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Mary Jane Girls
The Mary Jane Girls are an American girl group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. Formed by Rick James, the original lineup comprised JoJo McDuffie, Cheri Wells, Candice Ghant, and Kimberly Wuletich. Known for their on-stage sexual image, the group debuted on Motown' imprint Gordy Records with the release of their Top 10 dance songs "Candy Man" and "All Night Long" from their debut album Mary Jane Girls (1983).
The group achieved their first gold album with Only Four You in 1985. The album's single, "In My House", became their highest-charting single, peaking in the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. During the recording of their third album, the group was disbanded after a contractual dispute between Rick James and Gordy Records. The Mary Jane Girls briefly reformed as a trio with McDuffie, Ghant, and Wuletich in 1995, only to disband again in 1997.
In 2010, two spin-off groups featuring original members have surfaced. Original member Candice Ghant billed her spin-off group as the Mary Jane Girls, which include singers Val Young and Farah Melanson. Original members Cheri Wells and Kimberly Wuletich billed their group as MJG Starring Maxi and Cheri of the Original Mary Jane Girls. The Mary Jane Girls have been inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 1981, American singer and musician Rick James was looking for background vocalists for his Street Songs Tour. JoJo McDuffie, a local session singer who was working at a record store, was introduced to James by his bass guitarist Oscar Alston. During the tour, James referred to his female backup singers as the Mary Jane Band, which consisted of McDuffie, Taborah Johnson, and Lisa Sarna. After touring as a background vocalists for concert tour, James wrote and produced songs for the group. Although press photos were taken and several songs were recorded, Johnson and Sarna departed before the project went any further.
James eventually proposed to Motown that McDuffie be offered a solo career but miscommunication caused the label to sign an all-female group, which he determined would be the Mary Jane Girls. Cheri Wells was the second member selected for the group. James later added Candice Ghant, a Motown session singer and former member of the disco group SofTouch. Kimberly Wuletich was the fourth member added to the group after being introduced to James by one of his brother. Although James insisted that the group's name was a reference to the candy mary jane rather than to marijuana, McDuffie later confirmed the group was named after the slang word for marijuana which was also a favored recreational drug of James.
In January 1983, Rick James began working on the Mary Jane Girls' album, along with members of the Stone City Band. During the recording of the album, McDuffie chosen to be the lead singer and she was mainly backed by session singers Julia Waters Tillman and Maxine Waters Willard. However according to liner notes, Cheri Wells sang lead on the song "Jealously" while Candice Ghant co-leads "You Are My Heaven" alongside McDuffie. The resulting debut album, Mary Jane Girls, was released on April 13, 1983, to critical acclaim. Mary Jane Girls peaked at number fifty-six on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's lead single, "Candy Man", peaked at number 23 on the US Hot Black Singles chart. The follow-up single "All Night Long" peaked at number 11 on the US Hot Black Singles chart and number 13 on the UK Singles chart. The group toured as the opening act for Rick James' Cold Blooded Tour and were backed by the Stone City Band. The male band members also sang the background vocals to support McDuffie as lead vocalist.
After their tour came to its conclusion, Cheri Wells departed from the group, citing feeling limited by James' control over the group. During an audition to replace Jody Watley in the group Shalamar, Wells met Yvette Marine. After Marine spoke to Wells about her departure from the Mary Jane Girls, Marine reached out to Rick James to audition for his group. After adding Marine to the lineup, the group began recording their second album. In the US, Only Four You was released on February 14, 1985, to generally positive reviews. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200, selling over 500,000 copies within five months and earning a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The lead single, "In My House", followed the album's release and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. "Wild and Crazy Love", the second single from the album, peaked number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the US Hot Black Singles chart. The album's final two singles "Break It Up" and "Shadow Lover" failed to meet the success of its predecessors.
The group proceeded to tour as the opening act for Rick James' Glow Tour. In September 1985, the group headlined their concert tour. In July 1986, the group released a single titled "Walk Like a Man", a cover of The Four Seasons hit, on the soundtrack of the comedy film A Fine Mess. Their version peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the summer of 1986, the group embarked on another tour alongside The Stone City Band, Val Young, and Process and the Doo Rags. By late 1986, the group had completed the recording their third album Conversations, which was planned to be released in the final quarter of 1986. Despite this, plans to release the album were derailed when Rick James engaged in a contractual dispute with Gordy Records over the status of his career and his various bands. The ending resulted in James leaving Gordy Records and taking the Mary Jane Girls along with him.
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Mary Jane Girls
The Mary Jane Girls are an American girl group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. Formed by Rick James, the original lineup comprised JoJo McDuffie, Cheri Wells, Candice Ghant, and Kimberly Wuletich. Known for their on-stage sexual image, the group debuted on Motown' imprint Gordy Records with the release of their Top 10 dance songs "Candy Man" and "All Night Long" from their debut album Mary Jane Girls (1983).
The group achieved their first gold album with Only Four You in 1985. The album's single, "In My House", became their highest-charting single, peaking in the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. During the recording of their third album, the group was disbanded after a contractual dispute between Rick James and Gordy Records. The Mary Jane Girls briefly reformed as a trio with McDuffie, Ghant, and Wuletich in 1995, only to disband again in 1997.
In 2010, two spin-off groups featuring original members have surfaced. Original member Candice Ghant billed her spin-off group as the Mary Jane Girls, which include singers Val Young and Farah Melanson. Original members Cheri Wells and Kimberly Wuletich billed their group as MJG Starring Maxi and Cheri of the Original Mary Jane Girls. The Mary Jane Girls have been inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 1981, American singer and musician Rick James was looking for background vocalists for his Street Songs Tour. JoJo McDuffie, a local session singer who was working at a record store, was introduced to James by his bass guitarist Oscar Alston. During the tour, James referred to his female backup singers as the Mary Jane Band, which consisted of McDuffie, Taborah Johnson, and Lisa Sarna. After touring as a background vocalists for concert tour, James wrote and produced songs for the group. Although press photos were taken and several songs were recorded, Johnson and Sarna departed before the project went any further.
James eventually proposed to Motown that McDuffie be offered a solo career but miscommunication caused the label to sign an all-female group, which he determined would be the Mary Jane Girls. Cheri Wells was the second member selected for the group. James later added Candice Ghant, a Motown session singer and former member of the disco group SofTouch. Kimberly Wuletich was the fourth member added to the group after being introduced to James by one of his brother. Although James insisted that the group's name was a reference to the candy mary jane rather than to marijuana, McDuffie later confirmed the group was named after the slang word for marijuana which was also a favored recreational drug of James.
In January 1983, Rick James began working on the Mary Jane Girls' album, along with members of the Stone City Band. During the recording of the album, McDuffie chosen to be the lead singer and she was mainly backed by session singers Julia Waters Tillman and Maxine Waters Willard. However according to liner notes, Cheri Wells sang lead on the song "Jealously" while Candice Ghant co-leads "You Are My Heaven" alongside McDuffie. The resulting debut album, Mary Jane Girls, was released on April 13, 1983, to critical acclaim. Mary Jane Girls peaked at number fifty-six on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's lead single, "Candy Man", peaked at number 23 on the US Hot Black Singles chart. The follow-up single "All Night Long" peaked at number 11 on the US Hot Black Singles chart and number 13 on the UK Singles chart. The group toured as the opening act for Rick James' Cold Blooded Tour and were backed by the Stone City Band. The male band members also sang the background vocals to support McDuffie as lead vocalist.
After their tour came to its conclusion, Cheri Wells departed from the group, citing feeling limited by James' control over the group. During an audition to replace Jody Watley in the group Shalamar, Wells met Yvette Marine. After Marine spoke to Wells about her departure from the Mary Jane Girls, Marine reached out to Rick James to audition for his group. After adding Marine to the lineup, the group began recording their second album. In the US, Only Four You was released on February 14, 1985, to generally positive reviews. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200, selling over 500,000 copies within five months and earning a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The lead single, "In My House", followed the album's release and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. "Wild and Crazy Love", the second single from the album, peaked number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the US Hot Black Singles chart. The album's final two singles "Break It Up" and "Shadow Lover" failed to meet the success of its predecessors.
The group proceeded to tour as the opening act for Rick James' Glow Tour. In September 1985, the group headlined their concert tour. In July 1986, the group released a single titled "Walk Like a Man", a cover of The Four Seasons hit, on the soundtrack of the comedy film A Fine Mess. Their version peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the summer of 1986, the group embarked on another tour alongside The Stone City Band, Val Young, and Process and the Doo Rags. By late 1986, the group had completed the recording their third album Conversations, which was planned to be released in the final quarter of 1986. Despite this, plans to release the album were derailed when Rick James engaged in a contractual dispute with Gordy Records over the status of his career and his various bands. The ending resulted in James leaving Gordy Records and taking the Mary Jane Girls along with him.