Mary Jane Girls
Encyclopedia
The Mary Jane Girls were an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 and disco group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 in the 1980s. They were protégées of singer Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...

. They are known for their hit songs "All Night Long", "Candyman" and "In My House".

Formation

The group consisted of Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie (lead/background vocals), Candice "Candi" Ghant, Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich, and Cheryl Bailey (who used stage name Cheri Wells) and the Water Sisters. The Mary Jane Girls project was to be a solo debut for JoJo, who had sung background for Rick James on tours and recordings. Rick James developed tracks with JoJo and session vocalists the Water Sister creating the Mary Jane Girls sound (see last released Motown compilation for verification).

Motown offered James a contract for what it believed was the girl group he wanted to produce and not wanting to lose the deal, James lied and told Motown that the Mary Jane Girls were a group and not JoJo's solo project. Rick got who he could to provide photographs to Motown. JoJo continued to sing both lead and background with the Water Sisters for all Mary Jane Girl recordings and Rick's band had to sing for the group with JoJo live on tour. The other members of the group could not sing at all or were extremely limited vocally.

The origin of the group's name is commonly believed to be an homage to James' affinity for marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...

, which is sometimes called "Mary Jane." The four group members took on distinctive character looks with matching personalities:
  • Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie (lead vocalist) – Sexy and streetwise; a female version of James himself.
  • Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich – dominatrix.
  • Candice "Candi" Ghant - Vamp.
  • Cheri Wells – [Valley girl


Cheri left the group shortly before the release of their second album, Only Four You in 1985 and was replaced by Yvette "Corvette" Marine who took on the role of the Valley Girl/Wild and Trendy Girl in the group.

Career

The group's self-titled debut album
Mary Jane Girls (album)
Mary Jane Girls is the eponymous debut album released by the girl group, Mary Jane Girls on the Gordy record label in May 1983.The album was produced and written entirely by Rick James. Three singles were released and each enjoyed success on the Hot Black Singles charts: "Candy Man" , "All Night...

 was released in 1983 and yielded their first R&B hits: "Candy Man," "All Night Long" (which was later included in the soundtrack of the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...

), and "Boys." The group released their second album Only Four You
Only Four You (album)
Only Four You is the second and last studio album released by the female girl group Mary Jane Girls. As with their debut album, Mary Jane Girls, the album was produced and written by Rick James....

in 1985. That album's lead single "In My House" became the group's biggest hit, reaching #3 on the R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 chart and then crossing over to the Hot 100 chart, where it reached #7 and spent 12 weeks in the Top 40. To date, this is the Mary Jane Girls' only Top 40 hit in the U.S. It also charted on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 chart, peaking at #1 for two weeks in April 1985. "Wild and Crazy Love" was the second single from this album and it also fared well on the R&B (#10) and dance charts (#3). It barely missed the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #42. The last single, "Break It Up," only reached #79 on the R&B chart and did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The group covered the Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons hit "Walk Like a Man
Walk Like a Man (song)
Divine covered "Walk Like a Man" and released it as a single from the album Maid in England in 1985.-Charts:-References:...

," which was included on the soundtrack of the 1986 film A Fine Mess
A Fine Mess
A Fine Mess is a 1986 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Ted Danson and Howie Mandel.The film was intended as a remake of Laurel & Hardy's classic short "The Music Box" and was to be semi-improvised in the same style as the director's earlier comedy, The Party, but...

.
The song missed the U.S. Top 40 by one spot. The group's next single, "Shadow Lover," was released in the spring of 1986, but problems between Motown and Rick James resulted in little promotion for the single, although it was performed on Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...

. That same year, the Mary Jane Girls were ready to record their third album titled Conversation. The album was never released and the group officially broke up in 1987.

After Ghant and Wuletich left the group, JoJo McDuffie carried on as a solo artist. She also recorded with Rick James on his 1997 Urban Rhapsody album on the track "Never Say You Love Me," which was originally written for Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...

. After leaving the Mary Jane Girls, Cheryl Bailey sang lead for Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...

's studio group The DayZs. Yvette Marine went on to sue Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 in 1991, claiming that she had shared the lead vocals on the songs "Opposites Attract," "Knocked Out," and "I Need You" on Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...

's debut album Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl is the debut album from singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 13, 1988 and took 64 weeks from its release to hit number one on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, the longest an album has been on the market before hitting number one. The album was eventually certified seven...

.
In 1993, a jury eventually ruled against Marine.

In 1995, McDuffie, Ghant, and Wuletich, under the name "MJG," appeared on the daytime talk show Jenny Jones
The Jenny Jones Show
The Jenny Jones Show is an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. It was produced by Telepictures and was distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution...

as the show's first musical guests. By 1997 Ghant and Wuletich left the group once again.

Current

  • Bailey continues to perform and is living in Portland, Oregon.
  • McDuffie continues to perform as "JoJo" Original Lead Singer Mary Jane Girls. She is also a television/movie composer. JoJo has also released a solo project entitled "Slightly Dangerous," produced by Danny LeMelle. In the hourly intros to the 2009 VH1 special 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s, McDuffie says she is proud to be a one-hit wonder.
  • Ghant is still in the music business.
  • Marine is a married mother of two, and is the host of In The Mix with Yvette, a celebrity profile show.
  • Wuletich is a successful celebrity chef who just published a cookbook and is developing a T.V. cooking show.
  • The group appeared on VH1
    VH1
    VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

    's Where Are They Now? in 2003. Bailey, Wuletich, Ghant, and Marine appeared in a separate segment from McDuffie, who had just returned from Europe touring with Barry White
    Barry White
    Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...

    . JoJo was featured on VH1'S 100 HIT WONDERS discussing her new project "Slightly Dangerous" and showing a recent clip from a concert performance in 2009.

Cover versions

  • "All Night Long" was recorded by British reggae act La Famille in 1983, released on the Sanity record label; and by British street soul act Jay Mondi and the Livin' Bass. Released in March 1990 on Ten Records, the track was a #63 UK hit.
  • "In My House" was recorded by German
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

     singer Sarah Connor on her debut album, Green Eyed Soul
    Green Eyed Soul (Sarah Connor album)
    -Chart positions:-Certifications:...

    . The song also appears on her A Night to Remember: Pop Meets Classic
    A Night to Remember: Pop Meets Classic
    Sarah Connor Live in Concert – A Night to Remember: Pop Meets Classic is the first live DVD released by German pop star Sarah Connor. It was recorded live on January 24, 2003 at Altes Kesselhaus in Düsseldorf, Germany....

    DVD. "In My House" was also recorded by American punk/indie rock band Big Black; the recording appeared on a special five-inch vinyl single included with the group's concert video Pigpile.
  • "Hurting on the Inside" was was recorded by British reggae act Sammy Levi on the Passion label in 1989.

Sampling

  • The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

     sampled "All Night Long" in their song "Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" from their album Monkey Business
    Monkey Business (album)
    -Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....

    .
  • Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

     sampled "Candy Man" in her song "Always Find the Time" from the 1990 album Rhythm of Love
    Rhythm of Love (Kylie Minogue album)
    Australian Tour Souvenir/The Gold Album# "Step Back in Time" – 7:55# "What Do I Have to Do" – 7:08# "Shocked" – 3:10Australian limited edition CD album repackaged with SHOCKED single...

    .
  • LL Cool J
    LL Cool J
    James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...

     sampled "All Night Long" in his song "Around the Way Girl
    Around The Way Girl
    "Around The Way Girl" is a hit single by LL Cool J from his 1990 album Mama Said Knock You Out.The song is about LL searching for a girl who is streetwise. The single samples Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long", Keni Burke's "Risin' To the Top", and Honeydrippers' "Impeach the President", which is...

    " from the 1990 album Mama Said Knock You Out.
  • Mary J. Blige
    Mary J. Blige
    Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

     sampled the group's "All Night Long" for her song "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" on her 1994 album My Life
    My Life (Mary J. Blige album)
    My Life is the second studio album from American R&B and soul singer Mary J. Blige, Released by Uptown/MCA Records on November 29, 1994. Recording sessions for the album began in fall of 1993 and ended almost one year later. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's...

    .
  • Jay-Z
    Jay-Z
    Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

     sampled "All Night Long" on a song called "Only A Customer", which appeared on the 1998 soundtrack The Streets Is Watching.
  • Big Daddy Kane
    Big Daddy Kane
    Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...

     sampled "All Night Long" on 1989's "Smooth Operator."
  • Redman has sampled "All Night Long" three times, on the following songs:
    • "Tonight's da Night
      Tonight's da Night
      "Tonight's da Night" is the third single released by Redman from his debut album, Whut? Thee Album. It features a jazzy beat produced by Erick Sermon and Redman himself, and contains samples from many songs, including "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls, "The Payback" by James Brown, "Tonight's the...

      "
    • "Can't Wait
      Can't Wait
      "Can't Wait" is the second single released from Redman's second album, Dare Iz a Darkside. It is produced by Erick Sermon and Redman, and contains samples from "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls, "Caribbean Nights" by Bob James and "We Write The Songs" by Biz Markie.The song reached number five on...

      ," in whose video they also appeared
    • "How to Roll a Blunt"
  • Groove Theory
    Groove Theory
    Groove Theory is an American R&B duo, with former member, singer-songwriter Amel Larrieux and songwriter/producer/actor, Bryce Wilson. The group is best known for their 1995 pop/R&B hit, "Tell Me," which reached the top five of Billboard 's Hot 100 and the US Billboard R&B chart.-Early years:The...

     sampled "All Night Long" for their song, "Tell Me."
  • In the late '90s, rapper Mack 10
    Mack 10
    Dedrick Rolison, , better known by his stage name Mack 10 is an American rapper and actor. He was a member of hip hop trio Westside Connection, along with Ice Cube and WC...

     featured Wuletich, Ghant, and McDuffie on his single, "On Them Thangs," on Priority Records. The three also appeared in the video for the song.
  • Jeru the Damaja (via DJ Premier) sampled the drums of “All Night Long” (which were programmed on an Oberheim DMX
    Oberheim DMX
    The DMX is a programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1981 by Oberheim Electronics.The Oberheim DMX was the second digital drum computer ever to be sold to the public as a product, following the Linn LM-1 in 1980...

     on the song “Da Bitchez” from the album The Sun Rises in the East
    The Sun Rises in the East
    The Sun Rises in the East is the debut album of American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja, released May 24, 1994 on PayDay Records. Production on the album was handled by legendary hip hop producer DJ Premier. The album features fellow Gang Starr Foundation member Afu-Ra...

    .
  • AZ (rapper)
    AZ (rapper)
    Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...

     sampled "Musical Love" on "The Essence" (feat. Nas
    Nas
    Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

    ), from his album Aziatic
    Aziatic
    Aziatic is the fourth studio album by rapper AZ, released on June 11, 2002.-Background:After two albums that received vastly different responses , his fourth album is considered AZ's comeback album, which restored his credibility. The album features AZ's flow and style over melodic, soulful...

    .

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions
US
certifications
Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
1983 Mary Jane Girls
Mary Jane Girls (album)
Mary Jane Girls is the eponymous debut album released by the girl group, Mary Jane Girls on the Gordy record label in May 1983.The album was produced and written entirely by Rick James. Three singles were released and each enjoyed success on the Hot Black Singles charts: "Candy Man" , "All Night...

56 6 51 Gold Gordy
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

1985 Only Four You
Only Four You (album)
Only Four You is the second and last studio album released by the female girl group Mary Jane Girls. As with their debut album, Mary Jane Girls, the album was produced and written by Rick James....

18 5 Gold
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Compilation albums

Year Album Chart positions Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

1994 In My House: The Very Best of the Mary Jane Girls Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

2001 The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Mary Jane Girls
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

Year Single Chart positions
Album
US
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

US
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

US
Dance
UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1983 "Candy Man" 101 23 8 60 Mary Jane Girls
Mary Jane Girls (album)
Mary Jane Girls is the eponymous debut album released by the girl group, Mary Jane Girls on the Gordy record label in May 1983.The album was produced and written entirely by Rick James. Three singles were released and each enjoyed success on the Hot Black Singles charts: "Candy Man" , "All Night...

"All Night Long" 101 11 13
"Boys" 102 29 74
1984 "Jealousy" 106 84
1985 "In My House" 7 3 1 77 Only Four You
Only Four You (album)
Only Four You is the second and last studio album released by the female girl group Mary Jane Girls. As with their debut album, Mary Jane Girls, the album was produced and written by Rick James....

"Wild and Crazy Love" 42 10 3
"Break It Up" 79 33
1986 "Walk Like a Man" 41 91 A Fine Mess (Soundtrack)
"—" denotes the single failed to chart

External links

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