Jody Vanessa Watley

Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and one of the defining iconic artists of the 1980s whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul. In 1987, she won the Grammy Award for "Best New Artist." Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her ‘Real Love’ video.

To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video.[1][7][8][9] Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop stylings with a funky edge.[10] Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on "Friends" featuring Eric B. & Rakim, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop.

In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard magazine, and was also prominently featured[13] in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia in 2008.

Her early music influences are Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, The Carpenters, Roberta Flack, Prince, Grace Jones and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson Watley was born in Chicago, Illinois. Influenced by Diana Ross,[15] Watley made her first stage appearance at 8 years old with family friend and godfather Jackie Wilson.[16] She got her start on the TV dance show Soul Train at the age of 14. Documented by Ebony magazine in 1977 as a part of "The New Generation," Jody Watley was one of the most popular on the show and recognized as a trendsetter for her style and dance moves.[7] As popular stand-outs on the television show, Watley and fellow Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel were selected to join Gary Mumford and become original members of the R&B group Shalamar by show creator Don Cornelius.[17][18] (Mumford was shortly replaced by Gerald Brown, and Brown himself was soon replaced by Howard Hewett as lead vocalist).[19] [20] The lineup of Hewett, Watley, and Daniel would be the most successful. Watley remained with the group from 1977 to 1983.[21] The trio released several albums and scored several hits including the US Top 20 "Dead Giveaway", and the R&B hits "The Second Time Around", "For The Lover In You", and "A Night To Remember". Watley, however, found it challenging to get songs she had written onto Shalamar albums; having limited success getting songs she wrote recorded.^[citation needed^] Due to conflicts within the group and disagreements and lack of payment from Solar Records, she eventually left the group in 1983.[22][23]

Post-Shalamar, Watley moved to England, and while there she recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae group Musical Youth[24] for their album Different Style. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). A brief stint with Phonogram Records where two singles were released (in the UK, Europe & Australia – though crucially not America) under the moniker "Jody" (no second name), "Where the Boys Are" and "Girls Night Out."

Also during this era, and after departing the group, she took part in Bob Geldof's historic Band Aid recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas", which included Bono, Boy George, Sting, George Michael, Phil Collins, Status Quo, Paul Weller, Bananarama and other prominent UK artists.

After two and a half years in England, Watley returned to America and secured a recording deal with MCA Records, eager to establish her own identity.[25] Her album Jody Watley was released in March 1987, and she co-wrote six of the album's nine songs. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Watley would say that she wanted to showcase her voice against "really funky hard dance tracks."[25] The album's lead single, "Looking for a New Love", became a smash hit with an instant catch-phrase "hasta la vista, baby", and was certified gold.[26] The album peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums Chart, and sold two million copies in the US, and a total of four million copies worldwide. It produced five uptempo dance and R&B singles that charted on the US Hot 100, with three peaking in the top ten: "Looking for a New Love" (US #2, #1 Dance, #1 R&B, UK #13); "Still a Thrill" (US #56, #3 R&B #1 Dance); "Don't You Want Me" (US #6 #1 Dance #3 R&B); "Some Kind of Lover" (US #10 #1 Dance #3 R&B); and "Most of All" (US #60, #11 R&B)[27] Also included on her debut album Jody Watley was the duet with George Michael, "Learn To Say No", produced by Bernard Edwards.

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Watley won the award for Best New Artist, and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year, she also received nominations for four MTV Video Music Awards and three Soul Train Awards.

Shortly after winning the Grammy Award, Watley would be featured in Harper's Bazaar Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo

In the spring of 1989, Watley released her second album, Larger than Life, co-writing eleven of the album’s twelve songs. The album sold over four million copies worldwide, reaching #16 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, and produced four singles: "Real Love" (US #2, #1 R&B, #2 Dance, UK #31), a US gold single and her first top 40 UK single since "Looking for a New Love"; "Friends" featuring Eric B. & Rakim, (US #9, #3 R&B, #7 Dance, UK #21); and "Everything" (US #4, #3 R&B), her first ballad release. The album's fourth and final single, "Precious Love", was a minor hit, peaking at #87 in the US.[29] "Friends" is notable for being the first multi-format hit single to include the formula of a Pop/R&B singer featuring a guest rapper with the custom full 16-bar verses and bridge concept, and distinguishable from the rap "Intro" by Melle Mel on Chaka Khan's notable cover Prince single "I Feel For You". The successful "Friends" formula would become a mainstay formula in commercial pop music and was added as a category at The Grammy's under Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002.[11][12]

During the summer of 1989, Watley’s "Real Love" video, directed by David Fincher, was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards including Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Dance Video, and Best Female Video at the 1989 award show. That record was held until Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's video "Scream" received 11 VMA nominations in 1995. The next year, she was nominated for two Soul Train Awards, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, and a Narm Award for Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me?, was released in October 1989 and achieved gold status in America.

1989 also saw Watley featured in Harper’s Bazaar "Ten Most Beautiful Women" issue, photographed by Matthew Rolston.[30] That same year Jody Watley appeared on the cover of the Japanese high fashion magazine SPUR for its debut issue.