Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
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| Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam | |
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| Origin | New York City, USA |
| Years active | 1985 – 1991 |
| Genres | Pop-R&B |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Members | Lisa Velez Alex Moseley Mike Hughes |
Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez on January 15, 1967) and her band Cult Jam were one of the original American latin freestyle groups of the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex Moseley and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes. They were assembled and produced by Full Force.
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The group released their debut album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force in 1985. The Personal Records label had leased their single "I Wonder If I Take You Home" to the European division of CBS Records for the compilation album Breakdancing. Stateside club DJs began playing the single from the import LP, and thus the U.S. division of CBS, Columbia Records, released the record. It quickly becoming a chart-topper on Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco chart. It then crossed over to the R&B chart where it peaked at #6, and then to the pop chart, peaking at #34 in summer 1985. The single eventually went gold.
"I Wonder If I Take You Home" was followed by another club hit, "Can You Feel the Beat," which also went to #40 on the R&B chart in late 1985. Their third single, the ballad "All Cried Out," also went gold, going to number #3 R&B and #8 pop in summer 1986. "All Cried Out" was later covered by Allure in 1997 and was a hit in 1998. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force went platinum.[1]
Their second album, Spanish Fly, was a huge success in 1987. It spawned two #1 pop hits, "Head to Toe" and "Lost In Emotion," both of which went gold and both of which sported a retro Motown flavor mixed with the Freestyle sound they were known for. "Head to Toe" also parked at #1 R&B for two weeks, and with its strong Mary Wells influence, "Lost in Emotion" did as well.
Spanish Fly went platinum, peaking at #7 on the album chart. Other singles from the album were the ballad "Someone to Love Me for Me" b/w "Spanish Fly" (#7 R&B), "Everything Will B-Fine" (#9 R&B). [2]
1989's Straight to the Sky was a moderate hit that included the Top 20 pop/#3 R&B single, "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star," as well as the club hits "Just Git It Together" and "Go For Yours." "Go For Yours" was featured in the movie Caddyshack II.
Their fourth and final album, Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen, was less of a commercial success, though it did include a hit with "Let the Beat Hit 'Em," which reached the pop Top 40 and was a #1 hit on both the R&B and club charts. The group disbanded in 1991. Velez pursued both solo and acting careers, and Moseley and Hughes went on to do other projects.
Lisa Lisa released a solo album called LL 77 in 1994, which included the moderate club hit "When I Fell In Love" and the notable single "Skip To My Lu," which hit #38 on the R&B chart. She resurfaced circa 2001 on the Nickelodeon series Taina, in which she played the title character's mother.
Lisa Lisa is set to release her second solo album on Mass Appeal Entertainment, in 2007.
[edit] Discography
- Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force (1985)
- Spanish Fly (1987)
- Straight to the Sky (1989)
- Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen (1991)
- LL77 (1994) (Lisa Lisa)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Dance | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "I Wonder If I Take You Home" (with Full Force) | 34 | 6 | 1 | 12 | Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force |
| 1985 | "Can You Feel The Beat" (with Full Force) | 69 | 40 | 6 | 97 | Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force |
| 1986 | "All Cried Out" (with Full Force) | 8 | 3 | - | - | Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force |
| 1987 | "Head To Toe" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 82 | Spanish Fly |
| 1987 | "Lost In Emotion" | 1 | 1 | 8 | 58 | Spanish Fly |
| 1987 | "Someone To Love Me For Me" | 78 | 7 | - | - | Spanish Fly |
| 1988 | "Everything Will B-Fine" | - | 9 | 22 | - | Spanish Fly |
| 1988 | "Go For Yours" | - | 19 | - | - | Caddyshack II soundtrack |
| 1989 | "Little Jackie Wants To Be A Star" | 29 | 3 | - | 90 | Straight To The Sky |
| 1989 | "Just Git It Together" | - | 16 | 7 | - | Straight To The Sky |
| 1989 | "Kiss Your Tears Away" | - | 26 | - | - | Straight To The Sky |
| 1991 | "Let The Beat Hit 'Em" | 37 | 1 | 1 | 17 | Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen |
| 1991 | "Where Were You When I Needed You" | - | 65 | - | - | Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen |
| 1994 | "Skip To My Lu" (solo) | - | 38 | - | 34 | LL 77 |
| 1994 | "When I Fell In Love" (solo) | - | 96 | 28 | - | LL 77 |
[edit] See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
[edit] Trivia
- Lisa was also in a Nickelodeon sitcom called Taina that was directed by Debbie Allen, and stared Christina Vidal.
