* En anglais uniquement
Proof that disco evolved rather than died can be heard throughout the discography of house group
Ten City. Set apart most obviously by singer
Byron Stingily, a powerhouse falsetto between and distinct from inspirations such as
Philip Bailey and
Sylvester, the Chicago group's recordings epitomize deep house with a basis in gospel and soul, and messages of love and positivity. Teamed with dance music pioneer
Marshall Jefferson,
Ten City emerged in the late '80s with two of their biggest hits, "Right Back to You" and "That's the Way Love Is," the latter of which topped Billboard's dance/club chart and cracked the Top Ten of the U.K. pop chart. Before their mid-'90s disbandment, the group in their original trio incarnation issued four albums ranging from
Foundation (1989) through
That Was Then, This Is Now (1994), and charted with seven additional singles. Nearly three decades after the fourth album,
Ten City returned with Judgement (2021), made by
Stingily and
Jefferson without original members
Byron Burke and
Herb Lawson.
Stingily, keyboardist
Burke, and guitarist
Lawson originally wrote and recorded together under the name
Ragtyme, releasing two singles under that name in 1987. "I Can't Stay Away," the debut, was produced by
Marshall Jefferson and mixed by
Frankie Knuckles, while "Fix It Man" was produced by
Stingily and
Burke, who would also arrange much of their subsequent recordings together. Continuing their partnership with
Jefferson,
Ragtyme changed names to
Ten City, and by the end of 1987 made their major-label debut for Atlantic with "Devotion." The 1988 single "Right Back to You" put the group in the Top Ten of Billboard's dance/club chart and led to the 1989 release of
Foundation, which reached number 49 on the R&B album chart. That success was powered by "That's the Way Love Is," a number one dance/club hit (number 12 R&B). The song was even more popular in the U.K., peaking at number eight on the pop chart. A re-release of "Devotion" became
Ten City's third Top 20 club single and second Top 40 U.K. hit.
The 1990 release
State of Mind,
Ten City's second album, spawned another pair of club hits with "Whatever Makes You Happy" and "Superficial People." The group's roots were emphasized with an update of "It Ain't No Big Thing," a deep disco gem written by
Patrick Adams and Brenda Carhee that was recorded by Personal Touch (1976),
Donna McGhee (1978), and
Rainbow Brown (1981), all
Adams projects.
Ten City then moved to the EastWest label and cut
No House Big Enough with a much larger group of collaborators that did not include
Jefferson.
David Morales produced and co-wrote the number two dance/club single "My Peace of Heaven," and
Kerri Chandler filled the same roles for the finale, "Thick & Thin."
That Was Then, This Is Now, recorded for yet another major,
Columbia, followed in 1994, led by the self-contained Top 20 club single "Fantasy." The fourth
Ten City album also featured a cover of
Eddie Kendricks' Motown-Philly crossover dancefloor classic "Goin' Up in Smoke," plus a collaboration with
Masters at Work, and all-star background vocals from the likes of
Fonzi Thornton,
James "D-Train" Williams, and
Will Downing.
Following
Ten City's mid-'90s split,
Stingily recorded and performed extensively as a solo artist, and
Burke released tracks under his birth name and aliases such as Bungie Boyz, Komputer Kidz, and Vision. In 2021,
Stingily and
Marshall Jefferson revived
Ten City with Judgement, an album issued on Ultra. ~ Andy Kellman