Twennynine | |
|---|---|
 Twennynine as pictured on the cover of their 1980 debut album. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Funk, disco, R&B, soul |
| Years active | 1979–1983 |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
Twennynine, also known as Twennynine with Lenny White, was an American R&B band founded in 1979. [1] [2]
Twennynine was founded by jazz fusion drummer Lenny White in 1979 after he left Return to Forever. [3] [4] White formed the band to explore commercial R&B and funk music, and to take a break from the complex jazz rock for which he was known. [5] The group also featured keyboardist Skip Anderson, bassist Barry Johnson, and guitarist Eddie Martinez; while singers Lynn Davis, Carla Vaughn, Joycelyn Smith, and Tanya Willoghby contributed at various times throughout the group's career. [6] [4] They released their debut album Best of Friends on Elektra Records in 1979. The album was co-produced by White and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire. Best of Friends rose to number 15 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and number 54 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. [4] [7] [8] The single " Peanut Butter " reached number three on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and number 83 on the Hot 100 singles chart. [9] [10] The second single "Best of Friends" reached number 47 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. [11]
Their second album Twennynine with Lenny White was released in 1980, with White and Dunn again as producers. The album reached number 22 on Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. [12] [13] The single "Kid Stuff" reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, while "Fancy Dancer" reached number 17 on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart and number 25 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. [14] [15] [16] Twennynine performed on American Bandstand and The Mike Douglas Show in 1980. [6] [17]
Twennynine released their third album Just Like Dreamin' in 1981. The group added guitarist Steve Horton for this album. [18] Just Like Dreamin' reached number 41 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. [19] [20] The singles "Didn't Know About Love (Till I Found You)" and "All I Want" reached numbers 31 and 62, respectively, on the Hot R&B Singles chart. [21] [22] Another single, "My Turn to Love You" reached number 29 on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart. [6] [23] The group split up in 1983, after which Lenny White returned to jazz session work.
| Year | Title | US Pop [24] | US R&B [25] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Best of Friends | 54 | 3 | Elektra |
| 1980 | Twennynine with Lenny White | 106 | 22 | Elektra |
| 1981 | Just Like Dreamin' | 162 | 42 | Elektra |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
