Keri Lewis
| Mint Condition | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk, new jack swing, neo soul, rock, jazz |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Perspective, Elektra, Image, Shanachie, Kobalt |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Toni Braxton, Ali Shaheed Muhammad |
| Website | mintconditionmusic |
| Members |
Stokley Williams Ricky Kinchen Homer O'Dell Larry Waddell Jeffrey Allen |
| Past members | Keri Lewis Roger Lynch Ray Coleman Kenny Young |
Mint Condition is an American R&B band from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Formed in the mid 1980s at Central High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, its original members were Stokley Williams (lead vocals, drums, percussion), Homer O'Dell (guitar), Larry Waddell (keyboards, piano), Roger Lynch (son of Roger Troutman), Ray Coleman and Kenny Young. Lynch, Coleman and Young all left the group however and were replaced by schoolmates Keri Lewis (keyboards, synthesizer) and Jeffrey Allen (saxophone, keyboards) along with Chicago native Ricky Kinchen (bass). This lineup of Williams, O'Dell, Waddell, Allen, Lewis and Kinchen comprised the classic lineup of the band.
Currently, this line-up remains intact, with the exception of Lewis, who left the group to focus on his marriage to Toni Braxton and produce for her and other artists. The group is well known for its diverse musical style (able to play anything from traditional jazz to mainstream R&B and rock-based music to funk grooves and even Latin and Jamaican-based rhythms) and also its captivating live performances. The band is also well known for their well written and produced R&B ballads, mainly in the 1990s. They are mostly known for their hits "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" (1991) and "What Kind of Man Would I Be" (1996).
Discovered and originally signed to Perspective Records by music producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1989 (after being heard at a performance at a club in downtown Minneapolis called First Avenue), their debut album was entitled Meant To Be Mint (released in 1991). Despite their musical versatility the band attempted to attract new jack swing listeners with their dance cut "Are You Free", but it wasn't successful (the song hit #55 on the R&B charts). However, they did enjoy major success with the ballad "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)". The song stayed on the charts for 34 weeks, hitting the R&B top 5 (#3), and the Pop Top 10 (#6) and was certified gold by the RIAA. The third single "Forever In Your Eyes" was also a successful Top 10 R&B hit (#7 R&B). Two years later they released their 2nd album, From The Mint Factory (1993). They enjoyed success with the single "U Send Me Swingin'" which peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart for four weeks straight in the spring of 1994. The song was also a smash on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts where it reached #14. The band's next two singles "Someone to Love" and "So Fine" were Billboard Top 30 R&B hits hitting the #28, and #29 spots respectively.
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