Mary Jane Girls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Mary Jane Girls | |
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 The Mary Jane Girls on the cover of their 20th Century Masters album
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre(s) | R&B, Soul, Pop, Funk |
| Years active | 1979–1986 |
| Label(s) | Motown Records |
| Former members | |
| Joanne "Jojo" McDuffie Candice "Candi" Ghant Kim "Maxi" Wuletich Ann "Cheri" Bailey Yvette "Corvette" Marine |
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The Mary Jane Girls were a popular American R&B, soul, funk and pop group in the 1980s. The group consisted of four female members: Joanne "Jojo" McDuffie, Candice "Candi" Ghant, Kim "Maxi" Wuletich, and Ann "Cheri" Bailey. They were protégées of singer Rick James. McDuffie, a backup singer for James, was the first member of the group. McDuffie (lead vocalist) and well known background vocalists Maxine and Julie Waters were responsible for creating the Mary Jane Girls sound. They are best known for the pop smash "In My House" and the R&B funk classic "All Night Long".
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[edit] Beginning
The origin of the group's name is commonly believed to be an homage to James' affinity for marijuana, which is sometimes called "Mary Jane". The four group members took on distinctive character looks with matching personalities:
- Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie - Street tuff/self-described "female Rick James"
- Kim "Maxi" Wuletich - Leather queen/dominatrix
- Ann "Cheri" Bailey - Valley Girl/cheerleader
- Candice "Candi" Ghant - Sexy model/vamp
Bailey left the group shortly after their debut album was released in 1983 and was replaced by Yvette "Corvette" Marine, who is the daughter of disco singer Pattie Brooks. Marine filled the role of the Valley Girl in the band after Bailey's departure.
[edit] Career
Their self-titled debut album was released in 1983 and yielded the group their first R&B hits: "Candyman," "All Night Long" (which was included in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City), and "Boys". The group released their second album, Only Four You, in 1985. After limited success with the lead single, "Break It Up", the song "In My House" was chosen as the follow-up. This song became the group's biggest hit, first on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where the song went to #1 for two weeks in April of 1985. It also peaked at #3 on the R&B chart and, soon after, crossed over to the Hot 100 chart, where it reached #7 and spent 12 weeks in the Top 40. To date, this is the Mary Jane Girls' only Top 40 hit in the U.S. "Wild and Crazy Love" was the third single from this album, which also fared well on the R&B and dance charts. The group covered the Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons hit, "Walk Like a Man", which was included on the soundtrack of the 1986 film A Fine Mess. The Girls' next single, "Shadow Lover," was released in the spring of 1986, but problems with Motown and with James himself resulted in little promotion for the single, although it was performed on Soul Train. The group's third album, titled Conversation With The Mary Jane Girls, was supposed to be released in 1986, but James' personal issues and the dissolution of his Stone City Band led to his release from Motown and the consequent shelving of the album.
[edit] In the 1990s
Ghant and Wuletich left the group in the '90s, and McDuffie carried on solo. McDuffie also recorded with Rick James on his "Urban Rhapsody" CD on the track "Never Say You Love Me Again," which was originally written for Teena Marie.
After leaving the Mary Jane Girls, Ann Bailey sang lead for Morris Day's studio group "The DayZs."
Yvette Marine went on to sue Virgin Records in 1991, claiming that she had shared the lead vocals on the the songs "Opposites Attract", "Knocked Out", and "I Need You" on Paula Abdul's debut album Forever Your Girl[1]. In 1993 a jury eventually ruled against Marine[2].
In 1995, McDuffie, Ghant, and Wuletich, under the name "MJG", appeared on daytime talk show Jenny Jones as the show's first musical guests. Between 1996 and 1997, Ghant and Wuletich left the group once again.
[edit] Current
- Bailey formed her own music group, Miss Lady. She also works as a makeup artist and part-time midwife in California.
- McDuffie continues to perform as "JoJo" Original Lead Singer Mary Jane Girls, and is also is a television and film composer. Her solo project, entitled Slightly Dangerous and produced by Danny LeMelle, will be released in 2008.
- Ghant founded her own production company and is a manager and producer there.
- Marine is a married mother of two, and is the host of In The Mix with Yvette, a celebrity profile show.
- Wuletich has her own production company and is raising her son Christian in Los Angeles.
- The group appeared on VH1's Where Are They Now? in 2003. Bailey, Wuletich, Ghant, and Marine appeared in a separate segment from McDuffie, who had just returned from Europe touring with Barry White.
[edit] Cover versions
- All Night Long was recorded by British reggae act, La Famille in 1983, released on the Sanity record label.
- All Night Long was recorded by British street soul act, Jay Mondi and the Livin' Bass. Released in March 1990 on Ten Records, the track was a #63 UK hit.
- In My House was recorded by German singer Sarah Connor (singer) on her first album, Green Eyed Soul. The song also appears on her A Night to Remember: Pop Meets Classic dvd.
[edit] Sampling
Mary J. Blige sampled the group's "All Night Long" for her song "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" on her 1994 album My Life.
Jay-Z sampled "All Night Long" on a song called "Only A Customer", which appeared on the 1998 soundtrack The Streets Is Watching.
LL Cool J sampled the same song in 1990 for his song "Around the Way Girl".
Big Daddy Kane sampled the Mary Jane Girls on 1989's "Smooth Operator".
Redman has sampled "All Night Long" three times, on the following songs:
- Tonight's da Night
- Can't Wait (they also appeared in the video)
- How to Roll a Blunt
In the late '90s, rapper Mack 10 featured Wuletich, Ghant, and McDuffie on his single, "On Them Thangs", on Priority Records. The three also appeared in the video for the song.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | US R&B Singles | US Singles | US Dance Singles | Album |
| 1983 | "All Night Long" | 11 | - | - | Mary Jane Girls |
| 1983 | "Boys" | 29 | - | - | Mary Jane Girls |
| 1983 | "Candy Man" | 23 | - | - | Mary Jane Girls |
| 1985 | "Break It Up" | 79 | - | - | Only Four You |
| 1985 | "In My House" | 3 | 7 | #1 | Only Four You |
| 1985 | "Wild and Crazy Love" | 10 | 42 | 3 | Only Four You |
| 1986 | "Walk Like a Man" (original version by The Four Seasons) | 41 | 41 | - | A Fine Mess |
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album |
| 1983 | Mary Jane Girls |
| 1985 | Only Four You |
| 1986 | A Fine Mess (soundtrack) |
| 1994 | In My House: The Very Best of the Mary Jane Girls |
| 1999 | Best of Mary Jane Girls |
| 2001 | 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection |
