Wonderland Burlesque's
Down The Rabbit Hole:
Mary Jane Girls
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the work and history of the audacious Mary Jane Girls
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From Wikipedia and other sources:
In 1983, Rick James proposed to Motown that Joanne McDuffie, his on-going backup singer, be offered a solo career but miscommunication caused the label to sign an all-female group, which became the Mary Jane Girls. The group consisted of members Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie, Cheryl Ann "Cheri" Bailey, Candice "Candi" Ghant, Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich and Yvette "Corvette" Marine.
Joanne "Jojo" McDuffie was the lead singer, with the others filling out the group's style and appearance. On the studio recordings, McDuffie was backed by session vocalists rather than the other Mary Jane Girls. James wrote and produced the group's material. James said of the group, "I wanted there to be a Black female group in the industry that could express more reality with relationships to men. I wanted there to be Black girls who could really speak about love, the pain, money, power, hate and everything. Originally there were going to be three girls in negligees doing the punk thing."
Their first album was released in 1983, yielding the R&B hits All Night Long, Candy Man, and Boys. In live performances, the Mary Jane Girls were backed by James' group the Stone City Band.
A second album was released in 1985. It contained In My House, which became the group's biggest hit, reaching #3 on the R&B chart and then crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached #7 , spending 12 weeks in the Top 40. It also charted on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at # 1 for two weeks in April of 1985.
A second album was released in 1985. It contained In My House, which became the group's biggest hit, reaching #3 on the R&B chart and then crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached #7 , spending 12 weeks in the Top 40. It also charted on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at # 1 for two weeks in April of 1985.
The group recorded a third album – which was shelved for decades but finally released in 2014 as part of a larger Rick James retrospective. However, a single was released from the project in 1986, a cover of The Four Seasons hit Walk Like a Man, which was heard in the film A Fine Mess. It charted at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single, Shadow Lover, was also released in 1986, but with no label support and on-going issues between Motown and Rich James, the group disbanded in 1987.
The group was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
The group was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
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Candyman - Mary Jane Girls
All Night Long - Mary Jane Girls
Boys - Mary Jane Girls
In My House - Mary Jane Girls
Walk Like A Man - Mary Jane Girls
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