Club Nouveau | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Sacramento, California, United States |
Genres | Pop, dance, new jack swing |
Years active | 1986–present |
Labels | Warner Bros. (1986–1990) |
Associated acts | Timex Social Club, Foster & McElroy, Samuelle |
Members | Jay King Valerie Watson English Samuelle Prater |
Past members |
Denzil Foster Thomas McElroy Kevin Irving David Agent Roque LaCrosby Walter Phillips James L. Richard II Mario Corbino |
Club Nouveau is an American pop/new jack swing group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California subsequent to the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name (French for "New Club") was changed from its original incarnation, Jet Set, to capitalize on the breakup. The group was signed by Warner Bros. Records, on which Club Nouveau released its first three albums. Club Nouveau's version of Bill Withers' song "Lean on Me" won a Grammy award for Best R&B Song in 1987.
From their debut album, Life, Love & Pain, which was released in 1986, the group scored four consecutive hits: "Jealousy" (essentially an answer song responding to Timex Social Club's hit "Rumors"), "Situation #9", "Lean on Me" and "Why You Treat Me So Bad". The latter two both made it to #2 on the Billboard R&B chart the next year, with "Lean on Me" going on to become a big Billboard Hot 100 hit. "Jealousy" also made an appearance on the soundtrack for the film, Modern Girls. "Why You Treat Me So Bad" was interpolated by the hip-hop duo Luniz, on their hit single "I Got 5 on It", and subsequently by rapper/record producer, Puff Daddy, on his #1 R&B single, "Satisfy You".