Silk is an American
R&B group, formed in 1989 in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia. They are best known for their 1993 hit single, "
Freak Me", which reached number-one on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Career
Silk was discovered by the musician
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, producer and songwriter. An early figure in the new jack swing musical movement, he is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her," "Make It Last Forever (song), Make It Last For ...
. The group was originally a quintet made up of Timothy "Timzo" Cameron, James "Jimmy" Gates, Jr., Johnathen "John John" Rasboro, Tyga Graham & Albert “ NELLA” Allen. Gary "Big G" Glenn & Gary "Lil G" Jenkins joined shortly after the departures of Graham & Allen.
Silk is best known for their
hit singles, "
Freak Me", and "Happy Days" from their debut album, ''
Lose Control''. Another hit from ''Lose Control'', "Girl U For Me", helped the album reach
double platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...
status. They later had success with singles such as "
I Can Go Deep", "Hooked on You", "Don't Rush", "If You" (released February 23, 1999) "Meeting in My Bedroom", and "We're Calling You". In 1994, Silk won Album Of The Year for ''Lose Control'' at the Soul Train Music Awards.
In 2002, Silk left
Elektra and took a hiatus. That same year, Jenkins went on to pursue other interests and made his stage debut as 'AJ' in the
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...
play ''
Madea's Family Reunion''. He resurfaced musically in 2007 with his solo debut, ''The Other Side''. Silk and Sweat both appeared in the group,
Black Men United on the song "U Will Know" which is featured on soundtrack for the movie ''
Jason's Lyric
''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American romance film, romantic psychological drama, psychological Drama (film and television), drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson (producer), ...
''. Silk has also appeared on the soundtracks for ''Booty Call'' (Feel Good), ''Made In America'' (Does He Do It Good w/Keith Sweat),''A Low Down Dirty Shame'' (I Can Go Deep), and ''Blankman'' (Cry On).
In 2003 and down to a quartet, Silk released their fifth studio album ''Silktime'' on their own label Silk Music Group. The album featured the songs "Silktime", "My Girl", "Alibi", "More", "You (The Baby Song)", "Check My Story" and a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Blue Magic's "
Sideshow
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. They historically featured human oddity exhibits (so-called “Freak show, freak shows”), pr ...
". That song reunited them with their mentor Keith Sweat. The album appeared in the
''Billboard'' 200.
In 2006, the group returned with their sixth release, a covers album entitled ''Always And Forever'' on Shanachie Records. The album featured covers of R&B songs including "
Adore" by
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 ...
, "
Always and Forever" by
Heatwave, and "Secret Garden" by
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...
. "Secret Garden" was the first and only single.
Jenkins has since rejoined Silk; their 7th album, ''Quiet Storm'', was released on March 18, 2016 on Shanachie Records.
In 2018, Silk celebrated 25 years in the music business with two star studded concerts - one at B.B. King's in New York in February and the other in Atlanta in March. They were also honored with an episode on the popular series ''Unsung'' that same year.
Members
* Gary Glenn - second tenor
* Johnathen Rasboro - countertenor
* Timothy Cameron - bass
* James "Jimmy" Gates, Jr. - baritone
* Gary "Lil G" Jenkins - tenor
Former members
* Tyga Graham
* Albert Allen
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
References
External links
*
Silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
at
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
Silkat
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silk
American contemporary R&B musical groups
African-American musical groups
American boy bands
Musicians from Atlanta
Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state)
Musical groups established in 1989
New jack swing music groups
Elektra Records artists
Shanachie Records artists