Mint Condition is an American R&B band from

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. The band is focused on diverse genres such as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, hip hop,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. Mint Condition has also been nominated for one

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

and three

Soul Train Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

. The group is credited with being one of the last major funk bands to chart before hip-hop and

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

dominated black music in the 1990s.

History

Early years

Mint Condition was formed in the early 1980s. The band was originally made up of lead singer and (in-studio) drummer

Stokley Williams Stokley Williams (born July 15, 1967) also known simply as Stokley, is an American singer, record producer, and percussionist. Williams is best known as the lead singer and studio drummer of the band Mint Condition. Career In 2011, he was feat ...

, lead guitarist Homer O'Dell and keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/percussionist/rhythm guitarist Keri Lewis, and bass guitarist Rick Kinchen. They were discovered by music producers

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

in 1989, during a performance at the downtown Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue. Jam and Lewis signed Mint Condition to

Perspective Records Perspective Records is an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam & Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, wit ...

soon afterward. Their debut album, ''

Meant to Be Mint ''Meant to Be Mint'' is the debut studio album of R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on June 11, 1991, on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' A&M imprint Perspective Records. ''Meant to Be Mint'' reached to no. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop ...

'', was released on June 11, 1991, by Perspective. Afterward, they attempted to attract

listeners with their dance cut "Are You Free", which didn't see broad success, with the song hitting #55 on the R&B charts. However, they did enjoy major success with the ballad "

Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" is a song performed by Mint Condition, issued as the second single from their debut album ''Meant to Be Mint''. The song was written by band members Jeffrey Allen, Lawrence Waddell and Stokley Williams. Rele ...

," which stayed on the charts for 34 weeks, reaching the R&B top 5 (#3) and the Pop top 10 (#6) and being certified gold by the RIAA. Their third and final single, "Forever in Your Eyes", was also a successful Top 10 R&B hit (#7 R&B). Two years later, they released their second album, ''

From The Mint Factory ''From the Mint Factory'' is the second studio album by American R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on October 5, 1993 on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' record label Perspective Records. The album peaked and charted at number 104 on the B ...

'' (1993). They enjoyed success with the single "

U Send Me Swingin' "U Send Me Swingin'" is a song performed by Mint Condition, issued as the second single (music), single from their second album ''From the Mint Factory''. The song was produced by the band and written by the band's then-keyboardist Keri Lewis. Rel ...

" which peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart for four weeks straight in the spring of 1994. The song was also a hit on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts, where it reached #14. The band's next two singles, "Someone to Love" and "So Fine", were Billboard Top 30 R&B hits, reaching the #28 and #29 spots, respectively.

1996–2000

In September 1996, the band released ''Definition of a Band'', which peaked in the R&B Top 15. The first successful single on this album was the Billboard R&B smash hit "What Kind of Man Would I Be?," about remaining faithful during a relationship (#2 R&B, #17 Pop). The single crept up to the number 2 spot on the Billboard R&B charts in a matter of weeks and was certified gold by the RIAA that December. "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" was so popular that it stayed on the Billboard R&B Charts for a total of 41 weeks before it finally fell off. "You Don't Have to Hurt No More", the second single released from ''Definition of a Band'', was also a Top 10 R&B hit. (#10 R&B, #32 pop). The album received positive reviews and, together with the success of "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" and "You Don't Have to Hurt No More," helped ''Definition of a Band'' reach Gold status as well. Two years later, the group released ''The Collection: 1991–1998'', a compilation of their greatest hits. After

/ A&M folded, the group signed with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

in 1999 and released their fourth full-length album, ''Life's Aquarium'', which also debuted in the Top 10 (#7 R&B). Its main single, " If You Love Me", hit the R&B Top 5 and stayed on the charts for 31 weeks. The second single, "Is This Pain Our Pleasure", peaked at #42, while also peaking at #34 on the R&B Airplay Charts.

2000s: ''Livin' The Luxury Brown'' and ''E-Life''

After a six-year hiatus, the group resurfaced as a quintet because Lewis left the group to produce for other artists, such as his ex-wife/singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

, and then joined the entertainment division at Santa Fe Station Casino. In 2005, they released ''Livin' The Luxury Brown'' on their independent label Caged Bird Records. The album hit #1 on the Independent Album Charts and in 2006, the group released ''Live From The 9:30 Club'', a performance of a concert at the 9:30 club in Washington DC. In 2008, they released ''E-Life'', which debuted at #8 on the Billboard R&B album chart, and spawned two singles, "Baby Boy, Baby Girl" and "Nothing Left To Say". The latter, became the band's first Top 30 R&B single in almost a decade (#27 R&B) as well as a Top 5 Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary hit, which peaked at #3.

2010–present: ''7...'', Tour with Prince, TV appearances

In December 2010, Mint Condition joined

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and an ensemble cast of R&B and jazz musicians for his

Welcome 2 America ''Welcome 2 America'' is the 40th studio album by American musician Prince. It was posthumously released through NPG Records on July 30, 2021. Recorded in March 2010 before the Welcome 2 America Tour, it is the first full previously unreleased ...

tour. On April 5, 2011, with the group's 20th anniversary approaching, Mint Condition celebrated with the release of their seventh studio album, titled ''7...''. It was produced by

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

and contained several hits, including "Caught My Eye" as well as their collaboration with

Kelly Price Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer. She started her singing career in 1992. Price originally garnered attention by singing backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including her ''Billboa ...

, "Not My Daddy". During the month of February, Mint Condition appeared as the house band for TV One's program ''Way Black When'', which celebrated the greatest African American music artists throughout the '70s, 80's, and '90s. In September 2012, the group released ''Music At The Speed Of Life''. That December, Mint Condition was entered into the Soul Music Hall of Fame.SoulMusic.com
SoulMusic.com. Retrieved on 2013-06-01. In 2013, they were featured on TV One's '' Unsung''. On October 16, 2015, they released the Christmas CD ''Healing Season''.

Discography

;Studio * ''

'' (1991) * ''

From the Mint Factory ''From the Mint Factory'' is the second studio album by American R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on October 5, 1993 on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' record label Perspective Records. The album peaked and charted at number 104 on the B ...

'' (1993) * ''

Definition of a Band ''Definition of a Band'' is the third studio album by the R&B band Mint Condition. It was released on September 24, 1996, on Perspective Records. ''Definition of a Band'' was Mint Condition's most successful recording to date, yielding two hit s ...

'' (1996) * '' Life's Aquarium'' (1999) * '' Livin' the Luxury Brown'' (2005) * ''

E-Life Elvis de Oliveira, better known as E-Life, is a rapper from Rotterdam, Netherlands. He is also a DJ for radio station Juize FM. E-Life started his music career with rap crew Dope Syndicate. DJ Raw Deal's move to the United States in 1995 promp ...

'' (2008) * '' 7...'' (2011) * '' Music at the Speed of Life'' (2012) ;Christmas * '' Healing Season'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...

Soul Train Music Award

SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards

*Winners: Independent Album of the Year Mint Condition - Music @ the Speed of LIfe* (2013) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year- Mint Condition* (2012) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year- Mint Condition* (2011) *Winners: Album of the Year Mint Condition - e-Life* (2008) *Winners: Duo or Group of the Year - Mint Condition* (2008)

SoulMusic Hall Of Fame at SoulMusic.com

* Inducted: Contemporary Soul Music Artist/Group Or Duo* (December 2012)

References

External links

Website
{{Authority control African-American musical groups American funk musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American musical quintets American soul musical groups Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups from Minnesota New jack swing music groups