Barbara Weathers

Last updated
Barbara Weathers
Born (1963-12-07) December 7, 1963 (age 59)
Origin Greensboro, North Carolina
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)vocals
Years active1984–present
Labels Reprise
Weberworks

Barbara Weathers (born December 7, 1963) is an American R&B/soul singer, and former lead singer of R&B vocal group, Atlantic Starr. [1]

Contents

Overview

Weathers joined up at the age of 13 with an R&B band known as Covacus. This band was from her native area of Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1984, she left Covacus to join Atlantic Starr, replacing female co-lead singer Sharon Bryant, who had embarked upon a solo career.

Weathers' arrival heralded a new era of mainstream success for Atlantic Starr, beginning with her debut on the 1985 album As the Band Turns . [2] [1] A song from the album, "Secret Lovers", reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (becoming the band's first major Hot 100 hit), No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary Songs chart, and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. [3] [4] [5] The album spun off four additional top-40 singles on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, including two other top tens- the debut single "Freak-A-Ristic", which shot to No. 6, [6] and "If Your Heart Isn't In It", which matched "Secret Lovers"' placement at No. 4. Another of these R&B top-40 songs, the R&B No. 12 hit "Silver Shadow" featured Weathers as the sole lead vocalist, her first such song with the group. As the Band Turns was eventually certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. [7]

Meanwhile, Weathers continued contributing to Atlantic Starr's success, singing on the band's 1987 follow-up album All In The Name Of Love . [8] Spearheaded by the single "Always", a chart-topper on the Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts, [9] [10] [11] this album surpassed its predecessor, earning RIAA Platinum certification in the US. [12] Follow-up singles from the album included another R&B top ten hit, "One Lover at a Time", also featuring Weathers as the sole lead vocalist.

Following the massive popularity of this album, Weathers left the group to pursue a solo career, [1] going on to release her debut solo album in 1990 on Reprise Records. [13] The LP got to No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Hiplist chart. [14] Music & Media called the LP "a big, squeaky clean production" with "a singer of charm and variety in Weathers". [15] People also noted the album as "an attractive and smooth collection". [16] While the album was not as successful in America, the album cut "The Master Key" rose to no. 13 upon the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. [17]

She later appeared on Big Daddy Kane's October 1990 LP Taste of Chocolate and Paul Jackson Jr.'s 1993 album A River in the Desert. [1]

Weathers's 1995 sophomore LP entitled Seeing for the Very First Time was issued solely in Japan. [18] During October 2011, she released Satisfaction Guaranteed, her third studio album.

Weathers is also a member of jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum's band. [19]

Discography

Albums

With Atlantic Starr

Solo

  • Barbara Weathers (1990)
  • Seeing For The Very First Time (Weberworks, 1995) released only in Japan
  • Satisfaction Guaranteed (Weberworks, 2011)

Singles

With Atlantic Starr

1985

1986

  • "If Your Heart Isn't In It"
  • "Armed and Dangerous" 1986

1987

  • "Always"
  • "One Lover at A Time"
  • "All in the Name of Love"

1988

  • "Thankful"

Solo

1990

  • The Master Key
  • Our Love Will Last Forever

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth, Wind & Fire</span> American band

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.

The Emotions are an American soul/R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice White</span> American musician (1941–2016), founder of Earth, Wind & Fire

Maurice White was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda K. Starr</span> American musician

Brenda Joy Kaplan, known by her stage name Brenda K. Starr, is an American singer and songwriter. She is well known originally in R&B, dance and pop but now mostly in salsa-based music. She is also well known for her 1980s work with freestyle music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Bailey</span> American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer

Philip James Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register, Bailey has won seven Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with the band.

Atlantic Starr is an American band based in White Plains, New York. They are best known for the hits "Always", "Secret Lovers", "Circles", and "Masterpiece".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Shadow (song)</span>

"Silver Shadow" is a song by American R&B group Atlantic Starr, released as the third single from their successful 1985 album As the Band Turns. Lead vocals were performed by Barbara Weathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)</span>

"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Always (Atlantic Starr song)</span> 1987 single by Atlantic Starr

"Always" is a song by American R&B group Atlantic Starr. The track was the second single from the group's seventh studio album All in the Name of Love (1987). The single was the biggest hit for Atlantic Starr; it peaked at number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in June 1987, being the band's only number one song. The song also spent two weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart. In July, it topped the Canadian RPM 100 national singles chart, where it remained for two weeks. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it silver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Lovers</span> 1985 single by Atlantic Starr

"Secret Lovers", released in 1985, was the third single from As the Band Turns, the sixth album from American group Atlantic Starr. "Secret Lovers" was Atlantic Starr's true breakthrough hit on the pop charts in both the US and UK, though the group had previously minor pop and R&B hits in both countries. The flip side "When Love Calls" had previously been issued in the US in 1981 as a single and proved a substantial club success in the UK where its presence contributed to sales of "Secret Lovers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yes, I'm Ready</span>

"Yes, I'm Ready" a song by Barbara Mason from her album Yes, I'm Ready (1965). It has been covered by numerous artists, and was a hit single for Teri DeSario and K.C. when they recorded a duet version in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Always Love You (Taylor Dayne song)</span> 1988 single by Taylor Dayne

"I'll Always Love You" is a song by American singer Taylor Dayne and the third single from her debut album, Tell It to My Heart. Dayne was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal for her performance on "I'll Always Love You" in 1989. The song was also nominated for Best R&B Song that year.

<i>All in the Name of Love</i> 1987 studio album by Atlantic Starr

All in the Name of Love is the eighth studio album by R&B band Atlantic Starr released in March 1987 upon Warner Bros. Records. The album rose to nos. 4 & 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard 200 charts. All in the Name of Love was also certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<i>Head to the Sky</i> 1973 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Head to the Sky is the fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in May 1973 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. Head to the Sky has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<i>As the Band Turns</i> 1985 studio album by Atlantic Starr

As the Band Turns is the sixth album by R&B band Atlantic Starr, released in 1985. Following the departure of initial lead singer Sharon Bryant, As The Band sees the introduction of new vocalist Barbara Weathers. This proved to be one of the band's more successful releases, yielding several R&B hits, such as "Freak-A-Ristic," "If Your Heart Isn't In It", and the smash quiet storm anthem "Secret Lovers." This would be the band's last release for A&M Records after a memorable, although inconsistent, run of hits throughout the early 80's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Always and Forever (Heatwave song)</span>

"Always and Forever" is an R&B song written by Rod Temperton and produced by Barry Blue. It was first recorded by the British-based multinational funk-disco band Heatwave in 1976. Released as a single on December 3, 1977, the song is included on Heatwave's debut album Too Hot to Handle (1976) and has been covered by numerous artists, becoming something of a standard.

<i>The Andy Williams Show</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Andy Williams

The Andy Williams Show is the twenty-sixth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the fall of 1970 by Columbia Records. In his review on AllMusic.com, William Ruhlmann writes that "The Andy Williams Show LP was not a soundtrack recording from the TV series, and it was not really a live album, although it gets categorized as such. What appears to be the case is that Columbia Records took a group of Williams' studio recordings, most of them made during the summer of 1970 and consisting of his versions of recent soft rock hits, and added a lot of canned applause along with some of the kind of musical interludes used to usher numbers on and off on the show, including bits of its "Moon River" theme music at the start and the finish."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masterpiece (Atlantic Starr song)</span> 1992 single by Atlantic Starr

"Masterpiece" is a 1992 song written by Kenny Nolan and performed by Atlantic Starr. The single was the second release from the album Love Crazy and peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. "Masterpiece" also went to number three on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. The song performed well in Canada, peaking at number 15 on the RPM Top Singles chart and number one on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.

<i>Barbara Weathers</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Barbara Weathers

Barbara Weathers is the debut album by R&B singer Barbara Weathers released upon Reprise Records in 1990. The LP got to No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Hiplist chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Barbara Weathers". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  2. ↑ Hunt, Dennis (March 2, 1986). "ATLANTIC STARR LIGHTS A FIRE ON CHARTS". Los Angeles Times .
  3. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Secret Lovers (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com.
  4. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Secret Lovers (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
  5. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Secret Lovers (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com.
  6. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Freak-A-Ristic (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com.
  7. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: As The Band Turns". RIAA.com.
  8. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: All In The Name Of Love". allmusic.com.
  9. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Always (Hot 100)". Billboard.com.
  10. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Always (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  11. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Always (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.com.
  12. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: All In The Name of Love". riaa.com.
  13. ↑ Barbara Weathers: Barbara Weathers. Reprise Records. 1990.
  14. ↑ "The Hiplist". No. 563. Blues and Soul. June 19, 1990.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  15. ↑ Barbara Weathers: Barbara Weathers. Music & Media. August 11, 1990. p. 7.
  16. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Barbara Weathers". people.com. People. August 13, 1990.
  17. ↑ "Barbara Weathers: The Master Key". billboard.com. Billboard.[ dead link ]
  18. ↑ Barbara Weathers: Seeing For The Very First Time. Weber Works Records. 1995.
  19. ↑ "ICYMI". twitter.com. Kirk Whalum. January 1, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.