Today (group)
Encyclopedia
Today was an American R&B vocal group formed in 1988. The group comprised Frederick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford, Larry Singletary, Wesley Adams, and Larry McCain, childhood friends from Englewood, New Jersey
.
. During an anti-drug benefit, the group received a meeting with the producer Teddy Riley who renamed the group Today and melded them into the current lineup. Riley helped them receive a deal with MCA Records
.
As the head of MCA records urban department, Jheryl Busby, moved into Motown, he brought several acts with him, including Today, The Boys
and The Good Girls
. While touring the country, the groups were successful. Motown promoted Today as the new Four Tops, and The Boys and The Good Girls were promoted as the new Jackson 5 and new Supremes
respectively.
Today released their self-titled debut album in 1988. The single "Him Or Me" reached #3 on the R&B charts and was followed by "Girl I Got My Eyes On You
" which reached #1. Yet the album's later singles did not do as well as their early showings, and they began to resent the way they were being produced and promoted.
Riley did not help the group with their second album, The New Formula. Released in 1991, the album manage to chart three singles: "Why You Get Funky on Me", which was also featured in the movie House Party
reached #2 on the R&B charts. "I Got The Feeling" peaked at #12 on Billboard's
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and "I Wanna Come Back Home" peaked at #46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
After the group broke up, Drakeford started a solo career while Singletary, Adams, and McCain wrote songs and tried unsuccessfully to get a deal as a trio.
In October 2004 "I Got The Feeling" appeared in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
, playing on radio station CSR 103.9.
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
.
History
The group started in 1984 as The Gents and comprised Drakeford, McCain, William McNeir, Ronald Scruggs, and Bernard BelleBernard Belle
Bernard Belle is an American composer, producer and musician. After starting his career as an R&B guitarist, Belle became known as a songwriter for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and a producer of gospel music.- Career :...
. During an anti-drug benefit, the group received a meeting with the producer Teddy Riley who renamed the group Today and melded them into the current lineup. Riley helped them receive a deal with MCA Records
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...
.
As the head of MCA records urban department, Jheryl Busby, moved into Motown, he brought several acts with him, including Today, The Boys
The Boys (band)
The Boys is an American R&B quartet composed of the four Abdulsamad brothers, Khiry , Hakeem , Tajh , and Bilal . The group started out singing in Carson, California. The group had three #1 singles on the R&B charts but never had a mainstream pop #1.-Early years:The Boys were encouraged by their...
and The Good Girls
The Good Girls
The Good Girls was a female R&B trio from Los Angeles, California that emerged in the late 1980s; composed of Shireen Crutchfield, Joyce Tolbert, and DeMonica Santiago.-Career:...
. While touring the country, the groups were successful. Motown promoted Today as the new Four Tops, and The Boys and The Good Girls were promoted as the new Jackson 5 and new Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
respectively.
Today released their self-titled debut album in 1988. The single "Him Or Me" reached #3 on the R&B charts and was followed by "Girl I Got My Eyes On You
Girl I Got My Eyes On You
"Girl I Got My Eyes On You" is a 1989 single by R&B vocal group, Today. The single was their most successful of six chart releases on the Hot Black singles chart, peaking at number one for one week...
" which reached #1. Yet the album's later singles did not do as well as their early showings, and they began to resent the way they were being produced and promoted.
Riley did not help the group with their second album, The New Formula. Released in 1991, the album manage to chart three singles: "Why You Get Funky on Me", which was also featured in the movie House Party
House Party (film)
House Party is a 1990 American comedy film released by New Line Cinema. It stars Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, and also stars Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine from Full Force, and Robin Harris . The film also starred Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J...
reached #2 on the R&B charts. "I Got The Feeling" peaked at #12 on Billboard's
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...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and "I Wanna Come Back Home" peaked at #46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
After the group broke up, Drakeford started a solo career while Singletary, Adams, and McCain wrote songs and tried unsuccessfully to get a deal as a trio.
In October 2004 "I Got The Feeling" appeared in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
, playing on radio station CSR 103.9.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||||
| 1988 | Today | 86 | 11 | Motown | |
| 1990 | The New Formula | 132 | 19 | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
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 ... |
|||
| 1988 | "Him or Me" | 3 | 21 | — | |
| 1989 | "Girl I Got My Eyes On You Girl I Got My Eyes On You "Girl I Got My Eyes On You" is a 1989 single by R&B vocal group, Today. The single was their most successful of six chart releases on the Hot Black singles chart, peaking at number one for one week... " |
1 | 29 | 94 | |
| "Take It Off" | 34 | — | — | ||
| "You Stood Me Up" | — | — | — | ||
| "Take Your Time" | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Why You Get Funky On Me" | 2 | — | — | |
| "I Got the Feeling" | 12 | — | — | ||
| "I Wanna Come Back Home" | 46 | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||
External links
- Today (band) on R&B Haven