The 16-Year-Old Who Could Take It All
From the Root:
At Washington, D.C.'s DAR Constitution Hall, the crowd -- a mix of distinguished salt-and-pepper goatees and shellacked updos -- awaits Charlie Wilson, former front man for the Gap Band. But first En Vogue, the once ubiquitous, platinum-selling R&B group from the '90s, is opening the show.
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Comments: (28)
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By: pvondrazy on 8/01/2011 2:45PM
Who killed them? These play-play singers that need to sit down some where!
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By: vdog on 8/01/2011 5:48PM
GREED killed them. Everyone wants to be SOLO and CENTER STAGE.
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By: kay on 8/01/2011 6:12PM
I agree Vdog! GREED! & EGO's
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By: vdog on 8/01/2011 6:20PM
Thanks sis.
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By: OOOZZZZZ on 8/01/2011 7:39PM
Who killed the R&B group?
Business as usual killed the R and B Group.
The constant changes in musical tastes over the decades ever so often and what's hot and sells at the moment to make money had over the 20th and now 21th century eliminated music groups.
In terms of Black music it what's hot and what people want.
Slave chants became Gospel music. Blues downgraded Gospel music, Jazz downgraded Blues, Rhythm and Blues downgraded Jazz, Soul/Funk music downgraded Rhythm and Blues, Funk music was downgraded by Disco and Disco was downgraded by Rap and Hip Hop.
And with these changes, the Rhythm and Blues singing groups and Black bands of the 60's and 70's..., The Temptations, The Chi-lites, Cameo, Parliament, The Bar-Kays etc.....were all downgraded or eliminated in addition to the lead singers of many groups leaving to go solo......Teddy Pendergrass left Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Jeffrey Osborne left LTD, Patti Labelle left Labelle, Diana Ross left The Supremes, Beyonce left Destiny's Child which killed those groups and created solo acts that generated multi-millions in sales for themselves and the record companies.
And the introduction of Rap music especially Gangsta Rap and it's strong cloud of influence over young African Americans for the past 30 plus years virtually eliminated or downgraded groups like En Vogue, TLC and solo acts like Jaheim and Tyrese who have to collobrate with Rap artists to remain revelant or venture into other genre like acting.
Music is big business and there is no loyalty when it comes to making the almighty dollar so for musical acts and groups it the changing times that kills and the nearest example of this is Rap music that had lost it's luster and now is in steady decline.
Business as usual.
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By: Jaye on 8/01/2011 8:45PM
Very well said.
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By: butchcrews on 8/24/2011 3:44AM
That is the most objective and truthful reply concerning the constant evolution of ALL arts I've read on this board. Music must obey the laws of nature just as all other phenomena, namely, CHANGE. That's the first and most fundamental principle of them all. I would advise all who venture into any activity to first read and understand how the machinery of this dimension we exist in works, in that the world is always becomming, but never becomes.
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By: Paul K on 8/03/2011 10:30AM
Very true. It's always about the business. The Biz killed the black r&b music performing bands of the 70s by doing the same thing. Crippling the groups by stealing away their lead singers for solo deals (Lionel Ritchie of The Commodores; Jeffery Osborne of LTD) or their best songwriters (Rod Temperton of Heatwave) to write hits for their other artists.
But those vocal r&b groups never die. They are just a phase that comes and goes in and out of fashion every generation. Just like The Mills Brothers and The Coasters, then the Four Tops, The Supremes and The Temptations, The Three Degrees, The Spinners and The Ojays and Jodeci, En Vogue and Guy in their day. There will always be vocal groups. That genre hasn't died. The members get notoriety, then go solo until another group comes along.
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By: Tracey on 8/06/2011 2:52PM
Damn that was well said! The only thing is early rap doesn't have anything to do with the direction rap has taken in the last decade. I'm 42 and we listened to rap/hiphop back when I was a teenager we was throwing our hands in the air and waving them like we just didn't care. The boys didn't have guns and the girls weren't half naked.
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By: Coreen Fields on 8/01/2011 11:36PM
i AM an African-American who \never did like R&B. I grew up in Philadelphia PA. My musical exposures were to Jazz (the Philly Sound) and Salsa,due to the closeness of Puerto Rico. I still prefer Jazz and Latin Jazz. If R & B was dependant on my support, it would have died a long time ago. I like it as much as I like Country & Western, which I hate!!!
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