Who died from En Vogue?
The original lineup of singers for En Vogue were Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones.En Vogue was formed in Oakland, California, in 1989.2 on the US Hot 100 with the single " Hold On", taken from their 1990 debut album Born to Sing.The group's 1992 follow-up album Funky Divas reached the top 10 in both the US and UK, and included their second US number two hit "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)".
In 1996, the group's third and most successful single, "Don't Let Go (Love)", became their sixth number one on the US R&B chart.Robinson left the group shortly before the release of their third album, which reached the US and UK top 10.Jones left the group in 2001.Cole and Rhona Bennett joined the group during the recording of their album.The original members briefly united in 2005.The original members of "En Vogue: 20th Anniversary" got together again in 2009.Robinson and Jones left En Vogue again shortly after the tour, with Bennett rejoining the group.
One of the best female vocal groups of all time, En Vogue has sold more than 30 million records worldwide to date.The group won seven MTV Video Music Awards and three Soul Train Awards.In December 1999, the band was ranked the 19th most successful recording artist of the 1990s.They were the second most successful female group of the 1990s.The group was named the ninth most successful girl group of all time in March of 2015.Two of the group's singles are on the most successful girl group songs of all-time list.[9]
The idea of a modern-day girl group in the tradition of commercially successful female bands was first conceived by Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy when they were working on their 1988 compilation project for Atlantic Records.Foster and McElroy imagined an entertainment unit with interchangeable but not identical parts in which every member would qualify to take the lead vocals on any given number.Their plan was to recruit singers with strong voices, good looks, and intelligence.The final three women to make the cut were Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones.Foster and McElroy decided to create a quartet after hearing about Terry Ellis who was late for his flight from Houston, Texas.After learning that another group had already claimed the Vogue name, they decided to change the band name to En Vogue.There are no comments at this time.
The group started working with their producers on their debut album.The recording ended in December of 1989.On April 3, 1990, Born to Sing was released.The album reached the top of the charts.21 on the chart.3 on the R&B album chart.The first single was released to radio in February 1990 and became a pop hit.2 on the Hot 100 singles chart.1 on both the R&B singles and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.It ended up going to No.In Europe, 5 became a hit."Lies" and "You Don't Have to worry" were the next two singles.The fourth and final single, "Don't Go," was No. 1 on the R&B charts.3 is on the chart.The album was triple Platinum by the RIAA.
" Hold On" has been nominated for aGrammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, as well as a number of other awards.Spike Lee directed a Diet Coke commercial in 1990 that featured En Vogue.
Funky Divas was the second album by En Vogue.The album was the top seller.8 on the charts.1 went multi-Platinum and doubled the take of its predecessor."My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" and "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" were the album's first two singles.The R&B charts have 1 on them."Free Your Mind" went top 10."Give It Up Turn It Loose" and "Love Don't Love You" were both top 40 hits.
The album went on to sell more than five million copies and won an American Music Award.The group won three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Choreography, Best Dance Video, and Best R&B Video for "Free Your Mind".They received the Entertainer of the Year Award.The group was featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and other publications.The hit "Runaway Love" was spawned from the success of Funky Divas, and they were the best group to do it.
Luther Vandross' 1993 "Never Let Me Go" Tour featured the group as an opening act.Several countries were toured, including England, Germany, the Netherlands, and France.Vandross and his team clashed with the members of En Vogue during the tour, and he vowed never to work with them again.
In Living Color, A Different World, Roc and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper were some of the shows that En Vogue appeared on.
Salt-N-Pepa's top 10 hit "Whatta Man" featured En Vogue.The track was slightly edited.
En Vogue was one of many African American female vocalists featured on the song "Freedom" for the soundtrack.While band members Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones went on maternity leave in 1995, Ellis recorded and released a solo album called Southern Gal.The band made a brief appearance in the film.In 1996, En Vogue recorded "Don't Let Go (Love)" for the soundtrack to Set It Off.It became the group's biggest hit of all time, selling over one million copies and becoming certified Platinum by the RIAA.In response to the commercial success of "Don't Let Go (Love)," the group worked on their third studio album.Robinson left the group in march 1997 after contractual negotiations reached a stalemate, as the album was nearing completion.Ellis, Herron, and Jones continued as a trio despite Robinson's departure.[17]
Robinson's abrupt departure from En Vogue forced the remaining trio to re-record several of her original lead vocals.En Vogue's first project included credits from Babyface, David Foster, Diane Warren, and Ivan Matias along with regular contributors Foster and McElroy.EV3 received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom praised the band's vocal performances but were critical with the overall production of the album.It sold 76,500 units in its first week in the U.S., making it the band's highest first-week sales."Wherever" and "Too Gone, Too Long" entered the top 20 and 40 of the Hot 100, respectively.[18]
The soundtrack to Why Do Fools Fall in Love was recorded in 1998 by En Vogue.The band's first album Best of En Vogue was released in June 1999 and included a top 40 entry on the New Zealand Singles Chart.The album reached the top 40 in Austria and the United Kingdom.
Masterpiece Theatre was the group's fourth studio album.The trio worked with their creators on the album who used classical music and traditional pop music to create the songs.The album received a mixed reception from critics, who were divided by its overall sound, and became a commercial disappointment, reaching number 33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.While Masterpiece Theatre and "Riddle" did better in international territories, its poor performance resulted in the release of no further singles from the album and the band was soon dropped.[19]
Jones left the group in 2001 because she wanted to spend more time with her daughter.With Ellis and Herron wanting to continue performing En Vogue, singer-songwriter Amanda Cole joined as a performing member after submitting a demo.Four original songs and eight cover versions of Christmas standards and carols were written by Ellis, Herron, and Cole for a holiday album.It was released through Discretion Records.In December 2002, the trio gave a concert at the Alabama State Fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama recorded and released, along with bonus footage, on a DVD and live album through Charly Records.Cole, who felt increasingly limited vocally and creatively, decided to leave the band in favor of a solo career soon after, with singer and actress Rhona Bennett joined.[21]
The trio began work on their sixth album with Bennett.It was produced by Ellis and Herron, as well as Foster and McElory's 33rd Street Records, and distributed through an outside deal with Bayside Entertainment.Despite mixed reviews from critics, the album reached number 47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 15 in the Independent Albums charts."Ooh Boy" and "Losin' My Mind" reached the top 40 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.During the last three months of 2004, En Vogue traveled to Europe, with Jones rejoining the group to fill the place of Herron, who went on maternity leave.The Ellis/Bennett/Jones incarnation of the group performed at the event.Along with several others.Kelly Clarkson joined them for a performance of "Free Your Mind".[25]
In 2005, Herron, Robinson, and Bennett rejoined En Vogue.The original four signed with one of the industry's largest management firms, the Firm Management Group, and began soliciting material for a new studio album which was expected to be released through Los Angeles-based Movemakers and Funkigirl Records.The band joined Salt-N-Pepa for their first joint public performance of their 1994 single "Whatta Man" in September.The quartet collaborated with Stevie Wonder and Prince on the backing vocals and music video for "So What the Fuss" from Wonder's 2005 A Time to Love album.[28]
After failing to agree on business terms, Robinson once again defected from En Vogue, and Bennett returned to complete the quartet.En Vogue was let go from the Firm and an album full of new original material did not come to fruition.En Vogue performed with Ellis, Herron, Jones, and Bennett on selected spot dates in North America, Europe and Japan.They collaborated with Natalia Druyts on a reworked version of her song "Glamorous" which featured lead vocals by Bennett.It reached number two on the Ultratop 50 of the Flemish region of Belgium and was the second single from the third studio-album Everything and More.There was a concert series at the Sportpaleis.[29]
The original lineup of En Vogue performed a tribute to girl groups of the 1990s at the BET Awards.The media said their performance was one of the evening's highlights, and they talked about being united on a permanent basis.In August, after performing during selected spot dates, the original members announced their reformation for their 20th Anniversary World Tour which coincides with the release of their debut album Born to Sing (1990) and led them to tour North America, Europe and Japan.In 2009, En Vogue, John Legend, and Ne-Yo performed at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.30
In 2010, Herron, Ellis, and Jones signed with René Moore's Rufftown Records in a deal that included two albums and a tour.While the trio finished several songs for a new album, including promotional single "I'll Cry Later" which was sent to select urban adult contemporary radio stations, Jones left the band once more.Jones and Robinson announced in August of 2012 that they would record a group album together.Jones and Robinson added a singer to their lineup while Herron and Ellis continued to tour as En Vogue along with a rejoined Bennett.Robinson joined the cast of the TV One reality show R&B Divas: Los Angeles after she decided not to start a new group with her former band member.En Vogue to the Max is the new lineup of singers that Jones began touring with.Jones lost the right to use the En Vogue name after Herron and Ellis filed a lawsuit against her for unauthorized use of the name.A new version of the En Vogue hit 'Don't Let Go (Love)' with Greg Gould topped the charts and reached over 20 million views, while Jones went solo and began recording her own original material.[42]
Bennett, Ellis, and Herron signed a new contract with Pyramid Records and began work on the album Electric Café.In November, the trio appeared on the Lifetime holiday film An En Vogue Christmas in which they played fictional versions of themselves, performing a benefit concert to save the nightclub where they got their start.En Vogue's hit singles as well as two new tracks and a rendition of "O Holy Night" were included in the original movie.In February 2015, Rufftown sued Ellis and Herron for over US $300 million, claiming the duo violated an exclusive recording contract by signing with Pyramid.It resulted in the release of the extended play Rufftown Presents En Vogue in April 2015, which contained four songs recorded during their time with the band.[45]