3rd Avenue, composed of Maurice "Moe-P" Pearl, Eric Jason Robinson, and Brad Nelson, were an American trio of R&B vocalists signed to SOLAR Records (Sound of Los Angeles Records), a Los Angeles-based label built from the existing roster of the former Soul Train Records founded by Don Cornelius.[1][2][3]
3rd Avenue | |
|---|---|
 3rd Avenue Album Photoshoot | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | 3rd Ave |
| Origin | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | R&B, quiet storm, new jack swing, soul |
| Years active | 1990–1993 |
| Labels |
|
| Past members | Maurice "Moe-P" Pearl Eric Jason Robinson Brad Nelson |
History
editBeginnings and initial group success
edit3rd Avenue, originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, gained recognition when Pabst Brewing Company contracted the group to perform commercial jingles for Olde English 800, a brand of malted liquor marketed towards the "urban contemporary market".[4] The resulting exposure from the commercials led to the group signing a recording contract with SOLAR, who had recently signed a distribution agreement with Epic Records as their previous distribution deal lapsed in 1989.[5][6] "The Minute You Fall In Love", a record from their upcoming debut album, was placed onto the Billboard R&B Albums Chart Top 10-peaking Deep Cover Soundtrack, distributed by SOLAR/Epic and released in early 1992. [7][8] The group's label debut was deemed a "priority project" by SOLAR executives in a June 1992 Billboard article alongside the launch of Times 3, a female R&B trio, and 3rd Avenue members Pearl and Robinson co-wrote portions of the project alongside producer Dennis "Den Den" Nelson.[9] Their debut album Let's Talk About Love was released in June 1992.[10] The parent album underperformed as it did not chart at a time in which the new jack swing genre was at its creative peak, but the singles fared better and received national R&B airplay without the aid of music videos, peaking at #66 and #58 respectively. [1] Lead single "I’ve Gotta Have It" remained on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart for 7 weeks, and the second single, a remixed version of the title track, lasted 6 weeks.[1][11]
SOLAR decline and group dissolution
editIn 1993, the members of 3rd Avenue co-wrote and/or produced "Baby, I'm Hooked on You", "My Love for You Will Last Forever", and "Are You Ready To Be Loved?" for SOLAR labelmate and Cincinnati-based R&B Group The Deele's final 1993 album An Invitation To Love. Robinson also co-wrote album track "Feel It" alongside Vincent Herbert and SOLAR writer Tania Carmenatti. An Invitation To Love, a foray into a more hip-hop-influenced, new jack swing style without original members Kevin Roberson, Kenneth Edmonds and Antonio Reid, was a commercial disappointment.[12] As a result, Epic did not renew their SOLAR distribution deal, causing the label to cease operations in early 1994. [13][14][15] 3rd Avenue disbanded soon after.
Over the next two decades, the SOLAR catalog was purchased and sold by various companies (including label The Right Stuff Records in 1996), with Canadian independent record label Unidisc gaining control in 2009.[16] Fragments of "Freak Me" and "Wiggle It", the two tracks that did not make 3rd Avenue's debut album, were leaked onto YouTube in 2018. 3rd Avenue's debut album, along with the catalogs of many of their SOLAR labelmates, was re-released to various music streaming channels in January 2019 as a condition of a new shared global ownership agreement with BMG Rights Management. [17][18] This resulted in the issuance of a deluxe version of Let's Talk About Love, attaching all of the various mixes from both singles to the parent project for the first time.[19]
Solo Careers
editPearl continued writing and producing for other artists, including "Don't Let It Slip Away" for R&B group Groove U's 1994 album Tender Love, "Sweat" for Hi-Five member Tony Thompson's 1995 solo album Sexsational,[20] lead single "I Do!" for Dean Phil's shelved 1997 album Personal,[21] and "What's Really Going On (Strange Fruit)" for Tony! Toni! Toné! member D'wayne Wiggins' 2000 solo album Eyes Never Lie.[22] He has also written or produced for Johnny Gill, Harold Travis, Big Cee, and Smoothe Sylk. In 2002, Pearl released Lost Inside, a solo R&B/Hip-Hop album under the name Moe-P on MoSound Records, and more recently co-wrote "Only You!" and produced "Lady in My Life" from Al B. Sure!'s 2009 album Honey I'm Home.
Discography
editAlbums
editLet's Talk About Love (1992)
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Ref | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B | |||||
| "I've Gotta Have It" | 1992 | 66 | [23][24] | Let's Talk About Love | |
| "Let's Talk About Love (Remix)" | 58 | [1] |
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "The Minute You Fall In Love" | 1992 | Deep Cover soundtrack |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Joel Whitburn Presents Top R & B/hip-hop Singles, 1942-2004 - Joel Whitburn - Google Books. Google.ca. July 2, 2010. ISBN 9780898201604. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "Dick Griffey, Founder of Solar Record Label, Dies at 71". New York Times. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Stephen Gayle (July 1982). "SOLAR Empire Strikes Gold". Black Enterprise.
- ^ Rothenberg, Randall (August 23, 1989). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Groups Plan to Protest Malt Liquor Campaigns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "Black Music Month: Dick Griffey & SOLAR Records". June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Solar Records Archived November 7, 2022, at the Wayback Machine UCLA
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (July 13, 1999). "Joel Whitburn's Top R & B albums, 1965-1998". Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Billboard Top R&B Albums (for the week ending August 1, 1992)". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 1, 1992. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Major Labels Stay Hyperactive". Billboard. June 27, 1992.
- ^ "Album Releases: 3rd Avenue - Let's Talk About Love". Billboard. June 3, 1992. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard R&B Singles Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 18, 1992. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Deele". SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "An Invitation to Love - Album by The Deele | Spotify". Open.spotify.com. January 1, 1993. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ ""Hip Chic" by Deele". Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "THROWBACK THURSDAY: "Two Occasions" by The Deele". Congress Heights on the Rise. February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "Right Stuff Licenses SOLAR Masters". Billboard. April 27, 1996. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Amid a Racial Justice Reckoning, Pioneers of Rap, Reggae, and R&B Recount Their Struggles to Get Paid". Pitchfork. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "Unidisc: Our Story". Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "Let's Talk About Love". January 1, 1992. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Hi-Five Singer Thompson Goes Solo". Billboard. May 6, 1995.
- ^ "Singles Review: Dean Phil - I Do". Billboard. February 8, 1997.,
- ^ "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 1, 2000 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. June 13, 1992. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. July 17, 1992. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.