SWV is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) George, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here ", "I'm So into You", and "You're the One". The group disbanded in 1998 to pursue solo projects and reunited in 2005. SWV has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most intensively with Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson and John T. Benson, who formed the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records, creating house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, RiverSong, StarSong, Power Discs and Home Sweet Home. In the 1970s, Impact became the top label with artists such as New Dawn, the Imperials, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet, the Rambos, Dottie Rambo, the Archers, the Bill Gaither Trio, the Speer Family and Sandi Patty.
Yolanda Yvette Adams is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards and sixteen Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.
Chantay Savage is an American R&B/dance singer. She experienced some success in the 1990s on various Billboard singles charts, one of which was "I Will Survive", a reworking of the Gloria Gaynor hit song.
"Not Tonight" is a song performed by the American rapper Lil' Kim featuring Jermaine Dupri for her debut studio album Hard Core (1996). A remix was released the following year featuring female rappers Da Brat, Missy "Misdeameanor" Elliott, Angie Martinez, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. It was released on June 24, 1997, by Atlantic Records.
Thomas Anthony Whitfield was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, choir director and producer best known for helping to shape the fabric of contemporary gospel music with his elaborate choral arrangements and the merging of musical styles ranging from jazz to classical into traditional gospel foundations. This style earned him the respectable title of "Maestro" by many of his colleagues and supporters. He was best known for organizing one of the popular contemporary gospel choirs of all time, the Thomas Whitfield Company, and for producing best-selling records for Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Douglas Miller, Keith Pringle, Paul Morton and for Aretha Franklin.
Tribute Records is an American gospel music record label established in 1990. The label was co-founded by jazz musician and former pro basketball player Ben Tankard and George King. King owned Nashville based Diadem Music Group which produced Contemporary Christian music. Diadem's signature artist Bob Carlisle is best known for his hit song "Butterfly Kisses". Tribute became the urban contemporary gospel division of Diadem and home to several gospel music stars, most notably Tankard, Yolanda Adams, Twinkie Clark of The Clark Sisters and others. Tankard was executive producer and music producer on most of the early Tribute releases and his vision was to develop artists and pioneer a new smooth genre of music he coined as "gospeljazz". He featured Yolanda Adam's jazzy vocals on the album and concept video single " You Bring Out The Best In Me " on his 1994 release "Play Me In Your Key". The jazzy collaborations of Tankard and Adams produced major crossover success and brought the name of Tribute Records to the forefront. Office Depot produced a gospel style " Taking Care Of Business " commercial national ad campaign that was centered on Tribute Records, Tankard, and Adams and ran from 1994-1996.
Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble, better known by her stage name Coko, is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of the R&B vocal trio Sisters With Voices (SWV). Aside from her R&B career, Gamble also has a solo gospel career. As a member of SWV, Coko has sold 10 million records in the US, and 25 million records worldwide, and is a four-time Grammy Award nominee.
Light Records is a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael, as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records. It is a subsidiary of the MNRK Music Group.
I Apologize, while credited to Ginuwine, is not an official release but has acceptance to his catalog. It peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Mountain High... Valley Low is the sixth studio album by American singer Yolanda Adams. It was released by Elektra Records on September 3, 1999, in the United States. The album stands as Adams's best-selling to date, having sold more than 2,374,000 copies and being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
Kendrick Jevon Dean is an American record producer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He has produced or written for 7 GRAMMY Nominated albums to date. Some of his hits include Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye", Mariah Carey's "I Stay In Love" and Trey Songz "Last Time". Kendrick began his music career in 2004 when he was first credited as a producer on mega group Destiny's Child final album Destiny Fulfilled. A former high school history teacher, and University of Florida graduate; Dean used his classical, jazz and gospel music background to make a seemingly seamless transition into the music business. Dean is often incorrectly credited for compositions from Swizz Beatz, both of which being credited as "K. Dean". He is a member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity.
"Rain" is a 1998 single released by the group SWV. The musical backing track is based on Jaco Pastorius's "Portrait of Tracy". Released as the fourth and final single from the group's third album Release Some Tension, the song peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 7 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Singer and actor Tyrese Gibson appeared in the song's 1998 music video, directed by Darren Grant, and would later sing the hook on rapper Chingy's 2006 hit song "Pullin' Me Back", which samples "Rain".
"Right Here" is the debut single of American R&B girl group SWV, released on August 20, 1992, as the lead single from their debut album, It's About Time (1992). A remixed version, referred to as "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" and based around a feature of Michael Jackson's 1982 song "Human Nature", was released in July 1993, and charted on the US Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". This version became a number-one R&B single, selling 1,000,000 copies and earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Gentry McCreary Sr. is a gospel music executive who has blazed a path for legions of Gospel music artists during his decades-long career. He's most noted as the First African-American Executive to be employed by Word Records, Light Records and Benson Records. With a 45-year industry and award-winning track record, McCreary's achievements also include the development of his own labels, Luminar and Onyx International Records.
"Searchin'" is a 1993 song by the musician CeCe Peniston, taken from her second solo album Thought 'Ya Knew on A&M Records.
"Inside That I Cried" is a song by American singer CeCe Peniston, released as the fifth and last single from her debut album, Finally (1992), on A&M Records. The single release includes "Hitmix", a medley of her songs "Finally", "We Got a Love Thang", "Keep On Walkin'", "Lifeline" and "It Should Have Been You", all taken from the album. "Inside That I Cried" reached the top 10 of the American Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart and peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.
Hot Coko is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Coko. It was released by RCA Records on August 10, 1999. Hot Coko served as the singer's debut effort following the release of her band SWV's third album Release Some Tension (1997), which led towards the group's first disbandment in 1998. Guest appearances on the album are made by rapper Eve and singer Tyrese. Hot Coko features production from the likes of Damon Thomas, Rodney Jerkins, Marc Anthony, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Brian Alexander Morgan, whom Coko worked with while a member of SWV earlier in the decade.
Kenneth "Kenny O" Ortiz is an American Grammy-nominated record executive, A&R, manager, consultant, radio and street promotion. As the CEO of World Trade Entertainment his efforts have resulted in 175 million records sold. Hits and acts Ortiz has been a part of, have been instrumental in the careers and successes of Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, SWV, Ne-Yo, Jazmine Sullivan, Missy Elliott, Timbaland. The 2019 Jordan Peele movie Us, features I Got 5 On It by The Luniz featuring Mike Marshall produced by Tone Capone whom he manages.
