Nu Shooz
Encyclopedia
Nu Shooz is an American
Freestyle-R&B-Dance
group fronted by husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day
, based in Portland
, Oregon
. The Shooz released four albums in the U.S. during the 1980s, and it was its third album, Poolside
, that brought the group's sound to a wider audience.
" in Portland in April 1985 on Poolside Records. The original recording was done at Cascade Recording in Portland in the fall of 1984. "I Can't Wait" was a big hit on Portland radio stations at the time, but they were turned down by every major label. A copy of the song made it to the Netherlands
, where it was remix
ed by Peter Slaghuis
. This version is known as the 'Dutch Mix.' The remix came back into the United States as an import on Dutch label Injection Records. It was this version that got the attention of Atlantic Records
, which signed the band to a contract in January 1986.
Nu Shooz scored two major pop
/ R&B
/ dance
hits
. "I Can't Wait" climbed to #2 on the R&B charts and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in June 1986 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40, and it also hit #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play
chart earlier that year. Its follow-up, "Point Of No Return
", was remixed by Shep Pettibone
and also topped the dance chart in September 1986; the song peaked at #28 on the Hot 100 and #35 on the R&B charts. Both singles were on the album Poolside, which charted on Billboards 200
chart at #27, and sold a half million copies in the U.S., garnering gold record
RIAA certification on October 2, 1986.
In 1987, Nu Shooz was nominated for a Grammy Award
in the Best New Artist
category, based on its breakthrough success the previous year. The group lost to Bruce Hornsby & the Range; the other nominees that year were Glass Tiger
, Simply Red
, and Timbuk3. In 1988, the band released the album Told 'U' So, which had its final chart entries to date: "Should I Say Yes?" hit #17 on the R&B charts and #41 on the Hot 100, while the track "Are You Lookin' For Somebody Nu" topped out at #2 on the dance charts. The album itself peaked on the Billboard 200 to #93. A third album for Atlantic, titled 'Eat & Run', was recorded but never released.
In 2007, Smith and Day reformed the group as the Nu Shooz Orchestra, which featured a more cinematic approach. The band released an album, Pandora's Box in 2010, and continues to perform.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Freestyle-R&B-Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
group fronted by husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day
Valerie Day
Valerie Day is an American pop and jazz singer. Born in Portland, Oregon, United States, she is a fourth-generation Oregonian, and grew up in a musical family. She was the lead singer and a founding member of the 1980s dance band Nu Shooz, along with her husband John Smith.Day's performances with...
, based in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The Shooz released four albums in the U.S. during the 1980s, and it was its third album, Poolside
Poolside (album)
Poolside is the title of a 1986 album by the American pop–Latin freestyle–electronic dance music group Nu Shooz. It was released on Atlantic Records in the U.S. in the May 1986. At the time, the band was creating music in both the synthpop and freestyle genres...
, that brought the group's sound to a wider audience.
Career
Nu Shooz originally released the single "I Can't WaitI Can't Wait (Nu Shooz song)
"I Can't Wait" is the title of a song recorded by American group Nu Shooz from the album Poolside. The song was originally recorded the previous year and became a popular radio track in and around the band's hometown of Portland, Oregon...
" in Portland in April 1985 on Poolside Records. The original recording was done at Cascade Recording in Portland in the fall of 1984. "I Can't Wait" was a big hit on Portland radio stations at the time, but they were turned down by every major label. A copy of the song made it to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where it was remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by Peter Slaghuis
Peter Slaghuis
Peter Slaghuis was a Dutch DJ, producer and remixer, whose work was mostly released under the name Hithouse ....
. This version is known as the 'Dutch Mix.' The remix came back into the United States as an import on Dutch label Injection Records. It was this version that got the attention of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, which signed the band to a contract in January 1986.
Nu Shooz scored two major pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
/ 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...
/ dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. "I Can't Wait" climbed to #2 on the R&B charts and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
chart in June 1986 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40, and it also hit #1 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 earlier that year. Its follow-up, "Point Of No Return
Point of No Return (Nu Shooz song)
"Point of No Return" is the title of the second single taken from the Nu Shooz album Poolside. The song spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in September 1986. It also peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #36 on the R&B chart in the U.S., as well as topping...
", was remixed by Shep Pettibone
Shep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
and also topped the dance chart in September 1986; the song peaked at #28 on the Hot 100 and #35 on the R&B charts. Both singles were on the album Poolside, which charted on Billboards 200
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...
chart at #27, and sold a half million copies in the U.S., garnering gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
RIAA certification on October 2, 1986.
In 1987, Nu Shooz was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
category, based on its breakthrough success the previous year. The group lost to Bruce Hornsby & the Range; the other nominees that year were Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger is a Canadian rock band formed in 1983, in Newmarket, Ontario.-Biography:Originally named 'Tokyo', the band produced several hit singles in Canada and placed two songs on Billboard magazine's top 10: "Don't Forget Me " and "Someday," both of which came from their debut album, The Thin...
, Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
, and Timbuk3. In 1988, the band released the album Told 'U' So, which had its final chart entries to date: "Should I Say Yes?" hit #17 on the R&B charts and #41 on the Hot 100, while the track "Are You Lookin' For Somebody Nu" topped out at #2 on the dance charts. The album itself peaked on the Billboard 200 to #93. A third album for Atlantic, titled 'Eat & Run', was recorded but never released.
In 2007, Smith and Day reformed the group as the Nu Shooz Orchestra, which featured a more cinematic approach. The band released an album, Pandora's Box in 2010, and continues to perform.
Studio Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| Can't Turn It Off |
|
— | — | — | |||||
| Tha's Right |
|
— | — | — | |||||
| Poolside Poolside (album) Poolside is the title of a 1986 album by the American pop–Latin freestyle–electronic dance music group Nu Shooz. It was released on Atlantic Records in the U.S. in the May 1986. At the time, the band was creating music in both the synthpop and freestyle genres... |
Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
27 | 16 | 32 |
|
||||
| Told U So |
|
93 | — | — | |||||
| Pandora's Box |
|
— | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Dance |
US R&B |
CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
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 ... |
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| 1986 | "I Can't Wait I Can't Wait (Nu Shooz song) "I Can't Wait" is the title of a song recorded by American group Nu Shooz from the album Poolside. The song was originally recorded the previous year and became a popular radio track in and around the band's hometown of Portland, Oregon... " |
3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Poolside | ||
| "Point of No Return Point of No Return (Nu Shooz song) "Point of No Return" is the title of the second single taken from the Nu Shooz album Poolside. The song spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in September 1986. It also peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #36 on the R&B chart in the U.S., as well as topping... " |
28 | 1 | 36 | 23 | 48 | ||||
| "Don't Let Me Be the One" | — | 39 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1988 | "Should I Say Yes" | 41 | — | 17 | — | — | Told U So | ||
| "Are You Lookin' for Somebody Nu" | — | 2 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1992 | "Time Will Tell" | — | — | — | — | — | Eat & Run (unreleased) | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- Music of OregonMusic of OregonThe music of Oregon reflects the diverse array of styles present in the music of the United States, from Native American music to the contemporary genres of rock and roll, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, electronic music, and hip hop. However, throughout most of its history, the state has...
External links
- Nu Shooz - Official website
- Valerie Day - Valerie Day's official website