Mint Condition is an American R&B band from

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

. The band is focused on diverse genres such as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. Mint Condition has also been nominated for one

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and three

Soul Train Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

. The group is credited with being one of the last major funk bands to chart before hip-hop and

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

dominated

black music Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...

in the 1990s.

History

Early years

Mint Condition was formed in St. Paul in the early 1980s. The band was originally made up of lead singer and (in-studio) drummer

Stokley Williams Stokley Williams (born July 15, 1967), also known simply as Stokley, is an American musician from St. Paul, Minnesota, best known as the lead singer and studio drummer of the R&B band Mint Condition. Career In 2011, Williams was featured on ...

, lead guitarist Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/percussionist/rhythm guitarist Keri Lewis, and bass guitarist Rick Kinchen. They were discovered by music producers

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

in 1989 during a performance at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis and signed Mint Condition to

Perspective Records Perspective Records is an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam & Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, wit ...

soon afterward. Their debut album, ''

Meant to Be Mint ''Meant to Be Mint'' is the debut studio album of R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on June 11, 1991, on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' A&M imprint Perspective Records. ''Meant to Be Mint'' reached to no. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Ho ...

'', was released on June 11, 1991, by Perspective. Afterward, they attempted to attract

listeners with their dance cut "Are You Free", hitting #55 on the R&B charts. They enjoyed success with the ballad "

Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" is a song performed by Mint Condition, issued as the second single from their debut album ''Meant to Be Mint''. The song was written by band members Jeffrey Allen, Lawrence Waddell and Stokley Williams. Rel ...

," which stayed on the charts for 34 weeks, reached the R&B top 5 (#3) and the

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

top 10 (#6) and was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Their third and final single, "Forever in Your Eyes", was also a successful Top 10 R&B hit (#7 R&B). Two years later, they released their second album, ''

From the Mint Factory ''From the Mint Factory'' is the second studio album by American R&B band Mint Condition (band), Mint Condition. The album was released on October 5, 1993, on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' record label Perspective Records. The album peaked and charte ...

'' (1993). They enjoyed success with the single "

U Send Me Swingin' "U Send Me Swingin'" is a song performed by American R&B band Mint Condition, issued as the second single from their second album, ''From the Mint Factory'' (1993). The song was produced by the band and written by the band's then-keyboardist Ker ...

" which peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart for four weeks straight in the spring of 1994. The song was also a hit on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts, where it reached #14. The band's next two singles, "Someone to Love" and "So Fine", were Billboard Top 30 R&B hits, reaching the #28 and #29 spots, respectively.

1996–2000

In September 1996, the band released ''

Definition of a Band ''Definition of a Band'' is the third studio album by the R&B band Mint Condition. It was released on September 24, 1996, on Perspective Records. ''Definition of a Band'' was Mint Condition's most successful recording to date, yielding two hit s ...

'', peaking in the R&B Top 15. The first successful single on this album was "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" (#2 R&B, #17 Pop). The single reached the number 2 spot on the Billboard R&B charts in the following weeks and was certified gold by the RIAA that December. "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" remained on the Billboard R&B Charts for a total of 41 weeks. "You Don't Have to Hurt No More", the second single released from ''Definition of a Band'', was also a Top 10 R&B hit (#10 R&B, #32 pop). The album received positive reviews and, together with the success of "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" and "You Don't Have to Hurt No More," helped ''Definition of a Band'' reach Gold status as well. Two years later, the group released ''The Collection: 1991–1998'', a compilation of their greatest hits. After Perspective Records/ A&M folded, the group signed with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

in 1999 and released their fourth full-length album, ''

Life's Aquarium ''Life's Aquarium'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B group Mint Condition. The album was released on November 16, 1999, and it is their first album released for Elektra Records. Background ''Life's Aquarium'' is their first studio reco ...

'', which also debuted in the Top 10 (#7 R&B). Its main single " If You Love Me" reached the R&B Top 5 and remained on the charts for 31 weeks. The second single, "Is This Pain Our Pleasure", peaked at #42, also peaking at #34 on the R&B Airplay Charts.

2000s: ''Livin' the Luxury Brown'' and ''E-Life''

After a six-year hiatus, the group resurfaced as a quintet as Lewis left the group to produce for other artists including his ex-wife and singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...

. Lewis then joined the entertainment division at Santa Fe Station Casino. In 2005, they released '' Livin' the Luxury Brown'' on their independent label Caged Bird Records. The album hit #1 on the Independent Album Charts and in 2006, the group released ''Live from the 9:30 Club'', a live album recorded at the 9:30 club in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

. In 2008, they released '' E-Life'', debuting at #8 on the Billboard R&B album chart and spawned two singles, "Baby Boy, Baby Girl" and "Nothing Left To Say". The latter became the band's first Top 30 R&B single in almost a decade (#27 R&B) as well as a Top 5 Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary hit, peaking at #3.

2010–present: ''7...'', Tour with Prince, TV appearances

In December 2010, Mint Condition joined

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and an ensemble cast of R&B and jazz musicians for his Welcome 2 America tour. On April 5, 2011, with the group's 20th anniversary approaching, Mint Condition celebrated with the release of their seventh studio album, titled ''7...''. It was produced by

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey–based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word '' seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distr ...

and contained several hits, including "Caught My Eye" as well as "Not My Daddy", a collaboration with

Kelly Price Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer. Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including Carey's ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one sin ...

. During February, Mint Condition appeared as the house band for TV One's program ''Way Black When'', which celebrated the greatest African American music artists throughout the '70s, 80's, and '90s. In September 2012, the group released '' Music at the Speed of Life''. That December, Mint Condition was entered into the Soul Music Hall of Fame.SoulMusic.com
SoulMusic.com. Retrieved on June 1, 2013. In 2013, they were featured on TV One's '' Unsung''. On October 16, 2015, they released the Christmas CD '' Healing Season''.

Discography

;Studio * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1999) * '' Livin' the Luxury Brown'' (2005) * '' E-Life'' (2008) * '' 7...'' (2011) * '' Music at the Speed of Life'' (2012) ;Christmas * '' Healing Season'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

Soul Train Music Award

Soul Tracks Readers' Choice Awards

*Winners: Independent Album of the Year Mint Condition – Music @ the Speed of LIfe* (2013) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year- Mint Condition* (2012) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year- Mint Condition* (2011) *Winners: Album of the Year Mint Condition – e-Life* (2008) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year – Mint Condition* (2008)

Soul Music Hall of Fame at SoulMusic.com

* Inducted: Contemporary Soul Music Artist/Group Or Duo* (December 2012)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control African-American musical groups American funk musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American musical quintets American soul musical groups Musical groups established in 1984 New jack swing music groups Musical groups from Saint Paul, Minnesota