Lisa Lisa Biography

With dance-based compositions (I Wonder if I Take You Home), gorgeous ballads (All Cried Out), and unashamed pop melodies, Full Force, a six-man performing/songwriting/production combo from East Flatbush/Brooklyn, NY, achieved million-selling successes (Head to Toe, Lost in Emotion). They were one of the pioneers of what would eventually be known as hip-hop R&B. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were the most successful artist on Full Force's One Big Family roster, with five gold singles, two number-one singles on both the R&B and mainstream charts, two platinum albums, and appearances on many compilations and movie soundtracks. Lisa Velez, the youngest of ten children, was born on January 15, 1967, in New York's Hell's Kitchen. While folding sweaters at Benetton, a New York City apparel company, she dreamed of being a singing star. She'd slip out of the family flat after dark after hearing that Madonna had been found by top dance-pop producer Jellybean at the Fun House, a non-liquor-serving hangout for rappers and breakdancers. That's when she met percussionist Mike Hughes, who also happened to be a roadie with Full Force. He was considering creating a group and invited the ambitious 16-year-old vocalist to an audition at the group's Brooklyn/Flatbush residence. Raymond, Velez's elder brother, informed him she couldn't travel until he went with her. The two secretly met one evening and rode the train to the FF audition without Raymond's knowledge. Because Full Force and its manager Steve Salem were already thinking along the same lines, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's success appears to be kismet. With New Edition in the midst of their peak, FF and Salem decided to establish a group that was also influenced by Motown. In essence, they'd establish a new version of the Supremes since there was a new edition of the Jackson 5. Meeting Full Force, who were built like pro football linebackers and named Paul Anthony, Bowlegged Lou, B-Fine, Baby Gerry, Shy-Shy, and Curt-t-t, was a daunting encounter for Velez, who was obviously frightened. She sang Sheena Easton's For Your Eyes Only, the title theme from the 1981 Roger Moore James Bond film, after singing other Hughes songs. FF was certain they'd discovered the vocalist they were seeking after that. She wasn't a great singer or a strong voice, but she was someone who typical adolescent girls her age could sing along with and easily mimic when they saw her rehearse. The group named her Lisa Lisa and joined Hughes and his buddy, guitarist Alex Spanador Moseley, as Cult Jam after signing her to Full Force's management and production business. The first single Full Force produced on Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was I Wonder if I Take You Home, which combined their signature beat, which was influenced by Stax/Booker T. & the MG's/Al Green drummer Al Jackson, Jr. (whose work on Otis Redding and Carla Thomas' Tramp was sampled by early rap and hip-hop artists ad nauseam) with the electro sound of Kraftwerk/Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock. Personal Records, located in New York, signed the group as Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force. I Wonder if I Take You Home was leased to CBS Records' European branch for the compilation CD Breakdancing. DJs in American clubs began spinning the track from the import album. The single was published by CBS's Columbia Records subsidiary in the United States, and it rapidly rose to the top of Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco chart. In summer 1985, the single went gold, reaching at number six on the R&B list and number 34 on the pop chart. Can You Feel the Beat, the follow-up, reached number 40 on the R&B charts in late 1985. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force starring Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou released their third song, the lovely ballad All Cried Out, which went gold and reached number three R&B and number eight pop in summer 1986. The ballad Someone to Love Me for Me b/w Spanish Fly (number seven R&B), Everything Will B-Fine (number nine R&B), and the excellent LP cut Face in the Crowd were all hits for Spanish Fly. In the summer of 1988, Lisa Lisa/Full Force had a track in the Chevy Chase film Caddyshack 2, Go for Yours. Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star (number three R&B), Just Git It Together, and Kiss Your Tears Away b/w Dance Forever were among the hits from Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's 1989 album Straight to the Sky. The production duties for their second album, Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen, were shared, with C+C Music Factory's Robert Clivillés and David Cole handling side one and Full Force handling side two. In the summer of 1991, the popular Clivillés and Cole-produced track Let the Beat Hit 'Em went gold and reached number one R&B. In the fall of 1991, the FF-produced follow-up, Where Were You When I Needed You, reached number 65 on the R&B charts. A cover of the Isley Brothers' Sensuality is one of the album's outstanding tracks. Lisa Lisa reappeared as a solo act on Pendulum in late 1993, charting with Skip to My Lu (number 38 R&B) and When I Fell in Love (from the LL 77 album), both from the LL 77 album. Lisa Lisa made appearances on albums released by Full Force. Love Scene, the final track on Full Force's second album, Full Force Get Busy 1 Time!, and the reverse side of Old Flames Never Die and Sisters from Cheryll Pepsii Riley's Me, Myself & I, which contained her number one R&B song Thanks for My Child in 1988, are two examples. All Music Guide's Ed Hogan.

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