Girl groups are back! '90s style - Black female musical groups

Ebony, Sept, 1990

GIRL GROUPS ARE BACK! '90s Style

Talented female vocalists are once again adding glamour and soul to the music scene

MORE than three decades ago, a quartet of cooing female vocalists, known as the Marvelettes, put soulful girl groups on the record charts with a bouncy hit entitled "Please, Mr. Postman." The Supremes followed suit, releasing such No. 1 hits as "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Stop, In The Name of Love." Today, hit-making girl groups are blossoming once more--minus the bouffant hairdos, beaded gowns, and spike heels that were the rage back then, but with the same sophistication, pizzazz, glamour and irrepressible talent that carved success for their sisters of the '60s.

In the '90s, good looks, boundless energy and titillating dance moves have all become requisites for making your musical mark, thanks to the advent of the music video. It also helps if you can actually sing, which is definitely the case with the young ladies featured here. En Vogue, a quartet based in Oakland, Calif., has released a debut LP, Born To Sing, whose title only hints at the magnitude of talent contained within. A couple of years ago, a trio of dancers-turned-singers from Los Angeles, known as The Good Girls, brought a wholesome image to the music scene and a debut LP, All For Your Love. Silk Tymes Leather, rappers from the Atlanta area, took their musical genre in a more feminine direction when they debuted in skirts and heels, with It Ain't Where Ya From . . . It's Where Ya At. Rhythm and blues and rap are not the only music areas that are birthing girl groups. The girls are banding together to sing good gospel, as well, and Witness, from Detroit, has a third LP, We Can Make A Difference, as proof.

Even members of girl groups who have been together for a second or third LP say that being a part of a singing group has meant support and team work, with little time or room for jealousy or competitiveness. And it's the contention of most members of these talented cadres that there will be more groups of girl singers in the future. "As long as you have a good group and you can present and you have talent, there is room for everybody," maintains Vicki Lynne Jordan (Silk), of Silk Tymes Leather. "You do have to have your own style and something different to offer in order to stay, though."

PHOTO : En Vogue, one of the fastest-rising female musical groups, abounds with talent. Dawn

PHOTO : Robinson, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones (l. to r.) all sing lead, each with

PHOTO : her own strong, rich vocal quality. The young ladies came together at an audition held by

PHOTO : producers Denzil Foster and Tommy McElroy two years ago. As the title of their debut LP,

PHOTO : Born To Sing, denotes, members of the group (all under age 25) have been polishing their

PHOTO : craft for a long time. "En Vogue means more than just in step with fashion," explains

PHOTO : Ellis. "It means being an African-American woman who projects a positive image."

PHOTO : Elegance and glamour are the ingredients that Shades Of Lace has used to hypnotize music

PHOTO : fans, to say nothing of the group's harmonious vocal talent. Washington, D.C., natives,

PHOTO : Vivian Ross, Kathy Merrick and Lisa Frazier have two LPs to their credit--a self-titled

PHOTO : one and the latest, A Little Bit More. Like most successful groups today, Shades of Lace

PHOTO : delivers variety of sound--from soft, flowing ballads to hip-hop with an edge. When

PHOTO : inevitable comparisons to the Supremes come up, group members say that's fine, but that

PHOTO : they plan to reach the pinnacle of success together--as one.

PHOTO : Image plays a key part in today's video-oriented music industry, and The Good Girls is one

PHOTO : group that decided to project a sweet and wholesome one. The young trio from Los Angeles

PHOTO : met while performing at dance spots around town. After landing as regulars on Soul Train,

PHOTO : they decided to try their hand at singing. It wasn't long before Joyce Tolbert, DeMonica

PHOTO : Santiago and Shireen Crutchfield had signed with Motown and were being billed as, you

PHOTO : guessed it, the Supremes of the '90s. Their self-titled debut LP offers, among many

PHOTO : pleasing cuts, a good rendition of "Love Is Like An itchin' In My Heart."

PHOTO : Witness, from Detroit, is living proof that soul and rap are not the only music forms that

PHOTO : are bringing girl groups together again. The gospel singers' strong vocal harmony and

PHOTO : contemporary musical tracks, exhibited on their current LP, We Can Make A Difference, draw

PHOTO : old and young listeners alike. Yolanda Harris, Diane Campbell, Lisa Page and Tina Brooks

PHOTO : work as hard as any other vocalists, but view their profession as a mission. According to

PHOTO : Brooks, group founder, there is support and strength in numbers. "I've talked to solo

PHOTO : artists, and I'm so glad I'm in a group," she says. "It's easier to get hyped up for a

PHOTO : show and there is always somebody there to encourage you."

PHOTO : Silk Tymes Leather (left) are Atlanta-area rappers who are carving a musical niche in the