Guy are a hip hop, R&B and soul band most closely associated
with the new jack swing style of the 1980s and 1990s.
Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by R&B singer-songwriters
Aaron Hall, young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and Timmy
Gatling. Riley and Gatling were childhood friends growing up in Harlem,
and previously collaborated in the band Kids At Work.[1] As Riley's
reputation as a Hip hop producer grew in the mid-1980s, Hall was
recruited to be the lead vocalist of what would become Guy.[2] As
well as writing songs for their trio, Riley and Hall collaborated
on songwriting and production for Johnny Kemp ("Just Got Paid")
and Bobby Brown ("My Prerogative").
Under the guidance of manager Gene Griffin, the group signed to
Andre Harrell's Uptown Records, releasing their self-titled debut,
Guy, in 1988. Gatling left after recording was completed and was
quickly replaced by Aaron's younger brother Damion Hall for the promotion
and tour (with New Edition) of the record. The album contained the
hit singles "Groove Me", "Teddy's Jam," "I
Like" and "'Round And 'Round (Merry-Go-Round of Love)" as
well as "Piece of My Love" and "Goodbye Love".
The album earned Riley and the Hall brothers international fame as
it went triple platinum.
Following on from this success, in 1989 the band featured on the
soundtrack to Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing with the song "My
Fantasy". However, in the same year they split acrimoniously
from Gene Griffin,[3][4] while Riley continued to produce and remix
for other artists, firmly establishing himself as the figurehead
of and driving force behind the New Jack Swing movement.[5]
In 1990, Guy released their second album, The Future. The singles "Do
Me Right" (Featuring Heavy D), "Wanna Get Wit U" and "Let's
Chill" exposed them to a broader, more mainstream audience.
At this time, the band featured in Mario Van Peebles's film New Jack
City, performing the song "New Jack City".[6] However,
once the album's promotion ended in 1991, the band disbanded with
Riley later citing "the tragedy of our ex-manager" as the
reason for the split.[3] Their cover of the Wilson Pickett classic
Land of a Thousand Dances was featured in the 1992 animated film
FernGully: The Last Rainforest. In the 1990s, Riley focused on producing
other artists (such as Heavy D and Michael Jackson) and formed the
R&B group Blackstreet. The Hall brothers both pursued solo careers
during the 1990s, with Aaron in particular finding success.
[edit] Reunions
Guy have reformed periodically since their initial break-up, the
first of which occurred in 1995, with the release of the song "Tell
Me What You Like", but an album did not follow at that time.
In 1999, Riley and the Hall brothers reunited to release their first
album in nine years titled Guy III. The album featured the modest
hit "Dancin'", which peaked at #22, becoming surprisingly
their biggest hit on the pop charts. However, the album was poorly
promoted and as quickly as it was released it dropped from the public
consciousness. The group disbanded again soon after, but reformed
periodically from 2005 onwards, and despite rumours, have yet to
release another album.
In 2006 they were part of New Jack Reunion Tour line up, along with
Blackstreet, Tony Toni Tone, After 7, New Edition, and SWV.
Riley and the Hall brothers reunited at the 2009 BET Awards, performing "I
Like" as part of a new jack swing medley.[7]
Speaking in March 2010 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis - Deputy
Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul - Riley confirmed he
is no longer involved with Guy. Still, Riley, who was accused of
violently attacking one of his daughters during a pre-Christmas altercation
on December 23, 2009, went on to perform with the group again in
October 2010. But the reunion was short-lived following claims by
other band members that Riley had not properly distributed royalties
he had collected on behalf of Guy.
On January 16, 2011, Aaron and Damion performed without Teddy at
BET Honors in Washington DC. "Guy brought the audience to its
feet with new-jack-swing-era hits Let's Chill and Groove Me." -
The Washington Post. The performance at BET Honors became a trending
topic on Twitter when it aired on February 21, 2011. The duo appeared
again on February 17, 2011 on the TV One Black History Month special "Way
Black When."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Album information
Guy
Released: June 13, 1988
Label: MCA
Last RIAA certification: 3x Platinum[1]
Singles: "Groove Me", "Teddy's Jam", "Don't Clap...Just
Dance", "I Like", "Spend The Night", "Piece of
My Love" and "'Round And 'Round (Merry-Go-Round Of Love)"
The Future
Released: November 22, 1990
Label: MCA
Last RIAA certification: Platinum
Singles: "Wanna Get With You", "Let's Chill", "Do
Me Right", "Teddy's Jam 2", "Her", "D.O.G. Me
Out" and "Let's Stay Together"
Guy III
Released: January 25, 2000
Label: MCA
Singles: "Dancin'" and "Why You Wanna Keep Me From My Baby"
Groove Me: The Very Best Of Guy (Compilation album)
Released: September 10, 2002
Label: MCA
The Millennium Collection (Compilation album)
Released: May 18, 2004
Label: Geffen Records
[edit] Singles
Year Title Chart Positions Album
US
Hot 100 US
R&B US
Dance
1988 "Groove Me" – 4 33 Guy
"
'Round and 'Round (Merry-Go-Round of Love)" – 24 –
"
Teddy's Jam" – 5 25
1989 "I Like" 70 2 –
"
My Fantasy" (Teddy Riley Feat. Guy) – 1 – Do The
Right Thing soundtrack
"
Spend the Night" – 15 – Guy
1990 "Wanna Get with You" 50 4 27 The Future
1991 "Let's Chill" 41 3 –
"
Do Me Right" – 2 47
"
D-O-G Me Out" – 8 –
"
Let's Stay Together" – 16 –
1999 "Dancin'" 22 4 – Guy III
"
Why You Wanna Keep Me From My Baby"