 |
| Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel, Howard Hewett 'Classic Shalamar' |
EXCERPT:
By the time this Chicago
singer/songwriter was awarded the 1987 Grammy for “Best New Artist,” she
was a well-established star, having been a vital part of the
top-selling group Shalamar. When your godfather is Jackie Wilson and
you’re one of the most popular dancers on Don Cornelius’ Soul Train, how can you miss?
Well,
certainly it would help if you could sing, too, and Jody Watley proved
that to be another strength. With Shalamar, Watley recorded albums,
three of which climbed into the top 40 of the Billboard Top 200,
all but the first reaching the R&B top 20. Three climbed into the
R&B top 10, 1982’s “Friends” topping the chart. That LP also reached
#6 in the U.K. and its follow-up, “The Look,” ran to #7. Watley left
for a solo career and Shalamar, which also had posted four R&B top
10 singles, including the #1 “The Second Time Around,” continued, but
its success dwindled.
Her 1987 solo debut, “Jody Watley,” ran to the top of the R&B chart and climbed to #10 on Billboard’s Top 200, providing the impetus for her Grammy award. More on the honor:
Here
Goldmine Music is the Music Collector's Magazine since 1974.
