35 years ago today, a songstress with a voice like no other released her debut album, Shanice Wilson. The album “Discovery” would make Shanice a house-hold name and produce three hit singles.
Shanice Wilson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, Carl Blackwas a guitarist and her mother, Crystal Wilson is a singer who sang with artists such as the late great Luther Vandross and Jennifer Holliday.
Shanice started singing at a very young age. She sang her first song, “Tell Me Something Good” by Chaka Khan when she was only 7 months old. Shanice started performing with her mother and aunt, Penny Wilson. Shanice later moved to Los Angeles, California with her mom and aunt.
As a teen Shanice listed her musical influences as the Emotions, Phyllis Hyman, Aretha Franklin and her mother Crystal.
At the age of eight, Shanice was selected to do a commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken and got to sing with legendary jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Shanice gained more singing experience as she performed in stage shows in the Los Angeles area. She was a dancer in the Disney Channel series, “Kids Incorporated.”
In 1985, John McClain from A&M records saw Shanice while she was performing in a musical called “Get Happy.” Shanice also during those years performed on “Star Search” singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and won.
In 1986, she provided vocals on New Edition‘s album, “Under The Blue Moon.”
Shanice was signed to A&M records at the age of eleven, but her debut album wasn’t released until she was fourteen years old because the label thought that it was unrealistic for a young eleven-year-old girl like Shanice to be singing about love.
“At A&M, I see it this way: Janet’s the queen, Shanice the princess and Vesta Williams the dutchess. There’s enough room and attention for everyone.” – John McClain
Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell from New Edition produced a record for Shanice‘s debut entitled, “My First Kiss,” but was never released. “My voice changed and it was too young. The album took a long time and my voice changed over those years. So, we couldn’t use the song because of that.”
Legendary Teena Marie also produced tracks for the album, but A&M Records felt that they were too mature for her age, so producer Bryan Loren was chosen by the label to produce new tracks.
In July of 1987, she released her debut single, “(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance” peaked at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks and #16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music 9 weeks and #39 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music chart.
“No 1/2 Steppin’” the follow-up single, with a vibrant video that stayed on BET‘s rotation, peaking at #6 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. It also peaked at #19 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
The third single, the first ballad released “The Way You Love Me” peaked at #53 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks. No visual was released for the single.
The last single from the album, “I’ll Bet She’s Got a Boyfriend“, featured a Miami themed remix for the visual.
“Discovery” peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 and #37 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The debut also included some other gems including “Do I Know You” and the jazzy “Just A Game.”
John McClain told an industry trade in 1987, how long he worked on Shanice before he released a record…
It was a little over three years, but there was a lot that transpired during that time. First there was a biding war over her between A&M, MCA and CBS. Since I was the first one on the scene, I had the relationship, so I was able to get her to come here [A&M].
Then once she was here, she got new management, the people behind Ready for the World and New Edition. The direction of the record that I saw for her was not in sync with what they wanted, so I was of the project and Richard Rudolph came in and they made a kid’s record. The only problem is that Shanice isn’t really a kid act. She just happens to be 14-years-old, but her vocal ability just doesn’t gel with that.
After the record was made, she had grown up. I mean it’s an unusual set of problems. This skinny little ten-year-old suddenly becomes a teenager. You keep going back in the studio because her talent is growing so fast, the record was never really finished because every week she was getting better. She hasn’t reached the point where she’s leveled of yet. She is growing vocally in major leaps every month. We’re just now learning how to deal with her talent. The new record on her will really be the Shanice Wilson record because we have found out that she can do any style of music from jazz to be-bop to blues to whatever. Now, for the next one, we’ll keep to just one vein, perhaps in the Anita Baker style, because that is what will show her talent.
In 1988, Shanice teamed up with R&B duo, Kiara on their song, “This Time” was an R&B hit and quiet storm favorite. “This Time” peaked at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, the single charted for 22 weeks.
Shanice‘s “Discovery” would set up her follow-up album release “Inner Child” for major success, with the #1 Pop single “I Love Your Smile.”
Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with Shanice’s “Discovery!”
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