What happened to male r&b groups?

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  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I hope I made myself clear.
    I love vocal groups.
    They are an important part of the history of soul, from the earliest days up to recently.

    Top vocal groups on the fly here:
    Shangra La's
    Miracles
    Drifters
    Temps
    Jacksons
    Vandellas
    Impressions
    Flames
    Falcons
    Harold Melvin's
    Intruders

    There's 11. 50s-70s. I am sure with more thought I would be swapping some in and some out.
    La Belle
    Nevilles

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    vintageinfants said:
    whitey ruined it for everyone.

    This is kind of true. Who wants to walk around for three or four years answering questions like, "So, people are calling you guys the One Direction of r&b - how do you feel about that?"

    Also, "barbershop quartets"? Seriously?


  • alieNDNalieNDN 2,181 Posts


    Also, "barbershop quartets"? Seriously?


    Simpsons ruined barbershop quartets for everyone.

    "Babyyyyy on Board....something...Burt Ward..."


  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    How anyone on soulstrut thinks that this


    has some place in this





















    is beyond me.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Okem said:



  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    The Osmans were meant to be the white Jacksons weren't they? Could there even be an argument the MJ killed off the male soul group? I mean there was always the transition from group member to solo artist, but he pretty much cemented the move into solo pop superstardom and guaranteed that others would try to emulate that trajectory. Then it got to the point where they realised the first step was kinda redundant. If everyone wants to be like Mike, and no one wants to be like Tito, then your group is going to struggle to be a group.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    The Jordanairs were meant to be the white Soul Stirrers weren't they? Could there even be an argument the Sam Cooke killed off the male group? I mean there was always the transition from group member to solo artist, but he pretty much cemented the move into solo pop superstardom and guaranteed that others would try to emulate that trajectory. Then it got to the point where they realised the first step was kinda redundant. If everyone wants to be like Sam, and no one wants to be like Thomas L. Breuster, then your group is going to struggle to be a group.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Okem said:
    The Osmans were meant to be the white Jacksons weren't they? Could there even be an argument the MJ killed off the male soul group? I mean there was always the transition from group member to solo artist, but he pretty much cemented the move into solo pop superstardom and guaranteed that others would try to emulate that trajectory. Then it got to the point where they realised the first step was kinda redundant. If everyone wants to be like Mike, and no one wants to be like Tito, then your group is going to struggle to be a group.

    MJ still did Jacksons albums during Off The Wall/Thriller.

    The shift is more recent than his solo stardom and to me cant be attributed to one group/solo artist.

  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    The Jordanairs were meant to be the white Soul Stirrers weren't they? Could there even be an argument the Sam Cooke killed off the male group? I mean there was always the transition from group member to solo artist, but he pretty much cemented the move into solo pop superstardom and guaranteed that others would try to emulate that trajectory. Then it got to the point where they realised the first step was kinda redundant. If everyone wants to be like Sam, and no one wants to be like Thomas L. Breuster, then your group is going to struggle to be a group.
    Only male soul groups continued long after Sam Cooke's career, they didn't last through MJ's.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Okem said:
    LaserWolf said:
    The Jordanairs were meant to be the white Soul Stirrers weren't they? Could there even be an argument the Sam Cooke killed off the male group? I mean there was always the transition from group member to solo artist, but he pretty much cemented the move into solo pop superstardom and guaranteed that others would try to emulate that trajectory. Then it got to the point where they realised the first step was kinda redundant. If everyone wants to be like Sam, and no one wants to be like Thomas L. Breuster, then your group is going to struggle to be a group.
    Only male soul groups continued long after Sam Cooke's career, they didn't last through MJ's.

    Uhh..the 90's were huge for R&B groups.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Ok I am doing some quick research.
    Top pop artist from each decade. I didn't quickly and easily find Top R&B so I am going with this.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_chart_achievements_by_decade

    60s:
    The top 5 groups include 2 vocal groups:
    Supremes, 4 Seasons, 5th Dimension, Monkees, plus the Beatles who were a harmony group

    70s:
    Bee Gees, Eagles, J5, TO & Dawn, 3 Dog Night, Osmonds, Emotions

    80s:

    90s:
    Boyz To Men, TLC, All 4 One

    00s:
    Black Eyed Peas?, Destiny's Child, Nickle Back?

    10s:
    Magic!

    Not what I was expecting. Top pop artist from each decade.
    80s had no vocal groups. 90s had at least DC. Did Beyonce ruin vocal groups?

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    80s:

    New Edition
    Tony Toni Tone
    Guy
    Troop
    The Boys
    Full Force
    Today
    LeVert
    New Kids On The Block
    Timex Social Club
    The Mac Band

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    batmon said:
    LaserWolf said:
    80s:

    New Edition
    Tony Toni Tone
    Guy
    Troop
    The Boys
    Full Force
    Today
    LeVert
    New Kids On The Block
    Timex Social Club
    The Mac Band

    Strangely none of those groups made the Billboard top hot singles year end stats.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    batmon said:
    LaserWolf said:
    80s:

    New Edition
    Tony Toni Tone
    Guy
    Troop
    The Boys
    Full Force
    Today
    LeVert
    New Kids On The Block
    Timex Social Club
    The Mac Band

    Strangely none of those groups made the Billboard top hot singles year end stats.

    I wouldnt use Billboard as a gauge anyways. Singles sales or crossover radio play?

    All the above groups have classics.

    This dissolving R&B group question is a 00s thang.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I agree. I just did a quick google search and posted what I found.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    Ok I am doing some quick research.
    Top pop artist from each decade. I didn't quickly and easily find Top R&B so I am going with this.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_chart_achievements_by_decade

    60s:
    The top 5 groups include 2 vocal groups:
    Supremes, 4 Seasons, 5th Dimension, Monkees, plus the Beatles who were a harmony group

    70s:
    Bee Gees, Eagles, J5, TO & Dawn, 3 Dog Night, Osmonds, Emotions

    80s:

    90s:
    Boyz To Men, TLC, All 4 One

    00s:
    Black Eyed Peas?, Destiny's Child, Nickle Back?

    10s:
    Magic!

    Not what I was expecting. Top pop artist from each decade.
    80s had no vocal groups. 90s had at least DC. Did Beyonce ruin vocal groups?

    Black-Eyed Peas, Nickelback, Three Dog Night, the Eagles, the Beatles, and even the Monkees were self-contained bands. Personally, I wouldn't consider them straight vocal groups.

    (I don't know Magic! from a bucket of paint and don't have time to look them up...)

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I know.

  • Magic is some falseRasta vibes. Like false 311/sublime.

    They have a song about a dad who is rude because he won't give his marriage blessing. On some
    Full House twins "how rude!"

  • tecatetecate 73 Posts
    What had happened was, the 80's came and they all sucked after that.

  • not that i need a reason to poast this, but it's topical:


  • vintageinfants said:
    whitey ruined it for everyone.

    maybe it was the explosion of white boy bands on either side of y2k that ruined male r&B groups? once those made it big, being in a 5-person R&B vocal group might've seemed like trying to ride that waveÔÇôÔÇôfor the teenage singer thinking about starting a group with his friends that would've been corny, but solo singers like r. kelly or usher would've been role models instead.

    also this: http://www.complex.com/music/2014/05/90s-male-r-and-b-group-pyramid-of-excellence

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Thanks.
    The pyramid is great.
    Portland's U-Krew made the pyramid!


  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Great pyramid.


    LoKey? > the field
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