Who Am I (Urban Edition)

[620 Soul Train]

Still the ones that made the Pop listings. I used to be a lead singer for a British dance group and I had one majour club hit here in the US and did not hit the top forty with this band. I had one top ten hit in the UK as a guest vocalist for one of biggest UK remixing teams in the land before I finally started to invade the US Urban radio scene and had only one US top ten hit. Who Am I?

[620 Soul Train]

I'll be laser specific, but I won't give it away. I am now 37 years old and still looking for a hit even in my homeland. Three years ago one my new singles flopped badly. Many compared me to a legend that recently passed away this year, well the style anyway. I also had a string of Urban top 10 hits while I had only one top ten pop hit. BTW three of my songs hit number one on the BB R&B charts.

[Ragin]

Arrggh. I don't pay that much attention to urban. I was thinking Craig David, but I think he had more success than that on pop and I don't even know if he's considered urban.

[620 Soul Train]

I am going to make this a thread without the parts. For the record I will ask the ones that at least made the Top 40 Pop Singles/Tracks chart. Here is another clue. (I should have at least given you the year, duh).

My impact year was 1990, though I hit number one in my own country months before I finally had my first majour US hit both Pop and Urban.

[Ragin]

Calloway?

[620 Soul Train]

c670769 said:

Calloway?

Uh, no. They are a duo, and they are from the US. I'm from jolly ole England, and I have a Greatest Hits collection in my own country as well. I wish that one of my favourite singers was still alive. That voice of his was mezmerising to many. They say my style in my very first hit was simular and a couple radio stations did a custom radio version of my hit with his spoken voice. Believe me people I still some soul for a white gal!

[mst3k]

I'm guessing Lisa Stansfield (still amazes me how a white girl could have such a soulful voice). :)

[ClassicCase]

I was thinking the same thing because Lisa was part of this group called Coldcut in the late 80s.

[620 Soul Train]

Yeah! Both of you are sooooo right. She was in a group called Blue Zone and they had a club hit titled "Jackie" and missed the Pop top 40. However she was a featured artist with Coldcut on the big hit "People Hold On". Coldcut are simular to Soul II Soul, not the sound but the formation as producer artists. My new question is coming up soon!

[620 Soul Train]

This one should be pretty easy.

I am going to be 40 years old next year. Wow, it seems like yesterday when my TV series finally went off the air in the early 90s. I have made other cameo appearances just as well on other hit TV series including prime time. My two hits were pretty sizable on Urban radio, however it was not until my third and final single from my one and only album just barely made the top 40 charts. Notice when you listen to my one and only pop you can hear a cameo appearance from a singer who has hit number one the pop charts as solo artist but not on the Urban charts whatsever. Let's focus on me, though, I think my acting career was much more successful than my singing career, don't get me wrong, I do have a voice. Yes - I am a Pop One Hit Wonder - Gee, I was reminded of that on TV over a year ago.

[JCMF3]

Is this Tatyana Ali??

[620 Soul Train]

JCMF3 said:

Is this Tatyana Ali??

Uh, no. Goodness, she's probably learned some acting stuff from me. She's not even close to my age. C'mon some of you thought i was the hottest thing since a loaf bread! You know when I married this person (on the TV series), some of you probably wished that it was you that was the groom.

[JCMF3]

LOL! I missed the "I'm 40 years old"!

Wow, this one is a tough one. My other guess is... Jasmine Guy?

[620 Soul Train]

JCMF3 said:

LOL! I missed the "I'm 40 years old"!

Wow, this one is a tough one. My other guess is... Jasmine Guy?

You are absolutely....uh..RIGHT! The only hit that I had in 1991 before "A Different World" finally ended was "Just Want To Hold You" and James Ingram gave me a little help with some of his vocals.

[620 Soul Train]

Ladies & Gentlemen this one should be realitively easy, well if you really love Urban music as well.

I was born in South Africa and I now live in London. You know I was on the same label as those silly boybands are on now. Today, I am on a totally different independent label. I am most respected for my jazzy guitar work but I can also carry a tune. I only had one top thirty pop hit during the mid 80s. One other thing, some compare me to another great jazz/singer who goes back into the 1970s.

[mst3k]

Sounds to me like Jonathan Butler! :)

[620 Soul Train]

mst3k1 said:

Sounds to me like Jonathan Butler! :)

That sounds..rrrrrrright to me! As a matter of fact it is! He is often compared to George Benson.

[620 Soul Train]

New Question: If you have follow Urban music, this one's for you, if not, still give it a go anyhow, you may be surprised.

We are now defunkt. You see all three of us are from the United Kingdom. Our first three singles missed the top 40 on the UK charts (if you listen to our "best of/greatest" hits CD only released in the UK, you can see why). It was not until 1985 when we finally cracked the UK top 20 with our worldwide smash. Over there in the States we came to close to having a top 40 hit, yet we had our first big R&B hit at the same time.

[620 Soul Train]

Hint: The groups name is the title one of the 1970s rock guitar legends album.

[mst3k]

All I can think of is Loose Ends. ???

[620 Soul Train]

Yep! They have been through some personell changes since 1990. They developed a totally different sound and some were just not having so eventually Loose Ends was no more. You see Steve Nichols and Jane Eugene left because of some differences within the group, it was then Carl McIntosh added three brand new members and recorded the final under the bands name, "Look How Long" which sold moderately reaching number 28 on the R&B Albums Chart. I personally own the copy of that album, and I believe it's one of their best. However it all of their success worldwide was due to their first hit "Hangin On A String".



Next question this time it will be a cut:


In the early 80s I had a total of 12 songs that charted on the R&B charts. I had one big hit (according to Billboard) in 1982. I must give you the year or you may not ever get this. During that same year I teamed up with a popular female blues singer who had a big year in 1971, she did a cameo appearence on this song towards the end of the song (after the climax), she's not singing, man, she is a talking, could you blame her? In the song I was being unfaithful. This song did not chart, but it received tons of airplay as an album cut during that same year that I have had my biggest charting single. What "cut" is this?

[620 Soul Train]

Hint: I am having an affair with another woman, and I wanna leave but I'm stuck. You know my old lady is sort of taking care of me, well, not anymore after this stunt.

[620 Soul Train]

Another hint:

The performer of this song died nearly four years ago. The song is from his self-titled album released during that same period 1981-82, however released as a "promo-only" single like a number of other R&B songs have been in the past on some occasions or another.

[620 Soul Train]

Hint: Many people believed that it was Shirley Brown that made that cameo appearence, but actually it was..sorry can't give that away. The performer of this song had only one number one song on the R&B charts. He had one more sizeable hit in 1987 and it was remake of song from a singer who originally recorded the song in 1966.

[620 Soul Train]

No one's has it yet? :o Wow.

Another hint: a line from this song goes like this

Well well well what have we here spoken lyrics...

[620 Soul Train]

No has it yet, obviously, this game is not in at the moment, so I will give you the answer that I may use for my next topic.


It was in 1981 when Urban played this song as an LP cut only apparently to get the singer by the name of Richard "Dimples" Fields from his 1981 LP simply entitled "Dimples". It generated a couple of minour singles "Earth Angel" & "I've Got Learn To Say No". The song that is most remembered from the album without being commercailly available for as single is "She's Got Papers" featuring blues singer Betty Wright. Unfortunately on January 15, 2000 Mr. Dimples passed away.