Lyte Funky Ones
Encyclopedia
Lyte Funky Ones was an American
three-man pop
/rap group consisting of Rich Cronin
(August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010) , Devin Lima (born Harold Lima, March 18, 1977), and Brad Fischetti (born September 11, 1975). Before Lima joined the group in 1999, the third member was Brian Gillis (known as "Brizz"), who was with the group from its start in 1995. The band is best known for their hit songs "Summer Girls
", "Girl on TV
", and "Every Other Time".
, Rich Cronin
met Brian Gillis, who was also known as Brizz. They added a third member: Brad Fischetti. Their biggest single, "Summer Girls
", was produced by Dow Brain and Brad Young of Underground Productions. Previously, LFO had marginal success with the remake of the Yvonne Elliman
song, "Can't Have You
", which missed the Top 40, reaching #54 on the UK Singles Chart
. In 1997, they released a cover of New Kids on the Block
's "Step By Step" as a single. In 1999, Gillis was frustrated with the lack of progress that the group had made so he left to pursue a solo career, which led him to multiple college tours and a job in the music industry, with a radio promotion position in Florida
with BMG.
and had an open audition
. Devin Lima, an employee of a hardware store at the time, was chosen in place of Gillis. Devin decided that the group should discontinue being called Lyte Funky Ones and use the name LFO exclusively instead. In the UK, however, they were unable to use the abbreviated name of LFO due to an IDM
act on the Warp Records
label
, who had been using the name since 1988.
Still signed with Trans Continental and now with Arista Records, LFO recorded some new material with Dow Brain, Brad Young and Danny Wood
of New Kids on the Block
, at Underground Studios second location, the basement of a 200+ year old house in Needham, MA. Wood had been a long-time friend of original member Brian Gillis. Among the songs LFO had recorded in an attempt to make a demo
was a song called "Summer Girls
". This song would change their lives, and give LFO their path to success. "Summer Girls" made its way to the Top 10, eventually reaching the number 3 position on the Billboard Hot 100
, and the number 1 position on the Billboard single sales chart. New York City radio station Z100 (WHTZ
100.3FM-MHZ), part of the Clear Channel
network, also helped LFO's popularity through frequent promotion and airings of the song "Summer Girls" before the songs national Top 10 status.
Their debut album, LFO
, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, and scored two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Summer Girls" and "Girl on TV". In 1999, "Summer Girls" was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year; the song sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. The song itself contained numerous non sequiturs
, such as "You're the best girl that I ever did see/The great Larry Bird
, jersey 33" and "Fell deep in love, but now we ain't speakin'/Michael J. Fox
was Alex P. Keaton
". This album featured many vocals from original member Brian. The label loved the original versions of the records so much that they left all of the vocals from Brian, including leads on "If I Can't Have You".
The year 2000 was a busy year for LFO, featuring nonstop tours, performing at over 230 concerts that year. They also served as opening act for Britney Spears
, and co-headlined Nickelodeon's All That
Music & More summer tour. They also found success in the UK at the same time when second single, the Dow Brain and Brad Young co-written "Girl on TV", entered the UK chart at #6. In 2000, the band won the Nickelodeon
Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Group of the Year. Play Along Toys made dolls
of the group in 2001.
They appeared on The Amanda Show
as guest stars, singing a song while Amanda danced in the background with the show's famous 'dancing lobsters'. At the end, LFO described Amanda as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'. The episode has been repeated on Nickelodeon
since its creation.
, Cronin founded Bad Mood Mike in 2003. The project failed, as it never produced an album, and ended after a few months. Cronin was later in a group called Loose Cannons with Toothpick (Doug Ray). He was also part of the TV show Mission: Man Band, which aired on VH1
.
In July, 2003, LFO went on an indefinite hiatus, so that the members could work on solo projects.
Lima, along with his new band The Cadbury Diesel, has released their debut record Mozart Popart in July 2008. Rich Cronin launched his first solo-studio album named Billion Dollar Sound
.
page which announced that they have reunited and are going on the Malcolm Douglas Tribute tour beginning September 23, 2009, with Rookie of the Year
, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan. A new song titled "Summer of My Life" was also announced in association with the reunion.
Nearly four months later, on September 28, 2009, LFO announced (through their YouTube page) that they had broken up. However, the individual members of the band planned to continue making music with their various side projects.
and stroke.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
three-man pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/rap group consisting of Rich Cronin
Rich Cronin
Richard Burton "Rich" Cronin was an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and primary songwriter for the pop group Lyte Funkie Ones or LFO.-Early life:...
(August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010) , Devin Lima (born Harold Lima, March 18, 1977), and Brad Fischetti (born September 11, 1975). Before Lima joined the group in 1999, the third member was Brian Gillis (known as "Brizz"), who was with the group from its start in 1995. The band is best known for their hit songs "Summer Girls
Summer Girls
"Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999....
", "Girl on TV
Girl on TV
"Girl On TV" is the title of a song written and recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in November 1999, from their album LFO. The song was also their second single and peaked at #10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 30 and #6 in the UK, where it was their biggest hit...
", and "Every Other Time".
Origins
In 1995, in Fall River, MassachusettsFall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, Rich Cronin
Rich Cronin
Richard Burton "Rich" Cronin was an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and primary songwriter for the pop group Lyte Funkie Ones or LFO.-Early life:...
met Brian Gillis, who was also known as Brizz. They added a third member: Brad Fischetti. Their biggest single, "Summer Girls
Summer Girls
"Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999....
", was produced by Dow Brain and Brad Young of Underground Productions. Previously, LFO had marginal success with the remake of the Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Marianne Elliman is an American singer who performed for four years in the first cast of Jesus Christ Superstar...
song, "Can't Have You
If I Can't Have You
"If I Can't Have You" is a song written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. It was most famously recorded by Yvonne Elliman for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.-Background:...
", which missed the Top 40, reaching #54 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. In 1997, they released a cover of New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
's "Step By Step" as a single. In 1999, Gillis was frustrated with the lack of progress that the group had made so he left to pursue a solo career, which led him to multiple college tours and a job in the music industry, with a radio promotion position in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with BMG.
Success
After Gillis left, Fischetti and Cronin still wanted to continue to pursue their dreams of making it big, so they headed back to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and had an open audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
. Devin Lima, an employee of a hardware store at the time, was chosen in place of Gillis. Devin decided that the group should discontinue being called Lyte Funky Ones and use the name LFO exclusively instead. In the UK, however, they were unable to use the abbreviated name of LFO due to an IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
act on the Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, who had been using the name since 1988.
Still signed with Trans Continental and now with Arista Records, LFO recorded some new material with Dow Brain, Brad Young and Danny Wood
Danny Wood
Daniel William "Danny" Wood is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. He is also a member of the American boy band New Kids on the Block and also serves as one of the key choreographers.-Life and career:...
of New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
, at Underground Studios second location, the basement of a 200+ year old house in Needham, MA. Wood had been a long-time friend of original member Brian Gillis. Among the songs LFO had recorded in an attempt to make a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
was a song called "Summer Girls
Summer Girls
"Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999....
". This song would change their lives, and give LFO their path to success. "Summer Girls" made its way to the Top 10, eventually reaching the number 3 position 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...
, and the number 1 position on the Billboard single sales chart. New York City radio station Z100 (WHTZ
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
100.3FM-MHZ), part of the Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
network, also helped LFO's popularity through frequent promotion and airings of the song "Summer Girls" before the songs national Top 10 status.
Their debut album, LFO
LFO (album)
LFO was an album released by the American pop group Lyte Funky Ones. It was released on August 24, 1999 under Arista Records. It has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and over 3 million singles.-Track listing:...
, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, and scored two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Summer Girls" and "Girl on TV". In 1999, "Summer Girls" was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year; the song sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. The song itself contained numerous non sequiturs
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
, such as "You're the best girl that I ever did see/The great Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, jersey 33" and "Fell deep in love, but now we ain't speakin'/Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
was Alex P. Keaton
Alex P. Keaton
Alex P. Keaton is a fictional character on the American television sitcom, Family Ties, which aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. Family Ties reflected the move in the United States away from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s...
". This album featured many vocals from original member Brian. The label loved the original versions of the records so much that they left all of the vocals from Brian, including leads on "If I Can't Have You".
The year 2000 was a busy year for LFO, featuring nonstop tours, performing at over 230 concerts that year. They also served as opening act for Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, and co-headlined Nickelodeon's All That
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
Music & More summer tour. They also found success in the UK at the same time when second single, the Dow Brain and Brad Young co-written "Girl on TV", entered the UK chart at #6. In 2000, the band won the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Group of the Year. Play Along Toys made dolls
Celebrity doll
A celebrity doll is a doll modelled after a celebrity.Celebrity dolls have been in production for a very long time. In the 1840s, several famous ballerinas were featured as paper dolls. Also in the 19th century, various military heroes were portrayed as dolls/figures. With the advent of silent...
of the group in 2001.
They appeared on The Amanda Show
The Amanda Show
The Amanda Show is an American live-action sketch comedy and variety show that aired on Nickelodeon from November 6, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, along with several performing artists who came and left at different points, such as John Kassir,...
as guest stars, singing a song while Amanda danced in the background with the show's famous 'dancing lobsters'. At the end, LFO described Amanda as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'. The episode has been repeated on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
since its creation.
After LFO
In an attempt to form a pop group without having it labeled as a boy bandBoy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
, Cronin founded Bad Mood Mike in 2003. The project failed, as it never produced an album, and ended after a few months. Cronin was later in a group called Loose Cannons with Toothpick (Doug Ray). He was also part of the TV show Mission: Man Band, which aired on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
In July, 2003, LFO went on an indefinite hiatus, so that the members could work on solo projects.
Lima, along with his new band The Cadbury Diesel, has released their debut record Mozart Popart in July 2008. Rich Cronin launched his first solo-studio album named Billion Dollar Sound
Billion Dollar Sound
Billion Dollar Sound is the first studio/solo album by former LFO vocalist, Rich Cronin. The album was released on May 16, 2008. The album was 3 years in the making and includes music which chronicles his journey from "Summer Girls" to now. The label of the album is Orange Freeze Records...
.
Reunion
On June 3, 2009, LFO posted a blog entitled "LFO is Back" on their unofficial MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page which announced that they have reunited and are going on the Malcolm Douglas Tribute tour beginning September 23, 2009, with Rookie of the Year
Rookie of the Year (band)
Rookie of the Year is an indie rock/acoustic band from Fayetteville, North Carolina . They were signed to One Eleven Records, though the fourth release of their latest EP fulfilled their contractual obligation to 111 and allow them to sign with a new label. The band is fronted by lead...
, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan. A new song titled "Summer of My Life" was also announced in association with the reunion.
Nearly four months later, on September 28, 2009, LFO announced (through their YouTube page) that they had broken up. However, the individual members of the band planned to continue making music with their various side projects.
Rich Cronin's death
Cronin died on September 8, 2010, at the age of 36 after a long battle with leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and stroke.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... ) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
IRE Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
SPA Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
MEX Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
|||
| 1999 | LFO LFO (album) LFO was an album released by the American pop group Lyte Funky Ones. It was released on August 24, 1999 under Arista Records. It has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and over 3 million singles.-Track listing:...
|
21 | — | 62 | — | — | — | — |
RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : Platinum Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... : Gold |
| 2001 | Life Is Good
Arista Records Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records... |
75 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
||||||
| 1998 | "Can't Have You" | 70 | 54 | — | — | LFO LFO (album) LFO was an album released by the American pop group Lyte Funky Ones. It was released on August 24, 1999 under Arista Records. It has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and over 3 million singles.-Track listing:... |
|||
| 1999 | "(Sex U Up) The Way You Like It" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Summer Girls Summer Girls "Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999.... " |
3 | 16 | 18 | 14 | |||||
| "Girl on TV Girl on TV "Girl On TV" is the title of a song written and recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in November 1999, from their album LFO. The song was also their second single and peaked at #10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 30 and #6 in the UK, where it was their biggest hit... " |
10 | 6 | 39 | — | |||||
| 2000 | "I Don't Wanna Kiss You Goodnight" | 61 | — | — | — | ||||
| "West Side Story" | 84 | — | — | — | |||||
| 2001 | "Every Other Time Every Other Time (song) Every Other Time is the title of a song recorded by LFO. It was released in June 2001 as the first single of their second album Life Is Good. The song reached #44 on U.S... " |
44 | 24 | * | 18 | Life Is Good | |||
| 2002 | "Life is Good" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released. | |||||||||