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Guy (Music Group)Guy was an R&B musical group, the first to sport the soulful vocals-springy hip-hop beats combo of music called new jack swing or swingbeat music, although the Timex Social Club and the Force M.D.s had earlier experimented with the R&B/soul meets rap/hip-hop approach. Guy was invented by the founder, multi-musician and superproducer Teddy Riley, Guy formed in 1987. Prior to Guy, Riley was a member of a group called Kids at Work. Along with Riley, the original members were Aaron Hall and Timmy Gatling. After Riley had learned all the ropes that there were to know about the songwriting and record producing business, he and the rest of Guy signed to MCA records, their first manager was Gene Griffin, Bernard Belle was co-creator of New Jack Swing,and they were on G.R. Productions. The announcement of the New Jack Swing invasion on urban radio came as soon as after Keith Sweat's debut album Make It Last Forever was released at the end of 1987.Guy's first single "Groove Me" was released over the radio in the spring of 1988.The following singles were "Teddy's Jam", "I Like", "Spend The Night","Piece of My Love", and "Round and Round(Merry-Go-Round of Love)"."Teddy's Jam", a mostly instrumental single, became such a hit that a sequel follow-up versions of it would be included on each,subsequent album.After all of that, Guy's self-titled debut album came out later in the summer of '88 and it became an instant smash.Right from there, Riley went on to write songs and produce for other artists and groups, including Kool Moe Dee, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Keith Sweat, Jane Child and SWV among dozens of others.Before Bobby Brown's second album Don't Be Cruel was released, Riley worked on that project also,then it was released the same year that the Guy album was.Don't Be cruel is said to be the ultimate album that really began to aid New Jack Swing in crossing over into the pop mainstream.Guy was on top of the world.With the mixture of Aaron's singing over Riley's bouncy beats, they were just what they needed to help get things started in the popular music force.In between albums,Guy contributed a couple of extra, original songs to the soundtracks of Do the Right Thing and New Jack City,one for each soundtrack. "My Fantasy" on Do the Right Thing became their first r&b #1 in 1989."New Jack City" was the song on the soundtrack of the same title, which appeared in 1991. Riley wasn't really apart of the next group that he concocted, but he did do his part in the production of a pop rap/party rap group called Wreckx-N-Effect, which included his brother Markell Riley, half-brother Brandon Mitchell, and friend Aquil Davidson.Their self-titled debut album was unleashed in 1989 on Motown records.Sadly and unfortunately, one of the members wouldn't still be here to see the future success.Mitchell was slain to death by gunshots that same year.To make matters even worse as Guy fell deeper into turmoil,they split up with their manager Griffin over money problems.Gatling left the group for his own recording and production career on account of creative differences. Gatling's replacement came in the form of Aaron's younger brother Albert Damion Hall.Guy's next roundup of singles from their next album were "Wanna Get With U","Let's Chill", "Do Me Right","D-O-G Me Out","Teddy's Jam 2",and either "Let's Stay Together" or "Yearning For Your Love". Guy's sophomore album "The Future" was released in 1990.The singles just mentioned were some more hits.But by the time Guy had finally started to attract media attention for their innovative and influential work, the threesome had already went splitsville in 1991.Part of the reason why they were forced to do that was because that was the only way they could ever be free from their contract. Riley took time off from the singing business to focus on his songwriting and production career for a couple of years before finally forming the next band of his:Blackstreet.With Riley,the original vocalists were Chauncey 'Black' Hannibal,Dave Hollister, and Levi Little.Their self-titled debut album was released in the spring of 1994. The Hall brothers went on to solo projects.Aaron's solo debut,The Truth, came out in 1993.His little brother Damion's Straight To The Point, followed a year later. Guy reunited eight years later in 1999 after their breakup to record the reunion album, Guy III, which released early in the following year. After the first single from that album "Dancin'" was played on the radio, the rest of the album proved to be unable to live up to its critical and commercial anticipations, as it didn't sell well as the other albums disappointingly. On the latest 411, there has been talk about Guy possibly, actually reuniting soon and they plan to released their fourth album sometime in the near future.
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