Five Star

Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) are a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson. Between 1985 and 1988, Five Star had four top 20 albums and 15 top 40 singles in the UK, including the top 10 hits " System Addict" (1986), "Can't Wait Another Minute" (1986), " Find the Time" (1986), " Rain or Shine" (1986), " Stay Out of My Life" (1987) and "The Slightest Touch" (1987). They won the 1987 Brit Award for Best British Group.

Biography

1980s

The five-piece group of siblings from Romford were masterminded by their father and manager, Buster Pearson, who modelled them in the style of the Jackson 5. He was a former recording artist and session musician who had worked with Wilson Pickett and had set up Tent Records Ltd in 1982. Their debut single was released on Tent in 1983 and although it did not chart, it gave them TV exposure and a record deal with RCA Records (with future releases being joint Tent/RCA releases). After two unsuccessful singles in 1984, their chart breakthrough came in 1985 with the release of " All Fall Down" which peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 65 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US, where it also reached the top 20 (No. 16) on the Hot R&B Singles chart and the top 10 (No. 6) on the Hot Dance/Disco chart.

The group released their debut album, '' Luxury of Life'', in June 1985. It included their last three singles and was followed by the single " Let Me Be the One" which was another UK Top 20 and US Hot 100 hit, also peaking at No. 2 on the US Hot R&B chart. After another two singles in the UK in 1985 which failed to reach the top 20, the group scored their first top 10 hit in early 1986 with " System Addict", the seventh UK single from their debut album. The single peaked at No. 3 in the UK, and was certified silver. Its success also led to increased sales of the album which peaked at No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart in February 1986, and would be certified platinum in the UK later in the year. Also in 1986, the instrumental track "First Avenue" (which had been released as the B-side of "All Fall Down") was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, and a remixed version of "Love Take Over" gave them another US Hot R&B top 10 hit (reaching No. 9).

Their first new material in 1986, the single "Can't Wait Another Minute", gave the group another top 10 hit on the UK Singles, US Hot R&B and US Hot Dance/Disco charts and also their highest-ever US Hot 100 peak, reaching No. 41. The song was used in the film ''Gung Ho''. After another UK top 10 hit (" Find the Time"), the group released their second album, '' Silk and Steel'', in August 1986. The album reached No. 1 and sold 1.2 million copies in the UK (being certified triple platinum by 1987). The single " Rain or Shine" gave the group their highest ever UK chart position, peaking at No. 2." If I Say Yes" (a UK top 20 hit) became their final entry on the US Hot 100.

In 1987, two further singles from ''Silk and Steel'', " Stay Out of My Life" (penned by Denise) and "The Slightest Touch", made the UK top 10 with US-only single " Are You Man Enough?" (remixed by Shep Pettibone) making the US Hot R&B top 20. The group won the 1987 BRIT Award for Best British Group with ''Silk and Steel'' also nominated for Best British Album.

At the height of their success the family bought Stone Court, a large security-gated mansion in Berkshire (featuring a built-in recording studio) from former P.M. Dawn manager Nick Hemmings, in which they all lived and worked. They also owned a fleet of supercars, including Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Their affluent lifestyle was heavily publicised in the press and on television.

New single " Whenever You're Ready" narrowly missed the UK top 10 (peaking at No. 11) but its only placing in the US was No. 39 on the Hot R&B chart. August 1987 saw the release of their third album, '' Between the Lines'', which reached No. 7 in the UK and was another platinum seller, but sales did not match their previous success. The Diane Warren-penned ballad "Strong as Steel" was taken as the next single but it peaked at No. 16 in the UK and failed to chart at all in the US. The next UK single, "Somewhere Somebody" failed to reach the top 20 and no further singles were released from the album.

In 1988, the group attempted to change their clean-cut image to a more adult-oriented "leather-clad" look, matched with a slightly harder-edged dance sound. Led by the Leon Sylvers III-produced single " Another Weekend" in the UK (which reached No. 18), their fourth album '' Rock the World'' met with only moderate success, and was their last top 20 album, peaking at No. 17. The album's second UK single, " Rock My World", became their last top 40 hit, and further singles from the album were unsuccessful. In the US, " Someone's in Love" was chosen as the lead single, but that and "Another Weekend" only managed minor placings on the Hot R&B chart.

In April 1989, their new single "With Every Heartbeat" again missed the top 40, peaking at No. 49. Later that year, a ''Greatest Hits'' collection was released but peaked at a lowly No. 53 on the UK Albums Chart. Amid reports of bankruptcy, the family had been forced to sell their Berkshire mansion after only two years. The family then moved to Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

While promoting "With Every Heartbeat", the group made an infamous appearance on the British children's TV show ''Going Live