Troop (band)
| Troop | |
|---|---|
 Two members of Troop in 2015: Steve Russell (left) and John Harreld (right) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, new jack swing |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
Atlantic Bust It Warrior |
| Members |
Steve "Random" Russell John "Jon Jon" Harreld Rodney Benford Reggie Warren Allen McNeil |
Troop is an R&B group from Pasadena, California. The group has had five number one singles and ten top ten singles on the Billboard R&B Charts.[1] They have also completed five albums, which include three certified gold and one certified platinum album. TROOP is an acronym for "Total Respect Of Other People".[2] The group is most notable for a series of number-one R&B hits, including two popular cover versions of songs such as "All I Do Is Think of You" and "Sweet November", originally performed by the musical acts, The Jackson 5 and The Deele respectively. They also had a number-one hit with the original song "Spread My Wings".
Career
The group began in the late 1980s after they won a televised (Puttin' on the Hits) talent contest that later drew interest from record labels. Troop, consisting of childhood friends Steve Russell, Allen McNeil, John Harreld, Rodney Benford, Reggie Warren and signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut single Mamacita from their self-titled album in 1988. Mamacita reached Number 2 on the Billboard's R&B Charts.[1]
After the release of their debut album, Troop released Attitude, which included songs such as Spread My Wings and All I Do is Think of You (a Jackson 5 cover), which were both Number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts and remained in the top 10 on the charts for several weeks.[1] Attitude was certified platinum[3] in 1990, afterward, Troop released their third album Deepa in 1992 from which the single Sweet November made Number 1 on the Billboard's R&B charts. The group followed up with two more albums A Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin' (1994) and Mayday (1998), both of which were re-released in 2005.
After releasing Mayday in 1998, Troop took a hiatus as individual members worked behind the scenes on various writing and producing projects, collaborations, and other business endeavors.
In 2004 Troop returned and began touring the United States and finishing up their sixth album. Since returning, Troop has headlined a number of shows and also shared the stage with artists they toured with in the past such as Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, Keith Sweat, Silk, Mario, and Jon B..
Troop have also been showcased on the Late Show with David Letterman, Soul Train, The Arsenio Hall Show, Showtime at the Apollo, and appeared in the feature film New Jack City singing a cappella. Additionally, the group appeared on the New Jack City soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Levert, in a medley featuring cover versions of The O'Jays' For the Love of Money and Stevie Wonder's Living for the City.
In October 2006, Troop contacted the Internet Radio Station The Mixx and have worked together to make The Mixx the radio home of Troop. Steve Russell dubs the singing voices of several minor characters (among them doo-wop singer Little Albert and the five brothers who make up the Jackson 5 pastiche "The Campbell Connection") in the 2006 film version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Steve Russell as also wrote Take You Down[4] for Chris Brown and No Air[5] for Jordin Sparks, Grammy award winning Invisible[6] for Jennifer Hudson. In February 2010 he released his debut solo CD entitled, So Random which is the first release from his own label Motel Music Media. Allen McNeil released his debut solo album titled Hybernation in January 2010. Allen McNeil released his sophomore solo album titled "Send For Me" in November 2011. In addition to releasing music, Allen McNeil is said to have been auditioning for roles and accepting scripts. In 2014, John "Jon Jon" Harreld announced that he would be working on a solo project and released a single covering Luther Vandross's "Never Too Much" which should also appear on the project.[7]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [8] | |||||||||||||
| 1988 | Troop
|
133 | 19 | |||||||||||
| 1989 | Attitude
|
73 | 5 |
| ||||||||||
| 1992 | Deepa
|
78 | 21 | |||||||||||
| 1994 | A Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin'
|
134 | 80 | |||||||||||
| 1998 | Mayday
|
161 | 99 | |||||||||||
| 2014 | The Return
|
— | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [8] | |||||||||||||
| 1988 | "Mamacita" | — | 2 | — | Troop | |||||||||
| "My Heart" | — | 9 | 58 | |||||||||||
| "Still in Love" | 105 | 19 | 77 | |||||||||||
| 1989 | "I'm Not Soupped" | — | 19 | 6 | Attitude | |||||||||
| 1990 | "Spread My Wings" | — | 1 | 27 | ||||||||||
| "All I Do Is Think of You" | 47 | 1 | 45 | |||||||||||
| "That's My Attitude" | — | 14 | 30 | |||||||||||
| 1991 | "I Will Always Love You" | — | 31 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 1992 | "Whatever It Takes (To Make You Stay)" | 63 | 12 | 46 | Deepa | |||||||||
| "Sweet November" | 58 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1993 | "Give It Up" | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1994 | "Do Me" | 125 | 78 | 22 | A Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin' | |||||||||
| 1995 | "Get Loose" | 60 | 17 | 59 | ||||||||||
| "Poohnany" | 53 | 33 | 30 | |||||||||||
| 1998 | "The Way I Parlay" | 133 | 65 | 14 | Mayday | |||||||||
| 2013 | "Forever" | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| 2014 | "Not In a Million Years" | — | — | — | The Return | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Featured singles
| Year | Single | Peak position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | |||
| 1991 | "For the Love of Money" / "Living for the City" (medley) (with LeVert featuring Queen Latifah) |
12 | New Jack City |
References
- 1 2 3 "Troop Album & Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ↑ Christian, Margena A. (2008-11-03). "Where is Troop?(Total Respect Of Other People)". Jet Magazine.
- ↑ "Real.com (UK): Troop". RealNetworks. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ↑ "Take You Down - Chris Brown (Allmusic)". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ↑ "No Air - Jordan Sparks (Allmusic)". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ↑ "Invisible - Jennifer Hudson (Allmusic)". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ↑ http://947thewave.cbslocal.com/2015/06/30/troops-jon-jon-talks-group-survival-performing-live-more/ October 2, 2015 CBSLocal
- 1 2 3 4 "US Charts > Troop". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ "US Certifications > Troop". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
External links
- Jon Jon's Official Website
- Steven Russell Website
- TROOP's Official MySpace Page
- Allen McNeil aka Mr. AL MAC Website
- AL MAC Send For Me Album
- Troop at AllMusic