Club Nouveau
| Club Nouveau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sacramento, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop, dance, new jack swing |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. (1986–1990) |
| Associated acts | Timex Social Club, Foster & McElroy, Samuelle |
| Members |
Jay King Valerie Watson English Samuelle Prater |
| Past members |
Denzil Foster Thomas McElroy Kevin Irving David Agent Roque LaCrosby Walter Phillips James L. Richard II Mario Corbino |
Club Nouveau is an American pop/new jack swing group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California subsequent to the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name (French for "New Club") was changed from its original incarnation, Jet Set, to capitalize on the breakup. The group was signed by Warner Bros. Records, on which Club Nouveau released its first three albums. Club Nouveau's version of Bill Withers' song "Lean on Me" won a Grammy award for Best R&B Song in 1987.[1]
History
From their debut album, Life, Love & Pain, which was released in 1986, the group scored four consecutive hits: "Jealousy" (essentially an answer song responding to Timex Social Club's hit "Rumors"), "Situation #9", "Lean on Me" and "Why You Treat Me So Bad". The latter two both made it to #2 on the Billboard R&B chart the next year, with "Lean on Me" going on to become a big Billboard Hot 100 hit. "Jealousy" also made an appearance on the soundtrack for the film, Modern Girls. "Why You Treat Me So Bad" was interpolated by the hip-hop duo Luniz, on their hit single "I Got 5 on It", and subsequently by rapper/record producer, Puff Daddy, on his #1 R&B single, "Satisfy You".
The group's original lineup consisted of Jay King, Valerie Watson, Samuelle Prater, Denzil Foster, and Thomas McElroy. Foster and McElroy soon left to form their own production team and focus on working with other acts. Prater, who had performed lead vocals on "Lean on Me," eventually left as well to pursue a solo career, but reunited with the group in 2009.
The group's next albums—beginning with Listen to the Message—were laced with an evolving social consciousness. Notable recordings include, "You Ain't No Friend Of Mine" from Under A Nouveau Groove, a dancehall-influenced version of the Gospel classic, "Oh, Happy Day," from A New Beginning, "Let It Go" from Everything Is Black, and "What Kind Of Love" from The Collection Volume I. The group also recorded "Step by Step" for the Who's That Girl soundtrack.
Club Nouveau was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 1987. Their version of "Lean on Me" was their most celebrated hit resulting in a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year in addition to winning the Grammy for Best R&B Song that same year. "Lean on Me" was also nominated for two American Music Awards, nominated and won a Bammy Award, BRE Drummer award, Bay Area Star award and won two NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) awards.
The 2015 line-up consists of King, Watson, and Prater.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
AUS [3] |
CAN [4] |
GER [5] |
NL [6] |
NZ [7] | ||||||||
| 1986 | Life, Love & Pain
|
6 | 2 | 90 | 13 | 65 | 69 | 9 |
| |||||
| 1988 | Listen to the Message
|
98 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1989 | Under a Nouveau Groove
|
— | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1992 | A New Beginning
|
— | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1995 | Everything Is Black
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
US Dan [2] |
AUS [3] |
AUT [9] |
CAN [4] |
GER [5] |
IRE [10] |
NLD [6] |
NZ [7] |
SWI [11] |
UK [12] | |||
| 1986 | "Jealousy" | — | 8 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 80 | Life, Love & Pain |
| "Situation #9" | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Lean on Me" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | |
| "Why You Treat Me So Bad" | 39 | 2 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | — | ||
| "Let Me Go" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Heavy on My Mind" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "It's a Cold, Cold World!" | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Listen to the Message | |
| "For the Love of Francis" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Envious" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "No Friend of Mine" | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Under a Nouveau Groove |
| 1990 | "Under a Nouveau Groove" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Momentary Lover" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Oh Happy Day" | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | A New Beginning |
| 1993 | "When Will You Come Back to Me?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | "Ghetto Swang" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Everything Is Black |
| 1995 | "Let It Go" (featuring Thrill Da Playa of the 69 Boyz) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | "What Kind of Love (Secret Rendezvous)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Collection Volume 1 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
See also
- Club Nouveau Official Facebook Page
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
- Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
- 30th Annual Grammy Awards
References
- ↑ "Bill Withers Biography". Billwithers.com. pp. 8th Paragraph;Last Sentence. Archived from the original on 2011-08-29. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "US Charts > Club Nouveau". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- 1 2 David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- 1 2 "CAN Charts > Club Nouveau". RPM. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- 1 2 "GER Charts > Club Nouveau". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- 1 2 "NL Charts > Club Nouveau". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- 1 2 "NZ Charts > Club Nouveau". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "US Certifications > Club Nouveau". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "AUT Charts > Club Nouveau". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "IRE Charts Search > Club Nouveau". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "SWI Charts > Club Nouveau". Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
- ↑ "UK Charts > Club Nouveau". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Club Nouveau. |