Jody Watley
(born January 30, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records.
Watley has sold over twenty million albums and singles worldwide. [1] Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with ten nominations. In 1987, she won the Grammy Award for "Best New Artist." [2] In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard Magazine, and was also prominently featured [3] in an historic issue of Vogue Italia
.
Jody Watley ranks as the #144 most successful R&B artist of all time, according to Billboard
magazine.
|
JODY WATLEY TICKETS
|
Early career: Soul Train
and Shalamar (1977–1984)
Influenced by
Diana Ross,
[4] Watley got her start on the TV show
Soul Train
at the age of 14. Documented by
Ebony
magazine in 1977 as a part of "The New Generation," Jody Watley was one of the most popular on the show and recognized as a trendsetter.
[5]
From 1977 to 1984, she was a member of the
R&B group
Shalamar with
Howard Hewett and
Jeffrey Daniel.
[6] Shalamar released a
platinum-selling album,
Friends
, and the #1 R&B single
The Second Time Around
. After several reported conflicts in the group and disagreement with Solar Records, Watley abruptly quit the group in 1984.
[7]
Post-Shalamar, Jody recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae child pop stars
Musical Youth [8] for their
Different Style
album. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became
Art of Noise). A brief stint with
Phonogram Records yielded two of the demo's as 12" promo recordings,
Where the Boys Are
and ''Girls Night Out'.
Most notably during this era, she took part in
Bob Geldof's historic
Band Aid.
Solo career, debut album
In late 1986, MCA released the first single, "
Looking for a New Love", from her debut album.
[9] She co-wrote that single and most of the material on her debut album,
Jody Watley
, which was released in March 1987 on
MCA Records. "Looking for a New Love" stayed at #2 on the
Billboard's Hot 100 Single chart for four weeks and sold over 750,000 copies in the U.S.
[10] The album peaked at #10 on
The Billboard 200, and topped the Billboard Hot R&B Albums Chart at #1.
[11] The album, which also included a duet with
George Michael, produced four more hits: "Don't You Want Me" (#6), "Still a Thrill" (#56), "Some Kind of Lover" (#10) and "Most of All" (#60).
Jody Watley had the honor of performing a duet with one of her musical influences,
Stevie Wonder, for his
MTV Special
Characters Gathering
.
[12]
At the 30th Annual
Grammy Awards, Watley was named
Best New Artist and was nominated for
Grammy Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year (1988), she was also nominated for four
MTV Video Music Awards and three
Soul Train Awards, including
Album of the Year and
Single of the Year.
Larger Than Life (1989)
In the spring of 1989, Watley released her second album,
Larger than Life
. The album sold over four million copies worldwide and hit the Top 5 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in America. The first single release, "
Real Love" , reached #1 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, the
Single Sales chart, and the
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, while reaching #2 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single went
gold, selling over 500,000 copies. The album contained two more Top 10 Pop, Dance and R&B hits: "Friends" (featuring
Eric B. & Rakim) and the ballad "Everything," which peaked at #11 on the
Adult Contemporary chart, #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The albums final single, "Precious Love" became a moderate hit peaked at #51 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
During the summer of 1989, Watley's "Real Love" video, directed by
David Fincher, was nominated for seven
MTV Video Music Awards including
Breakthrough Video,
Best Art Direction,
Best Dance Video, and
Best Female Video at the 1989 award show. That record was held until
Michael Jackson and
Janet Jackson's video "Scream" received 11
VMA nominations in 1995. The next year, she was nominated for two
Soul Train Awards, an
NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Female Artist, and a
Narm Award for
Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album,
You Wanna Dance with Me?
, was released in October 1989 and achieved gold status in America.
1990s: Music and fashion
In the 1990, Watley became professionally involved with fashion. On her second album, she had been photographed by fashion photographer
Steven Meisel, and in the videos for "Real Love" and "Friends" she appeared in clothes by
Jean-Paul Gaultier. She released a million-selling home video,
Dance To Fitness
. She was featured in ad campaigns for
Gap and in magazines such as
Harper’s Bazaar
,
Vogue
,
Vogue Italia
,
Rolling Stone
,
Essence
, and
Vanity Fair
. She was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People of 1990 in
People Magazine
.
[13]
In the same year, she contributed a jazzy rendition of "
After You, Who?" the compilation album
Red, Hot, & Blue
, an
AIDS-awareness charity recording of songs by
Cole Porter. The following year, Jody quietly married long time producer André Cymone.
Affairs of the Heart (1991)
In December 1991, Watley released her third album,
Affairs of the Heart
, described by Justin Kantor in
Guide to Soul
as an overlooked standout of her 80's and 90's output.
[14] The album peaked at #21 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, #124 on
The Billboard 200), and sold less than 400,000 copies in the U.S. Watley claimed to have had only minor marketing and promotional support. Although the lead single, "I Want You," peaked at #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot R&B Singles chart, it only managed to reach #61 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The second single, "
I'm The One You Need" fared better, peaking at #19 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Produced by
David Morales, it was Watley's first foray into
house music; a remix by Morales, the "Dead Zone mix," was released on DJ
John Digweed's
Choice Classics
compilation.
The final single was the inspirational pop ballad "It All Begins With You". The performance earned Watley a special invitation by President
George H. W. Bush in 1992 to perform the song at the
White House.
[15] Watley used the opportunity to encourage the government to provide more support and funding for public schools.
"It All Begins With You" peaked at #80 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot R&B Singles chart.
Intimacy (1993)
In November 1993 MCA released Jody's fourth solo album, the introspective relationship themed
Intimacy
. Noting that the
New Jack Swing was all the rage in R&B at the time, Amy Linden wrote in
People Magazine
that
Intimacy
continued the process of Watley's move toward more refreshingly adult themes and that Watley was deserving of serious attention.
[16] Watley herself acknowledged that the songs she wrote were always personal statements.
[17]
Intimacy
with its songs of "romance and angst"
reached #38 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #164 on
The Billboard 200. The first single was "Your Love Keeps Working On Me", peaking at #26 R&B and #2 Dance. Watley added video director to her resume, for the spoken word/hip-hop tune "
When a Man Loves a Woman".
[18] The BBG Remix of "When a Man Loves a Man" also topped the dance charts in the UK. It also contained the song "Ecstasy", produced by
David Morales, which became an underground hit and later appeared on her
Greatest Hits
collection.
Affection (1995)
After having parted ways with MCA Records, Watley took an independent and entrepreneurial path releasing her fifth solo album,
Affection
, in July 1995 through her own
Avitone Records label.
[19] She aligned Avitone with independent
Bellmark Records as distributor. According to Jose Promis of
Allmusic
, the release lacked the urgency and immediany of her dance-era hits, but was an engaging collection of slow burners, mid tempo and jazzy R&B.
[20] The album's title track, "Affection", became a modest R&B hit, peaking at #28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
[21]
Greatest Hits (1996)
In 1996, Watley made history as the first African-American to play Rizzo in the musical
Grease
at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer,
Victor Skrebneski, for the popular
Saks Fifth Avenue Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout.
That fall, Watley scored a
platinum-selling single as a guest vocalist on
Babyface's "This Is For The Lover In You". The single, which also featured vocals from
LL Cool J and Watley's former Shalamar bandmates
Howard Hewett and
Jeffrey Daniel, was a remake of Shalamar's Top 10 hit by the same name. Babyface's version peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #2 on the R&B Singles Chart. The song's video received heavy rotation on
MTV and
BET. As the year wound to a close, taking a slight detour from her Avitone label, Watley signed with
Big Beat/Atlantic Records.
The same year MCA released a
Greatest Hits
package with Watley's recordings for the label.
The late 1990s
Flower (1997-1998)
After spending most of 1997 in the recording studio crafting her sixth studio album,
Flower
, Watley was back in early 1998 with its lead singles "Off The Hook" and "If I'm Not In Love." "Off The Hook" peaked at #23 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and #73 Billboard Hot 100 but fared much better on Billboard's
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Propelled by remixes from
Masters At Work and
Soul Solution(Dance act), the track reached #1 on the dance chart, making it her first #1
Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit in nine years. Later the same year, a single of "If I'm Not In Love" was released, with promo mixes by
Sal Dano (credited as BK Dano) and Lenny Bertoldo, and that song reached #2 on the
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Big Beat Records was absorbed into its parent label,
Atlantic Records, which then shelved the album from a U.S. release.
Flower
was, however, released in Canada, Great Britain, and Japan. The critically-acclaimed release was championed by many UK magazines, including
Blues and Soul
and
Echoes
among others.
The Saturday Night Experience (1999)
In November 1999, Jody reactivated her independent label, Avitone, and released her seventh studio album,
The Saturday Night Experience
. A collection of organic club music tracks, it was released in Japan along with a single, "Another Chapter," with remixes by DJ Soma. Also included on the project was the
drum and bass title song "Saturday Night Experience."
It was during this era that Watley says she was inspired by
4Hero whose 1998 album
Two Pages
exposed her to this new genre of electronic dance music; she credits this inspiration for not retiring after the disappointment of how
Flower
was handled.
[22] The Saturday Night Experience Vol. 1
, as Watley told music historian
David Nathan, was intended to be a concept album, a liberating experience, and one which she had no desire to try to get licensed or released in the U.S.
The following year, MCA released
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jody Watley
.
2000s
Midnight Lounge (2001-2005)
In 2001, Jody released her eighth studio album,
Midnight Lounge in Europe and Japan. It was a collection of tracks that combined a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and club music. After achieving moderate success in its original release, Watley arranged for it to be released in the U.S. through her Avitone imprint in a short-term license deal with Shanachie Records on March 11, 2003.
Midnight Lounge
was Watley's first studio album released in the U.S. in eight years, reaching Top 20 status on Billboard
Top Electronic Albums chart.
Junior Vasquez and several other producers contributed remixes to the single release of "Whenever", bringing the track to #19 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart. One of the album's other single, "Photographs", became a sizable hit overseas, especially in Japan. It became an underground hit stateside. Photographer
Michael Walls is credited on the album sleeve.
In 2005, Watley made history on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart when she re-released her 1987 hit "Looking For a New Love." The 2005 remix reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart, making her the first artist ever to take the same song to #1 in two different decades. Jody Watley now has the distinction of being among the few artists who have been to #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in all of the past three decades (the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s).
The same year, Watley was invited to participate in the Force of Nature Relief Concert
[23] to aid the victims of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
[24] During the trip Watley and others (including
The Black Eyed Peas,
Lauryn Hill, and
Jackie Chan) were invited to the Royal Palace to meet The King and Queen of
Malaysia for a special Tea reception in showing their gratitude for all involved with Force of Nature.
[25]
The Makeover (2006-2008)
The Makeover
was released in August 2006 through Avitone Records in partnership with the
Virgin Megastore chain.
It debuted at #1. The first single was a cover of
Madonna's "Borderline". The single reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in January 2007. The second single, a cover of
Chic's "I Want Your Love," reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play in June 2007.
In 2007, Watley was listed as #5 in the Year End Billboard Dance Play Artists. Her single "I Want Your Love" was #15 and "Borderline" #19 according to Billboard Year End Chart Review for 2007.
[26]
[27] In January 2008, "I Want Your Love" topped the U.K. Dance Charts in January, giving her her her first U.K. mainstream dance hit in two decades.
In 2008, she launched an online music store,
[28] while scoring another Top Five Billboard Dance Single, "A Beautiful Life,"
[29] bringing the total of Top Five Singles for
The Makeover
to three.
Discography
Awards and nominations
Year
| Award
|
1987
| Grammy Award for Best New Artist
|
1987
| Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, "Looking for a New Love"
|
1988
| Soul Train Music Award nomination for Album of the Year (Female), Jody Watley
|
1988
| Soul Train Music Award nomination for Single of the Year (Female), "Looking for a New Love"
|
1988
| Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best Music Video, "Looking for a New Love"
|
1988
| American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Single, "Looking For A New Love
|
1988
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video, "Some Kind of Lover"
|
1988
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, "Some Kind of Lover"
|
1989
| Narm Award nomination for Best Selling R&B Female Album, Larger than Life
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video, "Real Love"
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Dance Video, "Real Love"
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Direction, "Real Love"
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Art Direction, "Real Love"
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Editing, "Real Love"
|
1989
| MTV Video Music Award nomination for Breakthrough Video, "Real Love"
|
2007
| Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award
|
Personal life
Watley's father was a
minister/
disc jockey. Jody's brother John was her tour manager in 1996, and now operates a vocal training and production company in Japan.
[30] She has two children, Lauren and Arie, and was married to producer
André Cymone.
[31] She is also the older sister of adult star
Midori [32]
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
References
- Boykin, Keith. ''Jody Watley Barred From Talking About Gay Games During Chicago Radio Interview'', 2006-07-24. Accessed 2008-02-03. "She's a Grammy Award-winning artist who has sold more than 20 million albums and singles worldwide."
- [1]
- Vogue Italia
- [1]
- Title Unavailable
- Shalamar: Having Big fun with hot hits
- Title Unavailable
- [1]
- [1]
- http://books.google.com/books?id=nA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&dq=Jody+Watley&as_pt=MAGAZINES
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- The Lives and Loves of the New Pop Divas
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]
- Billboard Charts - Year-end Top Artists - Hot Dance Club Play Artists
- Billboard Charts - Year-end Singles - Hot Dance Club Play Tracks
- [1]
- [1]
- Jody Watley in her own words 'BIO' - 2006
- Soul Music: Jody Watley
- [1]