Georgio (singer)

Last updated
Georgio Allentini
Birth nameGeorge Allen
Born1966 (age 5758)
Genres R&B, pop, dance
Years active19871991
Labels Motown (198790)
RCA (1991)

Georgio Allentini, born George Allen (born 1966), better known by the stage name and mononym Georgio, is an American funk and dance music singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in California. Allentini also produced, directed and starred in the film Tapped Out in 2003. [1]

Contents

Music career

Georgio initially attempted to join Paisley Park Records by sending demos to Prince, but this was unsuccessful. He created his own label, Georgio Records, with which he recorded his the track "Sexappeal" (sometimes "Sex Appeal"). [2] "A lot of people in Los Angeles just gave me the run- around and didn't want to make a commitment." Allentini stated. [3]

In 1984, Motown Records showed interest in Allentini and he was eventually signed to the label. [2] Said Motown's then-vice-president of A&R Russ Regan "I heard Sexappeal for myself on my car radio one day and felt it was a record Motown had to go after, but I wanted to meet the artist first. I didn't want to buy just a record. We had dinner and I got excited. There was just something about him." [3]

In 1987, Allentini had several songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100, [2] although none climbed any higher than number 58. He was much more successful on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where he earned four Top 10 hits, including "Tina Cherry" which went to number 1. [4] [5] His 1988 release, "Lover's Lane" reached number 54 in the UK Singles Chart. [6]

Film career

Georgio made the transition to filmmaker with the 2003 release of Tapped Out, which starred Coolio, Alex Avant and Jimmy Bridges. The film was written, co-produced and co-directed by Allentini, who also composed music for its soundtrack. [1]

Allentini also appeared in the 2000 French documentary entitled XX elles with Estelle Desanges, Lisa Guerlain, Dany Verissimo-Petit and others. [7]

Personal life

Allentini was born in Texas in 1966. [8] His mother was a retail salesperson, his father a Naval officer. [9] [10] Georgio moved to Los Angeles at age 17. [9] [10] He is married to actress Kelly Jo Minter.

Discography

Albums

Singles

(Selective)

Filmography

Director

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodores</span> American funk and soul band

Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, is an American funk and soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladys Knight & the Pips</span> American R&B/soul vocal group

Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamont Dozier</span> American singer-songwriter (1941–2022)

Lamont Herbert Dozier was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Heard It Through the Grapevine</span> 1966 song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967. It went to number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and number two on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and shortly became the biggest selling Motown single up to that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money (That's What I Want)</span> 1959 single by Barrett Strong

"Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. Many artists later recorded the tune, including the Beatles in 1963 and the Flying Lizards in 1979.

The Mary Jane Girls were an American girl group formed in 1979, best known for their songs "In My House", "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of "Walk Like a Man". They were protégées of musician Rick James and disbanded in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What's Going On (song)</span> 1971 single by Marvin Gaye

"What's Going On" is a song by American singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye, released in 1971 on the Motown subsidiary Tamla. It is the opening track of Gaye's studio album of the same name. Originally inspired by a police brutality incident witnessed by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, the song was composed by Benson, Al Cleveland, and Gaye and produced by Gaye himself. The song marked Gaye's departure from the Motown Sound towards more personal material. Later topping the Hot Soul Singles chart for five weeks and crossing over to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, it would sell over two million copies, becoming Gaye's second-most successful Motown song to date. It was ranked at number 4 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of all Time in 2004 and 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)</span> 1976 single from the eponymous album

"I Want You" is a song written by Leon Ware and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and performed by American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye. It was released as a single in 1976 on his fourteenth studio album of the same name (1976) on his Tamla label. The song introduced a change in musical styles for Gaye, who before then had been recording songs with a funk edge. "I Want You", among other similar songs, gave him a disco audience. Ware, who produced the song alongside Gaye, also was attributed with the single's success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Dayne</span> American singer (born 1962)

Taylor Dayne is an American singer who rose to fame after her first two albums were both certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Dayne achieved seven US Top 10 singles, including "Tell It to My Heart", "Prove Your Love", "I'll Always Love You", "Don't Rush Me", "With Every Beat of My Heart", "Love Will Lead You Back", and "I'll Be Your Shelter". Dayne also scored the US Top 20 hits "Heart of Stone" and "Can't Get Enough of Your Love". In the United States, she achieved three gold singles and has sold over 75 million albums and singles worldwide. Dayne has received over three Grammy Award nominations, an American Music Award and multiple New York Music Awards. She has also been ranked by both Rolling Stone and Billboard on their lists of the most successful dance artists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want to Take You Higher</span> 1969 single by Sly and the Family Stone

"I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their top 30 hit "Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the Stand! album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; instead, it is simply dedicated to music and the feeling one gets from music. Like nearly all of Sly & the Family Stone's songs, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart was credited as the sole songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Mr. Postman</span> 1961 song by the Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman" and includes a credit for Brian Holland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Ware</span> American singer and songwriter (1940-2017)

Leon Ware was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Maxwell, Minnie Riperton and Marvin Gaye, co-producing the latter's album I Want You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I've Been Loving You Too Long</span> 1965 single by Otis Redding

"I've Been Loving You Too Long" (originally "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)") is a soul music ballad written by Otis Redding and Jerry Butler. Considered by music critics and writers to be one of Redding's finest performances and a soul classic, it is a slow, emotional piece with Redding's pleading vocals backed by producer Steve Cropper's arpeggiated guitar parts and a horn section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marv Johnson</span> American singer and songwriter (1938–1993)

Marvin Earl Johnson was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. He was influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song "Come to Me," which was the first record issued by Tamla Records, the precursor to the famous label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Love Me</span> 1962 single by the Contours

"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Ross discography</span>

The discography of American rhythm and blues singer Diana Ross, the former lead singer of the Supremes, consists of 26 studio albums and 116 singles. Throughout her career, Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked her as the 47th Greatest Artist of all time and the 11th Greatest Hot 100 Female Artist of all time. In 1993, Guinness World Records crowned Ross as the "most successful female artist in music history". Her 11th studio album "Diana" remains the best-selling album of her career, selling more than 10 million copies and album-equivalent units around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Came Today</span> 1968 single by the Supremes

"Forever Came Today" is a 1968 song written and produced by the Motown collective of Holland–Dozier–Holland, and was first made into a hit as a single for Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1968. A disco version of the song was released as a single seven years later by Motown group the Jackson 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Tops</span> American vocal quartet

The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The group's repertoire has incorporated elements of soul, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Lead singer Levi Stubbs, along with backing vocalists Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together in the group for over four decades, performing until 1997 without a change in personnel. Along with fellow Motown groups the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations, and the Supremes, the Four Tops helped to establish the "Motown sound"; pop-friendly soul and R&B with a clean, polished production quality. They were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer, whereas most other male and mixed vocal groups of the time were fronted by tenors.

Tina Cherry is a 1987 dance/soul single by Georgio. The single was his highest entry on the soul singles chart, peaking at number five, yet only reached number ninety-six on the Hot 100. "Tina Cherry" was Georgio's most popular release on the dance charts, reaching the number one spot for one week.

<i>Sex Appeal</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Georgio

Sex Appeal is the debut album from Minneapolis, Minnesota native singer-songwriter Georgio.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tapped Out". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 101. ISBN   0-85112-733-9.
  3. 1 2 [ dead link ]
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 109.
  5. Mixedfolks.com Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 225. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  7. "XX elles". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  8. "Georgio - Biographical Summaries of Notable People - MyHeritage". 20 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  9. 1 2 "Georgio". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  10. 1 2 "His Last $500 Gambled on a Sexy Tape, Princely Georgio Allentini Signs on to Make Millions with Motown". People.com.