Ten City
Ten City were an important stage in the development of house. With self-conviction unusually high for the time, they snubbed the Chicago labels which by that time were losing their artists more quickly than they could sign them, and headed for Atlantic records in New York where Merlin Bobb promptly snapped them up. Where nearly all the house that had gone before them was strictly producer created, Ten City were an act, and they could be marketed as such. Plus, they returned some of the soul vision to house, a tradition that went all the way back to the Philly sound it was no coincidence that 'Devotion' was one of the first records from Chicago to really do well on the East Coast, which always had much stronger r'n'b roots in its club music. After another huge club hit with 'Right Back To You', they broached the UK top Ten in January 1989 with 'That's The Way Love Is'. --Phil Cheeseman
Profile
The Chicago vocal group Ten City was one of the few house units to enjoy mainstream exposure during the late '80s and early '90s. Originally called Ragtyme, the trio was formed by vocalist Byron Stingily, guitarist Herb Lawson and keyboard player Byron Burke, all under the aegis of producer extraordinaire Marshall Jefferson. After signing with Atlantic in the late '80s, Ten City's debut LP Foundation included the singles "Right Back to You" and "That's the Way Love Is," both of which received a good response in R&B and dance circles. State of Mind and No House Big Enough followed in 1990 and 1992, though Atlantic dropped them soon after. Just after release from their contract, the single "Fantasy" (written with Masters at Work) did well on the clubscene, but by the time Ten City released their third album That Was Then, This Is Now the buzz had disappeared. The group rapidly disintegrated, though Stingily went on to a solo career. — Ron Wynn
Rude Tymz Entertainment
Hello:This is Byron Burke form the group Ten City. I'm launching a new company next month called Rude Tymz Entertainment. Our first single entilted "Keep On will be featured at the WMC in Miami. You can listen to a demo version at our website, the link is below.
In April, we are having a 5 week music industry workshop at Pace University in New York. I'll send you some more information about the company next week.
Kind regard,
Rude Tymz Entertainment, Inc.
Byron E. Burke
145 West 45th. Street, Suite 604
New York, New York 10036
http://www.rudetymz.com
Keep On loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated as if you yourself were suffering. (Hebrews 13:1-3)
Links
Recordings
Ten City - Devotion (1987), Marshal Jefferson? Ten City - Where Do We Go (1989), live drumming by Earl YoungCDs
- Best of Ten City, Ibadan 2001 [Amazon US]
[Amazon UK]
No tracklisting yet. For background info on Ten City, check Ten City 1. Devotion [Club Mix] 2. That's the Way Love Is [Underground Mix][Version] 3. Right Back to You [Extended Mix] 4. Whatever Makes You Happy [Classix Dub] 5. Deep Kiss Listen Listen 6. Suspicious 7. Nothing's Changed [Vocal Version] 8. Only Time Will Tell [Original Demo Version] 9. All Loved Out 10. My Peace of Heaven [Demo Mix]
When Byron Stingily, Byron Burke and Herb Lawson got together to form Ten City in 1985, they created a legendary and revolutionary group. By introducing live music and songwriting into an electronic sound that was then at a nascent stage, they helped set the scene for the development of vocal Chicago house. This compilation presents 10 of Ten City's best tunes from over the years, spanning their early Atlantic years and beyond with massive singles like "Devotion" (from their debut album Foundation, co-produced with Marshall Jefferson) and evergreen classic "That's The Way Love Is" which managed to get into the UK top 10. Elsewhere, cuts such as "Right Back To You", "Whatever Makes You Happy", "Deep Kiss", "Suspicious", "My Peace Of Heaven", "All Loved Out" and "Nothing's Changed" all highlight the band's way with arrangements and knack of writing catchy and spiritual tunes. Many of the tracks featured are rare demo versions and extended remixes previously only available on vinyl, and there's a couple of remixes from veterans Joe Clausell and Kerri Chandler that help bring some material up to date. This is a truly essential snapshot of a truly influential band. --Paul Sullivan for amazon.co.uk