Wendy and Lisa

From Freepedia

Wendy and Lisa are a musical duo comprised of musicians Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin that formed in the mid 1980s. The two were childhood friends, both from musical families which often performed together; Wendy's father, Mike Melvoin, was an in-demand session musician and was president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in the 1980s, while Lisa's father, Gary Coleman (not the actor) was also an in-demand session musician for jazz artists.

Contents

The Revolution

In 1980, Lisa Coleman replaced Gayle Chapman in Prince's touring band. Coleman was well-liked by Prince and was asked to contribute vocals to several tracks over his next few albums. In 1983, Dez Dickerson left the band due to religious conflicts. Coleman suggested Melvoin as a replacement. Prince accepted Melvoin into the band as they began to record Purple Rain. The film and album were a phenomenon, catapulting himself and the newly named Revolution as superstars. Prince's personal life also became intertwined with Melvoin's when he began dating her twin sister Susannah.

The team of Coleman and Melvoin worked extremely well together. Prince saw this and tapped their talents for the albums following Purple Rain. Their influence was particularly heard on several tracks on the Parade album, the soundtrack to Prince's film Under the Cherry Moon. Despite their growing contributions, the duo felt they were not getting the recognition and credit they deserved. In 1986, Coleman and Melvoin left the band, disrupting the Dream Factory project that was already completed and effectively dissolving The Revolution.

On Their Own

The next year, the duo released an album simply entitled Wendy And Lisa. The lead single, "Waterfall" received some airplay, and the music video was played on MTV and VH1. The album was a moderate success, but did not approach the sales figures of The Revolution. The sound was a continuation of the pop/dance/R&B fusion that had been the hallmark of their work with Prince; many Prince fans that were more fond of his funkier music did not follow the duo's work. They released a follow up album, Fruit At the Bottom, which was not a success.

After a few years, the duo signed to a new label and released Eroica. They had a minor radio and dance club hit with the single "Strung Out".

Girl Bros. and Beyond

Feeling confined by the "Wendy and Lisa" moniker, the duo released a CD in 1998 under the name "Girl Bros". Their sound had begun to evolve on "Eroica" and while Girl Bros was still pop/funk based, it also could be categorized with alternative music.

Melvoin and Coleman have made numerous contributions to film scores and to television themes (for example, they wrote theme music and background scores for TV-shows such as Crossing Jordan or Carnivale ). They have also appeared, together or separately, on albums by artists like Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Neil Finn, Joni Mitchell, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Michael Penn, Liz Phair, Seal, and Victoria Williams, to name a few. They have been frequent collaborators with k.d. lang, whom they first worked with during Eroica; they have played on all of her subsequent albums.

Contributions

Prince cultivated a number of "proteges", usually female artists for whom the contribution on their part was usually limited to singing, while Prince contributed music, lyrics, and much of their career guidance. Because of their sometimes outlandish onstage appearances, the duo of "Wendy and Lisa" are often miscategorized as being part of Prince's protege harem.

It is important to note that Melvoin and Coleman were clearly professional musicians in their own right. Regardless of critical assessments of either Wendy and Lisa's or Prince's work, the duo definitely had an influence and impact on Prince's sound. The pop/blue eyed soul/funk hybrid can be heard on Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day and Parade. Prince's music after their departure became significantly more funk-driven, while their funk-pop can be heard clearly on their first few albums.


Discography

  • Wendy And Lisa(1987)
  • Fruit At The Bottom
  • Eroica(1990)
  • Are You My Baby
  • Girl Bros.
  • Always In My Dreams(2000)
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

External Links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Wendy_and_Lisa.html"


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