Shai (band)

Last updated
Shai
Origin Washington, D.C., United States
Genres R&B
Years active1991–present
LabelsGasoline Alley/MCA (1991–1996)
Big Play (1998–1999)
Shai Music (2003–2004)
9 World Wide (2007–2008)
Fight 4 Mu (ALIVE) (2008–present)
MembersDarnell Van Rensalier
Garfield A. Bright
Carl Martin
Marc Gay
Erik Willis (came later, replaced Carl Martin)

Shai (pronounced "shy") is an American vocal R&B/soul quartet that rose to prominence in the 1990s. [1] The group met and formed on the campus of Howard University and was influenced by the vocal stylings of other popular harmonizing bands of the day, including Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Color Me Badd. [2]

Contents

Their most successful hit was "If I Ever Fall in Love," which reached No 1. on the R&B chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

History

Early beginnings and formation

Shai (a Swahili word meaning "personification of destiny") was formed on the campus of Howard University. [3] In 1990, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brothers, Marc Gay, Carl Martin, and Darnell Van Rensalier invited fellow Howard University student Garfield Bright to join their a capella group after two other founding members departed. [2] None of the members had professional singing experience and mostly performed in and around campus for fun, according to Gay. [2]

The group came together seriously after winning a Howard University talent show. From there, they decided to pursue a record deal in New York City but did not receive any offers. Martin later gave Paco Lopez, a local deejay at WPGC radio in Washington, a demo cassette copy of "If I Ever Fall in Love," and he began promoting the single on the air. [4] In September 1992, the group signed with Gasoline Alley/MCA Records and released their debut album later that year. [2]

1992-1993: If I Ever Fall In Love and Right Back at Cha

Shai released "If I Ever Fall in Love" as the first single from the debut album of the same title, [5] which peaked at No. 2 in the U.S. and sold over two million copies. [6] [4] The next two releases from the platinum album, "Comforter" and "Baby I'm Yours", [7] each peaked at No. 10 in the U.S.

At the insistence of the group members, the video for "Baby I'm Yours" was shot on the Howard University campus. The female love interests, including future television host and model Ananda Lewis, and many of the extras were actual Howard students.

The group's next album release was Right Back at Cha , [8] a remix album that largely consisted of new versions of their previous hits and a couple of new songs. A completely reworked version of their previous hit, "Baby I'm Yours," simply titled "Yours," was released as a single (US No. 63).

In 1993, the group won an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding New Artist), and they performed at Bill Clinton's inauguration along with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, and Diana Ross, among others. [9] Additionally, Shai appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show.

1994-2001

At the beginning of 1994, Shai made a guest appearance on the sitcom "Family Matters" in the episode, "Good Cop, Bad Cop", in a dream sequence.

The group released "The Place Where You Belong," from the Beverly Hills Cop III soundtrack. It was the group's final Top 40 single (No. 32 R&B). In late 1995, their follow-up album Blackface was released [10] (No. 42 Pop & No. 15 R&B). It featured their final R&B Top 20 single "Come with Me" (US No. 43). The 1996 remix, "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" (featuring Jay-Z), peaked at No. 89 in the U.S. [11] It was inspired by Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth."[ citation needed ]

"Song For You" by Rick Braun, featuring Shai, peaked at No. 39 on the R&B chart in 2001. [12]

Discography

[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

Albums and EPs

Compilations

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US
[18] 		US
R&B/HH
[19] 		AUS
[20] 		BEL
(FL)
[21] 		GER
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		NZ
[24] 		UK
[25]
"If I Ever Fall in Love"1992214214711536 ...If I Ever Fall in Love
"Comforter"1993104————24—
"Baby I'm Yours"101670———40—
"Together Forever"—89——————
"Yours"6356——————
"The Place Where You Belong"19943421—————— Beverly Hills Cop III
"Come with Me"1995431591———25—Blackface
"I Don't Wanna Be Alone"8951————27—
"Destiny" (promo only)1998————————Destiny
"He's Doing You Wrong" (promo only)————————
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chanté Moore</span> Musical artist

Chanté Torrane Moore is an American singer-songwriter, television personality, and author. Rising to fame in the early 1990s, Moore established herself as an R&B singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Sunshine</span> 1971 single by Bill Withers

"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers, from his 1971 debut album Just As I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arrangements were done by Booker T. Jones. The song was recorded in Los Angeles, with overdubs in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When I Fall in Love</span> Song from One Minute to Zero

"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leela James</span> American singer-songwriter from California

Alechia Janeice Campbell known professionally as Leela James, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California.

<i>Hormonally Yours</i> 1992 studio album by Shakespears Sister

Hormonally Yours is the second studio album by British pop-rock act Shakespears Sister, released on 17 February 1992 by London Records. The album went on to become a critical and commercial success, and is their best-selling album to date. Hormonally Yours peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum by the BPI, spending 55 weeks on the chart. The album spawned five singles, three of which reached the UK top 20. The album's second single, "Stay" became the group's best-selling single, topping the UK Singles Chart for eight consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100.

H-Town is an American R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, United States. H-Town was founded in 1990 by brothers Keven "Dino" Conner, Solomon "Shazam" Conner and their friend Darryl "G.I." Jackson. H-Town recorded three hits during the early to mid–1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miki Howard</span> American singer (born 1960)

Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B singer who had top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including "Baby, Be Mine" (1987), "Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under New Management" (1990). "Ain't Nobody Like You" (1992) and "Ain't Nuthin' in the World" (1989) both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Singles chart.

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

American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Ever Fall in Love</span> 1992 single by Shai

"If I Ever Fall in Love" is the debut single by American R&B-soul quartet Shai, released by Gasoline Alley and MCA in September 1992 from their debut album of the same name (1992). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1992 and peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart. It spent eight weeks at number two on the Hot 100, which at the time was the second-most number of weeks that a song held the position without topping the chart, behind Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You". The song was also their only top-40 hit in the UK, peaking at number 36.

<i>...If I Ever Fall in Love</i> 1992 studio album by Shai

...If I Ever Fall in Love is the debut album of American R&B group Shai, released December 22, 1992, on MCA Records. It was produced by group members Carl "Groove" Martin and Darnell Van Rensalier.

<i>Blackface</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Shai

Blackface is a studio album by the R&B group Shai. It was produced by Shai; the group spent nine months working on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Williams discography</span>

Vanessa Williams is an American actress and singer. In 1988, Williams released her debut album, The Right Stuff. The first single, "The Right Stuff", found success on the R&B chart, while the second single, "He's Got the Look", found similar success on the same chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status in the US and earned her an NAACP Image Award and three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)</span> 1972 single by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway

"Where Is the Love" is a popular song written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, and recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Released in 1972 from their album, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and spent a week each at number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 58 song for 1972. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Franklin discography</span>

This is the discography of American gospel artist Kirk Franklin. In total, Franklin has won fifteen Grammy Awards, thirteen Dove Awards and twenty-eight Stellar Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Fiona</span> Canadian singer and songwriter from Ontario

Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She began her career in 2002 as part of a Canadian R&B trio X-Quisite, who was nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for their self-titled album (2004). She went on to form the duo The Renaissance with hometown native Drake, although they released no albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Cole discography</span>

American rapper J. Cole has released six studio albums, one live album, four compilation albums, three extended plays, four mixtapes, 58 singles, two promotional singles and twenty one music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendrick Lamar discography</span>

American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released five studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), five mixtapes, 71 singles, and five promotional singles. Lamar initially performed under the stage name K.Dot, releasing three mixtapes under that moniker: Y.H.N.I.C. (2004), Training Day (2005), and C4 (2009). He gained major attention after the release of his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated, which was released in 2010. It was Lamar's first full-length project to be released under his birth name and fared well enough to enter the United States Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it peaked at number 72.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comforter (song)</span> 1993 single by Shai

"Comforter" is a song by Shai, issued as the second single from their debut studio album ...If I Ever Fall in Love. The song was written by group members Carl Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier and Marc Gay, with Martin also handling production. The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold on July 28, 1993 for sales of 500,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Sheep (group)</span> American hip hop group

Black Sheep is an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York, United States, composed of Andres "Dres" Vargas Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. The duo was from New York but met as teenagers in Sanford, North Carolina, where both of their families relocated. The group was part of the Native Tongues collective, which included the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. After getting together in 1989, Black Sheep debuted in 1991 with the hit song "Flavor of the Month" and later released its first album, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, which gained them praise and recognition in the hip-hop community for the album's unique rhythms and intelligent, often humorous lyrics. After six years together, Black Sheep disbanded in 1995, citing creative differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just as I Am (Rob Hegel song)</span> 1982 single by Rob Hegel

"Just as I Am" is a song by American singer-songwriter Rob Hegel. It was co-written with Dick Wagner, and was released as a single in 1982. The song was covered three years later by English-Australian soft rock duo Air Supply from their eighth studio album, Air Supply.

References

  1. ↑ "Shai Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic .
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hunt, Dennis (1993-01-24). "SHAI : R&B; Students' Homework Pays Off". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. ↑ By (1993-06-21). "SHAI REVIVES, REVISES A CAPPELLA HARMONIES OF '60S". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  4. 1 2 "VIDEO GIRLS? NOT AT SHAI'S CASTING CALL". Washington Post. 2024-03-02. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. ↑ "If I Ever Fall in Love by Shai".
  6. ↑ "Shai on Apple Music".
  7. ↑ "Baby I'm Yours". Spotify . January 1992.
  8. ↑ "Right Back at Cha - Shai | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  9. ↑ "NAACP Image Award winners - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  10. ↑ "Blackface - Shai | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  11. ↑ "I Don't Wanna be Alone - Shai | Releases | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  12. ↑ "Shai". Billboard .
  13. ↑ "Shai Albums and Discography". AllMusic .
  14. ↑ "Shai Best Songs List: Top, New, & Old". AllMusic .
  15. ↑ "Shai". Billboard .
  16. ↑ "SHAI | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  17. ↑ "Shai records and CDS".
  18. ↑ "Shai - US Hot 100". billboard.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Shai - US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  20. ↑ Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  21. ↑ "Shai - Belgian Chart". ultratop.be. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Shai - German Chart". officialcharts.de. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Shai - Dutch chart". dutchcharts.nl. 20 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Shai - New Zealand Chart". charts.nz. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Shai - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "NAACP Image Award winners - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  27. ↑ Valentine, Don. "Shai High". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.