The Force M.D.s are an American R&B vocal group that was formed in 1981 in Staten Island, New York. Although the group has old school hip hop roots, it is perhaps best known for their soulful R&B tunes such as "Tender Love," "Love Is a House," "Tears," and "Here I Go Again." They are considered major forerunners of the new jack swing movement.[citation needed]
Force M.D.s | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Staten Island, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Zieme Capers Stevie D. (Stevie D. Lundy) Khalil (Rodney Lundy) |
| Past members | T.C.D. (Antoine Lundy) (deceased) Mercury (Charles Nelson) (deceased) DJ Dr. Rock (deceased) Shawn Waters Trisco (Trisco Pearson) (deceased) Jessie D. (Jessie Lee Daniels) (deceased) Damen Heyward Jessie Rannie |
| Website | theforcemds |
History
editOrigins
editThe band was originally named The L.D.s, and then became the Force MCs.[2] Though the group was not quite always as recognizable as other New York R&B acts when it first started, they were among the first R&B vocal groups to intermix doo-wop-affected singing with and sometimes over hip-hop beats.[2]
The group was composed of brothers Stevie D., Antoine "T.C.D." (February 3, 1963 – January 18, 1998), and Rodney "Khalil" Lundy, and their uncle Jessie Lee Daniels (July 4, 1963 – January 4, 2022).[3] Later, friends Trisco Pearson (October 23, 1962 – September 16, 2016) and Charles "Mercury" Nelson (December 19, 1964 – March 9, 1995) from the Mariners Harbor housing projects joined the group.
Performing and signing with a record label
editThe group began performing on Times Square, New York City street corners and during trips on the Staten Island ferry.[2] After the L.D.s connected with DJ Dr. Rock (Roger Daniels) they then performed as "Dr. Rock & the Force MCs."[2] The group was discovered by hip hop promoter Vansilk in summer 1981. The three members were Dr. Rock, Stevie D. and Mercury. In collaboration with Dr. Rock, the group continued to perfect their unique sound, which was unusual at the time: a fusion of doo-wop harmonies and hip-hop that involved singing, rapping and group member's "human beatbox" melodies at underground hip hop shows.[2] They gained even more credibility and respect from local fans after competing in an emcee lyrical battle against the well known Cold Crush Brothers from the Bronx in 1983.
By 1984, the group signed with Tommy Boy Records. This is the same year the group changed their name to the Force MDs, which stood for “Musical Diversity”. [2] They had developed into a quiet storm/contemporary R&B group, with its top-ten R&B hit, "Tears", from the debut album, Love Letters. (With the exception of their first album, the group was the first act on Tommy Boy to have major-label distribution through its then-parent Warner Bros. Records.)
Success
editThe group produced a collection of R&B hits throughout the 1980s, and received overwhelming commercial success from the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-penned love song "Tender Love" from their second album, 1985's Chillin'.[2] The song was featured in the 1985 feature film and soundtrack Krush Groove, and proved to be a success, peaking at No. 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming an instant R&B classic after it stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.[4] "Tender Love" was also one of the tracks that helped Jam & Lewis garner a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year. The song "Itchin' for a Scratch" was performed by the group in the 1985 feature film Rappin', and was also part of the soundtrack.[5]
In 1987 they finally scored their first R&B #1 hit, "Love Is a House," from their third album, Touch and Go.
Waning popularity and member changes
editBy the late 1980s the group's popularity began to wane. A fourth album, Step to Me, was released in 1990, which featured record production by Full Force, Marley Marl, Monte Moir (of the band The Time), and others. Members Pearson and Nelson left soon afterward, replaced by original member Rodney "Khalil" Lundy (who had initially left the band early in their career) and new member Shawn Waters. The group then released the album Moments in Time in 1994, but failed to chart or produce any hits. In 1996 the group appeared on several tracks on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman.
Deaths in the group and a last reunion
editThree of the group's members died during the latter half of the 1990s: Nelson suffered a fatal heart attack in 1995; former collaborator DJ Dr. Rock died suddenly of AIDS in 1996; and in 1998, Antoine Lundy died of Lou Gehrig's disease.
Surviving members of the group's classic lineup - Daniels, Pearson, and Stevie D. Lundy - along with Rodney Lundy returned with a comeback album, The Reunion, in 2000, but it failed to chart or register any hits. Damen Heyward, a native of The Bronx formerly of the mid-/late-1980s group 4 By Four, later joined the group as well. After leaving the group, Heyward went on to tour with artists such as Joe.
Trisco Pearson died on September 16, 2016,[6] at age 53, after a battle with stage 4 cancer.[7] His death was announced by Bow Legged Lou of Full Force. Jessie Daniels died on January 4, 2022, at the age of 58.[8]
Legacy
edit- The song "Tender Love" has been sampled in the 1996 Bone Thugs-n-Harmony hit "Days of Our Livez", and a number of current musicians have covered the song, including Alicia Keys, The Backstreet Boys, Kelly Rowland, Marques Houston and Marsha Ambrosius.
- In an interview in 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted the band among other artists included in his Air Force One iPod playlist when he travels.[citation needed]
- On April 8, 2010, the newly reformed Force MD's made their first national television appearance in over a decade on BET's The Mo'Nique Show.
- A documentary film titled The Force M.D.s Relived was shot recently, but the release date for a DVD is unknown at the moment.
- On September 9, 2015, they were featured on an episode of TV One's Unsung.
- The members of Force MD's were referenced in the song "Okkervil River R.I.P" by indie-folk band Okkervil River on their 2016 album Away.
Members
edit- Zieme Capers
- Stevie D. (Stevie D. Lundy)
- Khalil (Rodney Lundy)
Former members
edit- T.C.D. (Antoine Lundy) (died 1998)
- Mercury (Charles Nelson) (died 1995)
- DJ Dr. Rock (died 1996)
- Shawn Waters
- Trisco (Trisco Pearson) (died 2016)
- Jessie D. (Jessie Lee Daniels) (died 2022)
- Damen Heyward
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [9] |
CAN [10] | ||
| 1984 | Love Letters
|
185 | 28 | — |
| 1985 | Chillin'
|
69 | 14 | 80 |
| 1987 | Touch and Go
|
67 | 12 | — |
| 1990 | Step to Me
|
— | 74 | — |
| 1994 | Moments in Time
|
— | — | — |
| 2000 | The Reunion
|
— | — | — |
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1992 | For Lovers and Others: Force M.D.'s Greatest Hits
|
| 2001 | Let Me Love You: The Greatest Hits
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [9] |
US A/C [9] |
CAN [10] |
UK [11] | |||
| 1984 | "Let Me Love You" | — | 49 | — | — | — | Love Letters |
| "Tears" | 102 | 5 | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Forgive Me Girl" | — | 49 | — | — | 93 | |
| "Itchin' for a Scratch" | 105 | 13 | — | — | — | ||
| "Tender Love" | 10 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 23 | Chillin' | |
| 1986 | "Here I Go Again" | — | 18 | — | — | 98 | |
| "One Plus One" | — | 29 | — | — | — | ||
| "I Wanna Know Your Name" | — | 21 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1987 | "Love Is a House" | 78 | 1 | 38 | — | 97 | Touch and Go |
| "Touch and Go" | — | 10 | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Couldn't Care Less" | — | 23 | — | — | — | |
| "Deep Check" | — | 66 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1989 | "Float On" (with Stetsasonic) | — | 56 | — | — | — | In Full Gear |
| 1990 | "Are You Really Real? | — | 23 | — | — | — | Step to Me |
| "Somebody's Crying" | — | 34 | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Your Love Drives Me Crazy" | — | 78 | — | — | — | Touch and Go |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released | |||||||
Filmography
editCover versions
editOne of its songs, “Tender Love,” was covered by Jordan Knight, Kenny Thomas, Usher, Uncle Sam, Alicia Keys, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
References
edit- ^ Huey, Steve. "Force's M.D.'s - Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 121/2. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
- ^ "Jessie Lee Daniels July 4, 1963 ~ January 4, 2022 (age 58)". Stradford Home for Funerals and Cremations. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
- ^ "Various - Rappin' (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. November 13, 1985. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ^ "Force MD's Member Trisco Pearson Has Passed Away". AmbrosiaForHeads.com. September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ^ Kyle, Eustice (September 19, 2016). "Force MDs Member Trisco Pearson Loses Battle with Stage 4 Cancer". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ Kent, Sara-Aisha (January 5, 2022). "Jessie Lee Daniels dead: Force MD's star who sang Tender Love dies at 57".
- ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Force MDs". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Force MDs". RPM. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "UK Charts > Force MDs". Official Charts Company. November 17, 1984. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
Further reading
edit- Ebony
- Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide
- Staten Island Advance
- Blues & Soul (subscription required)