C + C Music Factory
Before forming C+C Music Factory Robert Clivillés and David Cole were active in 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman, and a Dominican and The 28th Street Crew in the late 1980s. In 1990 Clivillés and Cole released a single, featuring later C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams, called "Get Dumb! (Free Your Body)" as The Crew. The song features a prominent sample of Boyd Jarvis' 1983 song "The Music Got Me." It was sampled without Jarvis' permission therefore the situation resulted in a lawsuit against Cole and Clivillés.
In 1989 Clivillés and Cole hired the artist Zelma Davis (Vocalist), Martha Wash (Vocalist) and Freedom Williams (MC) to all the tracks for Gonna Make You Sweat, the group's first album. In 1990 it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, No. 11 on the R&B album chart, and went 5x platinum.
All four singles from their debut album reached No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play chart, and all four were also crossover Pop and R&B hits. The first single, "Gonna Make You Sweat", reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B Singles chart (and No. 3 in the UK). The fourth and final single from their debut album, "Just a Touch of Love", featured in the movie Sister Act. The album contained two more Top 5 singles; "Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)" reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (and No. 20 in the UK), and "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" (inspired by a phrase uttered periodically by late-night talk show host, Arsenio Hall) reached No. 4 (and No. 4 in the UK).
The visuals and production for C+C Music Factory's first videos helped to distinguish the group's first releases from previous mainstream dance hits like Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam". Controversy erupted when it was discovered that vocalist Zelma Davis lip-synced to Martha Wash's vocals in the video for the groups first single, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)." 
With the Milli Vanilli scandal still fresh in the minds of the music industry, Wash was also perturbed by the fact that her image had been labeled "unmarketable" because of her size. Blacbox a group based out of England also contracted Martha Wash for vocals for their duet album. Her vocals are heard on all of the group’s top hits. When the group recorded the videos they use a slim younger model to lip-sync her voice. Martha Wash was, in fact, so perturbed that she successfully sued to receive proper credit, and appropriate royalties, as the vocalist on all of these songs. Wash's courtroom efforts spurred legislation making vocal credits mandatory on Compact Discs and music videos.
In 1991, as Clivillés + Cole, the duo released an LP-single A-side featuring a cover of U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)", but it was the B-side "Deeper Love", featuring vocals by Deborah Cooper (a long time Clivillés and Cole vocalist) and Paul Pesco that proved to be a hit, peaking at No. 15 in the UK. Deborah Cooper performed "Deeper Love" on Saturday Night Live with C+C Music Factory. Both sides charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1992: "A Deeper Love" peaked at #44, while "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" reached #54.
In 1992 as Clivillés + Cole an album was released called "Greatest Remixes Vol. 1" featuring remixes of other artist songs by the duo. The video for these songs was actually one long featurette, beginning with "Deeper Love" and then continuing into "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" halfway through the video. The video was labelled "Pride (A Deeper Love)". Some networks preferred to show the videos separately while others played the whole length.
In 1992, the duo assembled The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., only one song of this group was ever released. A special uptempo vocal club remix was released as a promo single by Arista Records.
In 1992, they had another No. 1 Dance/Club play hit with the song "Keep It Comin'" (Dance Till You Can't Dance No More); with emcee Q-Unique and lead and background vocalist Deborah Cooper that was recorded for the soundtrack and opening cheerleading routine from the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Williams also released solo material. Williams solo debut, Freedom was released on June 1, 1993 on Columbia Records. The single "Voice of Freedom" peaked at #74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1993, and its follow-up, "Groove Your Mind," also charted on the Club Play chart, peaking at #33. The duo's second album, Anything Goes! released in 1994, had two less successful singles, "Do You Wanna Get Funky" and "Take a Toke." Only the former reached the Hot 100, but both songs did achieve high critical acclaim in some circles. The album peaked at No. 106 on the Billboard 200, and No. 39 on the R&B album chart. This album mainly featured on vocals hip-hop outfit Trilogy and the returning Zelma Davis and Martha Wash. Freedom Williams was asked to return but declined this invitation.
In 1994, Wash covered Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" for the soundtrack of the film "Disney's D2: The Mighty Ducks 2." Two years later, in 1996, she recorded a cover version of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" for the soundtrack of the film The First Wives Club.
Clivillés and Cole later released a new single under the moniker The 28th Street Crew called O in 1994. In 1994 Clivillés and Cole produced a song for El General "Las Chicas", which borrowed heavily from the song "Boriqua Anthem" on the "Anything Goes" album.
David Cole died on January 24, 1995.
David Cole died on January 24, 1995.
An album was released in Europe in late 1995 by Robert Clivillés with the name C+C Music Factory, which spawned one more US No. 1 Dance/Club Play hit "I'll Always be Around." Neither the single nor the album featured former member David Cole. The album was released by MCA in 1995 in Europe, but it was not released in the US. "I'll be Around" was released as a vinyl and CD promo and vinyl and CD single in the USA on MCA Records. This was the final studio album of new material to be released under the C+C Music Factory name. A 1996 promo maxi single "Don't Stop The Remix" was the last single released by the group (only in Japan).
In October 1996, Robert Clivillés released an album of new material under the name Robi-Rob's Clubworld. The first single from the project, "Shake That Body," featured emcee Ya Kid K, formerly of Technotronic. The second single, "Reach," was a collaboration with Hex Hector and featured vocals from longtime C+C vocalist Deborah Cooper, which was the final recording to have piano tracks recorded by the late David Cole, his C+C partner.
Wash, a notable star within the gay community, continues to record new music into the 21st century such as her first new single in more than 5 years, "You Lift Me Up" - a fusion of gospel and house, which is the first song produced on her own label, Purple Rose Records - 2005. Wash performed in the opening ceremony of the World's first OutGames in Montreal in July 2006. She performed at numerous Human Rights Campaign events in the U.S. The gay-themed podcast Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern dedicated an episode to Wash and she obliged them with an extended telephone interview.
In 2006 Wash appeared as a guest on GSN's I've Got a Secret, and performed "It's Raining Men" for the all-gay panel.
Martha Wash was a performer at the annual Big Gay Day in Brisbane, Australia on March 9, 2008. She also performed at the Chicago Gay Pride Street Fest on June 28, 2008, at the Nightingale as part of the Birmingham, England, bank holiday festival on August 23, 2008, at Washington, DC Capital Pride on June 14, 2009, and at the Opening Ceremony of the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series in Milwaukee, WI on August 31, 2009.
Although not a C+C Music Factory member since 1991, artist Freedom Williams still occasionally performs under the banner C+C Music Factory, founder Clivillés has labeled this "the biggest insult in the world
Williams has since continued to work, writing solo material and performing.
Freedom Williams was the majority owner of the Continental Basketball Association's Atlanta Krunk franchise.
No comments:
Post a Comment