Skyy (band)
Encyclopedia
Skyy was an American
R&B
/funk/disco
band
based in New York
. They are perhaps best known for their 1982 hit, "Call Me
," as well as their 1989 "comeback" hits, "Start of a Romance
" and "Real Love
."
, New York
in 1973, when sisters Denise, Delores, and Bonne Dunning first met musician Solomon Roberts, Jr. The record producer
/keyboardist
Randy Muller (who was also a member Brass Construction
and an arranger
for B.T. Express
) soon became involved with the project. By 1976, the Skyy lineup of the three Dunning sisters as vocalists, Roberts as the male vocalist/guitarist
, Anibal Anthony Sierra on guitars and keyboards
, Larry Greenberg on keyboards, Gerald Lebon on bass
, and Tommy McConnell on drums
had solidified.
In the late 1970s, Skyy signed to Salsoul Records
. After several albums that saw moderate success in the R&B market, the group crossed over to the mainstream in a big way with the release of the Skyy Line album in late 1981. Featured on this album was the single "Call Me
," which gave the group their first (and only, to date) top 40 hit on the pop charts
, peaking at #26 in 1982. It also became the first of several #1 R&B hits for Skyy. Meanwhile, the group continued to record for the Salsoul label up through the release of their 1984 Inner City album (Salsoul would fold in 1985), scoring several additional hits on the R&B chart during that time.
In the mid-1980s, the group signed with Capitol Records
and released their next album, From the Left Side in 1986. Apart from the top ten R&B single, "Givin' It (to You)," the album saw limited success, and the group left Capitol soon thereafter.
Things were looking rather bleak for the band by the late 1980s. However, after signing to Atlantic Records
, Skyy launched a major comeback in 1989 with the release of their successful Start of a Romance album. This release spun off two #1 R&B singles, with both the title track ("Start of a Romance
") and the Quiet Storm
classic, "Real Love
" claiming the top spot. "Real Love" also became the group's second and final crossover pop hit peaking at #47 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in early 1990. The second single released from the album (between the title track and "Real Love"), "Love All the Way" also cracked the R&B top 50. By the release of the Nearer to You album in 1992, the hits had again dried up, and the band has not released a new studio album since then.
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...
/funk/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
band
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...
based in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They are perhaps best known for their 1982 hit, "Call Me
Call Me (Skyy song)
"Call Me" is a 1981 single by Brooklyn-based funk group Skyy. A popular R&B and dance hit, the single achieved mainstream success by peaking at number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of only two singles Skyy placed on that chart....
," as well as their 1989 "comeback" hits, "Start of a Romance
Start of a Romance
"Start of a Romance" is a 1989 single by Skyy and the title track of their 1989 album. The single was their first to place on the Hot Black Singles chart in almost two years. "Start of a Romance" peaked at number one on the Black Singles for two weeks, their first number one since 1982....
" and "Real Love
Real Love (Skyy song)
"Real Love" is a hit song by R&B band Skyy in 1990. Released from their Start of a Romance album, it spent one week at number one on the R&B singles chart and also became a hit on the Pop charts peaking at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....
."
Career
The seeds for Skyy were sown in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1973, when sisters Denise, Delores, and Bonne Dunning first met musician Solomon Roberts, Jr. The record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Randy Muller (who was also a member Brass Construction
Brass Construction
Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985.-Career:...
and an arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
for B.T. Express
B.T. Express
B.T. Express was an American funk/disco group, that had a number of successful songs during the 1970s.-Career:...
) soon became involved with the project. By 1976, the Skyy lineup of the three Dunning sisters as vocalists, Roberts as the male vocalist/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, Anibal Anthony Sierra on guitars and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Larry Greenberg on keyboards, Gerald Lebon on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Tommy McConnell on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
had solidified.
In the late 1970s, Skyy signed to Salsoul Records
Salsoul Records
This article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of...
. After several albums that saw moderate success in the R&B market, the group crossed over to the mainstream in a big way with the release of the Skyy Line album in late 1981. Featured on this album was the single "Call Me
Call Me (Skyy song)
"Call Me" is a 1981 single by Brooklyn-based funk group Skyy. A popular R&B and dance hit, the single achieved mainstream success by peaking at number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of only two singles Skyy placed on that chart....
," which gave the group their first (and only, to date) top 40 hit on the pop charts
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...
, peaking at #26 in 1982. It also became the first of several #1 R&B hits for Skyy. Meanwhile, the group continued to record for the Salsoul label up through the release of their 1984 Inner City album (Salsoul would fold in 1985), scoring several additional hits on the R&B chart during that time.
In the mid-1980s, the group signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and released their next album, From the Left Side in 1986. Apart from the top ten R&B single, "Givin' It (to You)," the album saw limited success, and the group left Capitol soon thereafter.
Things were looking rather bleak for the band by the late 1980s. However, after signing to 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...
, Skyy launched a major comeback in 1989 with the release of their successful Start of a Romance album. This release spun off two #1 R&B singles, with both the title track ("Start of a Romance
Start of a Romance
"Start of a Romance" is a 1989 single by Skyy and the title track of their 1989 album. The single was their first to place on the Hot Black Singles chart in almost two years. "Start of a Romance" peaked at number one on the Black Singles for two weeks, their first number one since 1982....
") and the Quiet Storm
Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format...
classic, "Real Love
Real Love (Skyy song)
"Real Love" is a hit song by R&B band Skyy in 1990. Released from their Start of a Romance album, it spent one week at number one on the R&B singles chart and also became a hit on the Pop charts peaking at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....
" claiming the top spot. "Real Love" also became the group's second and final crossover pop hit peaking at #47 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 early 1990. The second single released from the album (between the title track and "Real Love"), "Love All the Way" also cracked the R&B top 50. By the release of the Nearer to You album in 1992, the hits had again dried up, and the band has not released a new studio album since then.
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 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... |
||||
| 1979 | Skyy Skyy (album) Skyy is the debut album released by New York City based group Skyy released in 1979 on Salsoul Records.-Track listing:#This Groove Is Bad - 6:20#First Time Around - 6:37... |
117 | 40 | — | — | Salsoul Salsoul Records This article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of... |
| 1980 | Skyway | 61 | 17 | — | — | |
| Skyyport | 85 | 16 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Skyy Line Skyy Line Skyy Line is the fourth album by New York City based group Skyy released in 1981 on Salsoul Records.-Track listing:#Let's Celebrate - 5:32#Call Me - 6:21#Girl In Blue - 4:24... |
18 | 1 | — | Gold | |
| 1982 | Skyyjammer Skyyjammer Skyyjammer is the fifth album by New York City based group Skyy released in 1982 on Salsoul Records.- Track listing :#Movin' Violation - 4:59#Won't You Be Mine - 5:33... |
81 | 22 | — | — | |
| 1983 | Skyylight | 183 | 44 | — | — | |
| 1984 | Inner City | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | From the Left Side | — | 33 | 85 | — | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
| 1989 | Start of a Romance | 155 | 16 | — | — | Atlantic Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
| 1992 | Nearer to You | — | 52 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Compilation 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 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... |
||||
| 1982 | Skyy Flyy | — | — | — | — | Salsoul Salsoul Records This article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of... |
| 1984 | Skyy High | — | — | — | — | Rams Horn Records |
| 1987 | New York Skyy - Greatest Hits | — | — | — | — | Street Sounds |
| 1995 | Best Of Skyy | — | — | — | — | ZYX |
| 1996 | Greatest Hits | — | — | — | — | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
| 1998 | Greatest Hits | — | — | — | — | Unidisc |
| 1999 | The Best Of Skyy | — | — | — | — | Charly |
| 2003 | The Best | — | — | — | — | Toshiba EMI |
| 2006 | The Anthology | — | — | — | — | Salsoul Salsoul Records This article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of... |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
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 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... |
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 ... |
|||
| 1979 | "First Time Around" | — | 20 | 50 | — | Skyy |
| "Let's Turn It On" | — | 65 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "High" | 102 | 13 | 26 | — | Skyway |
| "Skyyzoo" | — | 32 | 41 | — | ||
| "Here's to You" | — | 23 | 24 | — | Skyyport | |
| 1981 | "Superlove" | — | 31 | — | — | |
| "Call Me Call Me (Skyy song) "Call Me" is a 1981 single by Brooklyn-based funk group Skyy. A popular R&B and dance hit, the single achieved mainstream success by peaking at number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of only two singles Skyy placed on that chart.... " |
26 | 1 | 3 | — | Skyy Line | |
| 1982 | "Let's Celebrate" | — | 16 | 67 | ||
| "When You Touch Me" | — | 43 | — | |||
| "Movin' Violation" | — | 26 | — | — | Skyyjammer | |
| 1983 | "Let Love Shine" | — | 39 | 41 | — | |
| "Bad Boy" | — | 33 | — | — | Skyylight | |
| "Show Me the Way" | — | 35 | 10 | 97 | ||
| 1984 | "Dancin' to Be Dancin'" | — | 49 | — | — | Inner City |
| 1986 | "Givin' It (To You)" | — | 8 | 42 | 83 | From the Left Side |
| 1989 | "Start of a Romance Start of a Romance "Start of a Romance" is a 1989 single by Skyy and the title track of their 1989 album. The single was their first to place on the Hot Black Singles chart in almost two years. "Start of a Romance" peaked at number one on the Black Singles for two weeks, their first number one since 1982.... " |
— | 1 | 41 | — | Start of a Romance |
| "Love All the Way" | — | 47 | — | — | ||
| "Real Love Real Love (Skyy song) "Real Love" is a hit song by R&B band Skyy in 1990. Released from their Start of a Romance album, it spent one week at number one on the R&B singles chart and also became a hit on the Pop charts peaking at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.... " |
47 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Up and Over (Stronger and Better)" | — | 16 | — | — | Nearer to You |
| "Nearer to You" | — | 73 | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||