" constitutes Watley's initial foray into house music...
", reached #3 Dance and peaked at #19 on the US Hot 100. The final single was the ballad "It All Begins With You
It All Begins With You
"It All Begins With You" was the final single from Jody Watley's third album, Affairs of the Heart. Reaching number eighty on the U.S. R&B chart, it became her first solo single to miss the pop chart....
", her first single to miss the US Hot 100. Watley earned an invitation by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
in 1992 to perform this song at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. Watley used the opportunity to encourage the government to provide more support and funding for public schools. "
Watley recorded "It's All There" for the movie "Switch
Switch (film)
Switch is a 1991 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. A promiscuous man is murdered by his lovers and reincarnated as a beautiful woman .-Legacy:...
" with legendary composer Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
.
Intimacy (1993-1994)
Apparently undeterred by disappointing sales, Watley would say she was more concerned with broadening her creative boundaries than in just having huge record sales.In November 1993, MCA released her fourth solo album, the introspective relationship themed Intimacy. Noting that the New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
was all the rage in R&B at the time, Amy Linden wrote in People Magazine that Intimacy continued the process of Watley’s move toward more refreshingly adult themes and that Watley was deserving of serious attention. Watley herself acknowledged that the songs she wrote were always personal statements.
Intimacy with its songs of "romance and angst" reached #164 on the US Top 200 Album Chart and #38 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first single was "Your Love Keeps Working On Me", not a Hot 100 hit, peaked at #2 Dance and #26 R&B/Hip-Hop. Watley added video director to her resume for the next single, the spoken word tune "When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (Jody Watley song)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song by Jody Watley, released as the final single from her fourth album, Intimacy. While "When a Man Loves a Woman" peaked at #115 on the U.S. pop chart, it had a significantly more successful showing on the R&B chart, where it landed at number 11...
". "When A Man Loves A Woman" reached #11 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop and US #8 Dance. Although not a pop hit in the US or UK as well, the BBG Remix of this song topped the Dance charts in the UK. The album also contained the song "Ecstasy", produced by David Morales
David Morales
David Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
, which became an underground hit and later appeared on her Greatest Hits collection. Like its predecessor, "Intimacy" would not be a strong seller, but would continue to give Watley better critical success.
Affection (1995)
Having parted ways with MCA Records, Watley took an independent path and started her own label, Avitone RecordsAvitone Records
Avitone Recordings is an independent record label formed by singer/songwriter Jody Watley in 1995, established after Watley departed ways with MCA Records. The singer formed the label as a vehicle to support her own musical evolution outside of the major label system...
, and released her fifth solo album, Affection, in July 1995. The album was engineered and produced by the legendary Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
and Angelo Earl
Angelo Earl
Angelo Earl is an American guitarist, record producer, songwriter and owner of Soul Street Records. Earl is most widely known for playing electric guitar on Al Green’s “He Is The Light”, Bobby Rush’s “Southern Soul”, the Bar-kays “The Real Thing”, contributing vocal work to Isaac Hayes’ “Branded”,...
. She aligned Avitone with the independent Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records is a small U.S. independent record label, based on the west coast and is distributed by the independent DM Records Group. It was formed in the late 1980s by Al Bell, who was one of the driving forces behind the legendary Stax Records....
for distribution. According to a review of the album "Affection" by Jose Promis of Allmusic, the release lacked the urgency and immediency of her dance-era hits, but was an engaging collection of slow burners, mid tempo and jazzy R&B. The album’s title track, "Affection", didn't crack the Hot 100 but became a moderate R&B hit, peaking at #28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
Greatest Hits (1996)
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
on Broadway Theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the first African American woman to play the role.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski
Victor Skrebneski
Victor Skrebneski is a photographer born to parents of Polish and Russian heritage. He was educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1943 and attended the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1947 to 1949...
, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout.
That fall, Watley appeared on the platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
-selling single "This Is For The Lover In You" by Babyface. The single also featured LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
and Watley’s former Shalamar bandmates Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
and Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel is an American dancer, singer-songwriter and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar. In Nigeria he is best known as an Idol series judge...
, essentially reforming the group for the single. It was a remake of Shalamar’s R&B hit "For The Lover In You". As the year wound to a close, Watley took a hiatus from her own Avitone label, and signed with Big Beat/Atlantic Records
Big Beat Records
Big Beat Records is an East Coast hip hop and dance-music record label that operates as a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-History:Founded as an indie label in 1987 by 22-year-old New York deejay Craig Kallman, the company initially operated out of Kallman's parents' apartment...
. The same year MCA Records released a Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Jody Watley album)
Greatest Hits was the first "greatest hits" collection singer Jody Watley. Executive-produced by Watley herself, the album highlighted her MCA years , and contained all of her well-known pop hits, among them "Looking For a New Love", "Real Love" and "Everything"; two of Watley's classics, ""Don't...
album with Watley’s recordings for MCA.
Flower (1997-1998)
After spending most of 1997 in the recording studio crafting her sixth studio album, FlowerFlower (Jody Watley album)
Flower is the sixth album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released in 1998.-Track listing:#"Lovin' You So" - 3:37#"Flower" - 4:02#"Off the Hook" - 4:14#"Everything You Do" - 5:13#"Just One More Time" - 4:49...
, Watley was back in early 1998 with its lead singles "Off The Hook" and "If I'm Not In Love." "Off The Hook" peaked at #23 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and #73 Billboard Hot 100 but fared much better on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Propelled by remixes from Masters At Work
Masters At Work
Masters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...
and Soul Solution(Dance act), the track reached #1 on the dance chart, making it her first #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit in nine years. Later the same year, a single of "If I'm Not In Love" was released, with promo mixes by Sal Dano (credited as BK Dano) and Lenny Bertoldo, and that song reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Big Beat Records was absorbed into its parent label, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, which then shelved the album from a U.S. release, and left Watley in legal limbo for two years. Flower was, however, released in Canada, Great Britain, and Japan. The critically acclaimed release was championed by many UK magazines, including Blues and Soul and Echoes among others.
The Saturday Night Experience (1999)
In November 1999, Jody reactivated her independent label, Avitone, and released her seventh studio album via Universal Japan The Saturday Night Experience
The Saturday Night Experience
The Saturday Night Experience is the seventh studio album from singer Jody Watley. A Japanese-only import, Saturday Night Experience found Watley experimenting more freely with underground electronic styles like deep house, drum n bass, trip hop and downtempo...
featuring Jody Watley Vol. 1, a collection of organic club music tracks, inspired by her newfound love of electronic music. It was released exclusively in Japan along with a single, "Another Chapter," with remixes by DJ Soma. Also included on the project was the drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
title song "Saturday Night Experience." As Watley told music historian David Nathan, "The Saturday Night Experience" was intended to be a concept album, aimed at people looking for something different. The Saturday Night Experience , as told to music historian David Nathan, Watley stated she had no desire to release the project in the U.S.
The title song of the same name was licensed to Giant Step
Giant Step
Giant Step is a New York based concert promoter, marketing company, and record label.-1990-1995: The Groove Academy and Early Years:Giant Step began in 1990 as “a roving, freewheeling party” in New York City, a weekly production of British promoter, Maurice Bernstein, and his South African partner,...
and included on their compilation "Giant Sessions, Volume 1 Mixed by Ron Trent".
The following year, MCA released 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jody Watley.
Midnight Lounge (2001-2005)
Midnight Lounge
Midnight Lounge is the eighth studio album by American pop singer, Jody Watley . Originally released only in Japan via her Avitone label , fan and critical acclaim prompted Watley to release the album Stateside by way of a distribution deal with Avitone and Shanachie. The U.S...
in Europe and Japan. In an interview with Billboard Magazine Watley would say, "An artist should always explore new frontiers."
"Midnight Lounge" was a collection of tracks that combined a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and electronic club music.
After achieving moderate success in its original release, Watley arranged for it to be released in the U.S. through her Avitone imprint in a short-term license deal with Shanachie Records on March 11, 2003. Midnight Lounge was Watley’s first studio album released in the U.S. in eight years, reaching Top 20 status on Billboard Top Electronic Albums
Top Electronic Albums
Dance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five...
chart. Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
appeared on the Masters At Work
Masters At Work
Masters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...
produced, "I Love to Love", Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
and several other producers contributed remixes to the single release of "Whenever", bringing the track to #19 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart. One of the album’s other singles, "Photographs", became notable in the underground club scene with mixes by Phil Asher and East West Connection. The music and growth of Watley would achieve critical acclaim for the project and Watley, noting she had successfully updated her sound over the years and evolved successfully into a soulful chantese.
In 2005, Watley made history on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart when she re-released her 1987 hit "Looking For a New Love." The 2005 remix reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart, making her the first artist ever to take the same song to #1 in two different decades. Jody Watley now has the distinction of being among the few artists who have been to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in all of the past three decades (the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s).
The same year, Watley was invited to participate in the Force of Nature Relief Concert to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. During the trip Watley and others (including The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
, and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
) were invited to the Royal Palace to meet The King and Queen of Malaysia for a special Tea reception in showing their gratitude for all involved with Force of Nature.
The Makeover (2006-2009)
The Makeover would bring Watley together with 4Hero and King BrittKing Britt
King Britt is an American DJ and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.King Britt is his actual legal name.- 1987: Tower Records Years :...
among others in a chilled electronic out musical style. Understanding the shifting paradigms in the music industry and the changing business models, Watley’s Avitone Recordings arranged for The Makeover
The Makeover
The Makeover is singer Jody Watley's ninth studio album. Watley recruited a diverse group of contemporary dance and electronica producers for the project, among them King Britt, 4hero and DJ Spinna. The album's vintage aesthetic, which saw her take the old and remake it as new, was likely foretold...
to be released exclusively to the Virgin Megastore chain in its first ever CD exclusive. It debuted at #1 for the retailer, and was accompanied by a Virgin mini-tour where she performed for customers and signed copies of the CD. The first single was a cover of Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
"Borderline". The single reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in January 2007. The second single, a cover of Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
's "I Want Your Love," reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play in June 2007.
In 2008, she launched an online music store, while scoring another Top Five Billboard Dance Single, "A Beautiful Life," bringing the total of Top Five Singles for The Makeover to three.
In May 2008, continuing over a decade of support for various charities dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS, Watley performed at Life Ball
Life Ball
The Life Ball in Vienna is the biggest charity event in Europe supporting people with HIV or AIDS. The event is organized by the non-profit organization AIDS LIFE, which was founded in 1992 by Gery Keszler and Torgom Petrosian....
, Europe's largest gala for the cause held in Vienna, Austria.
In May 2009, Watley’s Avitone signed a distribution deal with London based Alternative Distribution Alliance
Alternative Distribution Alliance
The Alternative Distribution Alliance was created in 1993 by Warner Music Group and Sub Pop Records as a joint venture to distribute and manufacture records owned by indie labels. Headed up by Mitchell Wolk, ADA is the leading "indie" distribution company in the U.S. for both physical and digital...
Global.
In October 2009, an "International" version of "The Makeover' was released in the U.K. to positive reviews.
Pete Lewis from Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
noted her evolution as an artist and performer as being showcased on the album. Further stating Watley being hailed by some, as exemplifying the 21st century recording artist continuing to exercise her own creative path.
Distinguishable from the original release, The Makeover "International Edition" featured new cover art and track listing. New inclusions featured the bossa-soul rendering of Bob Marley’s "Waiting in Vain", a sparsely arranged version of Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's 60s ballad "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
's anthem "A Little Respect", and a reworking of the Diana Ross dance classic "Love Hangover". Replacing the downtempo ambient version found on the 2006 "The Makeover", Watley recorded the new arrangement originally suggested by songwriter Pam Sawyer
Pam Sawyer
Pamela Sawyer, an American-based songwriter from Romford, East London.Sawyer worked with artists at Motown Records from 1967 to 1977. Before Motown she had been involved in hit records for the Young Rascals and Lulu, and wrote with Lori Burton with whom she also recorded as the Whyte Boots.Sawyer...
, for Ross.
Reg Dancy from Basic Soul would write that Watley was able to handpick songs and make them seem as if they had been written for her.
Added to the line-up of producers which included King Britt, Mark de-Clive Lowe, 4Hero, DJ Spinna, and longtime co-collaborator Rodney Lee, are remixer/producers Marco Zappala from Brazil and Craig C. from the UK.
In February 2010 Jody Watley joined Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
onstage at a post Grammy event for a duet performance of her signature hit "Looking For a New Love" and also appeared in the VH1 documentary "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America".
Watley is currently finishing her 10th solo album, "Chameleon". Initially intended for release in 2010, she recently stated via a fan video greeting that the project is a work in progress.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... for Best New Artist |
| 1987 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... , "Looking for a New Love" |
| 1988 | Soul Train Music Award nomination for Album of the Year (Female), Jody Watley |
| 1988 | Soul Train Music Award nomination for Single of the Year (Female) Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female The Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female was given out every year since the first annual Soul Train Music Awards in 1987. From 1989-1992 the award was known as the R&B/Urban Contemporary Single - Female.... , "Looking for a New Love" |
| 1988 | Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best Music Video, "Looking for a New Love" |
| 1988 | American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Single, "Looking For A New Love |
| 1988 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video, "Some Kind of Lover" |
| 1988 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, "Some Kind of Lover" |
| 1988 | NAACP Image Award Nomination Best R&B Female Artist |
| 1989 | Narm Award Music Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture... nomination for Best Selling R&B Female Album, Larger than Life |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video, "Real Love" |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Dance Video, "Real Love" |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Direction, "Real Love" |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Art Direction, "Real Love" |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Editing, "Real Love" |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Breakthrough Video, "Real Love" |
| 2007 | Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award |
Personal life
She has two children, Lauren and Arie, and was married to producer André CymoneAndré Cymone
André Cymone is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a bass guitarist for recording artist Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance Electric" , reached number ten on the R&B charts...
.
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart