The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in Summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once the producers Gamble & Huff signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with Back Stabbers (1972), and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) operates an awards program based on the certified number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards. Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must first request certification. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns, which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales and other outlets.
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory.
Sade are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. Three members, Paul Anthony Cooke, Stuart Mathewman, and Paul Spencer Denman, are from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Its music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop. All of the band's albums, including compilations and a live album, have charted in the US Top Ten.
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco that was formed in 1993. Since 2024, the band consists of Pat Monahan, Taylor Locke, Hector Maldonado, Jerry Becker, and Matt Musty (drums).
The Emotions are an American soul/R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time.
Kennedy William Gordy, better known by his stage name Rockwell, is an American singer. He is best known for his hit 1984 single "Somebody's Watching Me", which features Michael Jackson on chorus vocals. Gordy is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Other relatives include half-siblings Redfoo, Rhonda Ross Kendrick and half-nephew Sky Blu.
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
Unleash the Dragon is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Sisqó of Dru Hill, released on November 30, 1999, on Def Soul. Sisqó recorded the album during Dru Hill's hiatus. It includes the hit songs "Got to Get It", "Incomplete", and "Thong Song". Previously, Sisqo had been the lead singer of the group Dru Hill. Recorded under Island Records, the group released two multi-platinum albums to date: Dru Hill (1996) and Enter the Dru (1998). In 2003, the album was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies in the United States.
Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul, Live, Foo Fighters, and Silverchair, that emulated the original sound of grunge.
Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are known for their number-one Billboard Hot 100 single, "Want Ads". Honey Cone were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.
Comatose is the sixth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. Released on October 3, 2006, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records, this album continued a similar music style set by the band's 2003 album, Collide, of downplaying the keyboard elements that were prominent in previous releases in favor of distorted guitars, and included more of an emphasis on orchestral elements. Comatose was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 3, 2009, their first album to do so, and has since gone platinum, selling over 1,000,000 copies as of May 20, 2016. A deluxe edition of the album was released on December 26, 2007, and a live DVD of their headlining tour in support of the record was released in fall 2008. Comatose was nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States". RIAA is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Just Gets Better with Time is the sixteenth studio album by American R&B/Soul group The Whispers. It was released on April 9, 1987 via SOLAR Records. This album features their highest charting pop single, "Rock Steady," which peaked inside the top 10 at number 7. The song also reached number 1 on the U.S. R&B chart. The album had four more singles released into the following year. Although none of these additional singles brought further pop success, and the first follow-up single, "Special F/X" only reached the UK charts, the group maintained a strong presence on the R&B charts. The album's title track, "Just Gets Better with Time", reached number 12 and "In The Mood," now a quiet storm radio staple, charted four spots lower at number 16. The fifth and final single, 1988's "No Pain, No Gain" reached a dismal 74 on the R&B chart, while limping to number 81 in the UK.
The Whispers is a studio album by American R&B/soul vocal group the Whispers, released on October 20, 1979, by SOLAR Records. It was the first hit album for the veteran group, peaking at number one on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart, as well as number six on the Billboard Top LPs chart.
Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young is a Grammy-Award winning music producer, mixer, vocal engineer, songwriter, and plugin developer. His work with The Chainsmokers yielded 3 RIAA Diamond Certifications, making them tied for 4th all-time in the artists with the most single certifications, diamond. He came to prominence in 2011 working for Beyoncé as her vocal engineer on the album "4". He was awarded "Secret Genius: Dance" by Spotify in 2018.
Bingo is the fourth studio album by the Whispers. Released in 1974, this would be their final album for Janus Records before they moved over Don Cornelius's Soul Train Records.
Robert Brookins was an American singer, songwriter, producer and musician. A member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire he also worked with artists such as George Duke, Stephanie Mills, Stanley Clarke and The Whispers.
