Photo by: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
When it comes to New Jack Swing, several key players pushed the genre to the top!
From Teddy Riley to Tony Terry, these key players helped transform R&B for years to come.
Photo by: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
Antonio “Tony” Terry was born on March 12, 1964, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He began singing at a young age.
In an interview with Spectrum Local News, Terry revealed that he not only had an interest in singing but also an interest in acting as well.
The “With You” crooner also revealed that at an early age he was able to tour with legendary singer Roberta Flack.
“I was in a 7th-grade talent show and I sang her [Flack’s] single “The Closer I Get to You” with a girl I was in school with and won,” he shared.
The 58-year-old continued.
“Moving forward a few years, I get a phone call from Roberta Flack asking me to do a tour with her, I didn’t know her music well enough to perform it, but I knew of the music. So, I was actually a last-minute replacement because one of the guys got sick and couldn’t go, so they called me to go to Japan.”
The R&B singer hails from Washington D.C., and has graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He always had an interest in singing and for theater.
Terry began his singing career as a backup singer for the R&B/pop group Sweet Sensation and the hip-hop group The Boogie Boys.
Photo by: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
He inked a record deal with Epic/CBS Records in 1987. “She’s Fly,” Terry’s debut single, was released the same year and reached its highest point on the Billboard R&B Singles chart at number 10, and the rest was history.
When looking at Tony Terry’s legacy, his contribution to the R&B space has had a positive impact on the genre. From starting as a backup singer to releasing his music that everyone loves to this day, we celebrate the singer’s legacy!
Here are some of our favorite songs by Tony Terry.
“With You”
The year is 1990, and it seems like everyone that got married played this song at their reception!
From the beautiful and heartfelt lyrics to the angelic singing of Tony Terry, “With You” from Terry’s sophomore album entitled Tony Terry is bound to make everyone sing along!
And the video for this single is just as phenomenal. Directed by the incredible Anita Baker, and starring Blair Underwood, how can you not like this single?
“She’s Fly”
Now if you are a true Tony Terry fan, you already know that “She’s Fly” his debut album Forever Yours had to be on this list!
“She’s Fly” is one of Tony Terry’s upbeat songs, that we all know and love. Not to mention, it was his first official single as a solo artist.
No matter where you play “She’s Fly,” it is a guaranteed hit that makes everyone get up and dance. The song was so loved that it landed on the number 10 spot on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Not to mention that the energetic video is a sure way to bring back fond memories of 1987, especially if you were a fly girl, or were feeling a fly girl.
“Everlasting Love”
According to the Washington D.C. singer, honesty is the key ingredient to a love song.
And while listening to “Everlasting Love” you can surely hear the honesty within Tony Terry!
Singing about his affection for his special person that fills him with unconditional love and being there to lift him up “Everlasting Love” can teach you a thing or two about the topic.
“Lovey Dovey”
Following up his first single “She’s Fly,” Terry released his 1988 hit single “Lovey Dovey.”
“Lovey Dovey” received lots of love in the New Jack Swing and R&B spaces, so much so that the single landed in the number 4 slot on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.
The up-tempo and bass, “Lovey Dovey” is bound to make anyone dance and sing along.
How many of you dedicated this song to someone that made you feel lovey-dovey?
“When a Man Cries”
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After releasing his third studio album entitled Heart of a Man, Terry let his strengths shine through by showing his deeply emotional side.
“When a Man Cries” is the first track to kick off the album, and this track gave us SOUL!
With powerful vocals, this slow-tempo song gave the nod that it is perfectly fine for men to cry, and to be emotional.
How can you not sing along to this song?
Tell us what’s your favorite Tony Terry song? Tell us down below!
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