Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
group formed in 1984 in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. They later changed their name to One 2 One. The duo released three albums and produced ten hits on Canadian charts between 1985 and 1992.
Biography
Consisting of vocalist
Louise Reny
Louise Reny is a Canadian vocalist and songwriter. She was in the bands One to One, Sal's Birdland, and Artificial Joy Club. She worked with Alanis Morissette on her first albums.
Work with Alanis Morissette
Reny along with her One to One b ...
and producer
Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario."Can you just Imagine It: Ottawa songwriter-producer finally leaves the basement". ''Ottawa Citizen'', February 20, 1992. He has been a member of the bands One to O ...
, One to One evolved out of an
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley of the Ottawa River, along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, Quebec, Canada. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Because of the surroundi ...
band called Mainstream, which had toured the local circuit in the late '70s and early '80s performing cover songs. In 1983, Reny and Howe decided to strike out on their own, and after recording a few demos, they signed a two-album deal with Bonaire Records, and flew to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
to record.
The dance-fueled debut ''Forward Your Emotions'' was released in 1985 and became a smash hit across Canada. The singles "There Was a Time" and "Angel in My Pocket" charted on the Canadian Top 40, and the latter also became a minor hit on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts, reaching #92. A third single, "Black on White", only reached #90 on the Canadian music charts.
Their 1988 follow-up ''1-2-1'' was a more guitar-based pop album that also became a hit in Canada. The hits "Hold Me Now" and "Do You Believe" climbed into the Canadian Top 40. Two more singles, a cover of
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
' " Love Child" and "We've Got the Power", became modest hits as well.
Following the demise of Bonaire Records, the group signed to
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
with a new look & sound as ''One 2 One''. Released in 1992, ''Imagine It'' was a light 60s/adult contemporary-based album that gave the band another hit with "Peace of Mind (Love Goes On)"."Top Singles" ''RPM Magazine'', Volume 55, No. 20. ay 16, 1992 That song also charted on the American Billboard charts at #95. Two more singles, "Memory Lane" and "Friends", reached the Canadian music Top 40 as well.
Following this success, Howe and Reny decided to pursue a different musical direction, and joined with three other musicians in the
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 9, 1997. page 62. by Chuck Taylor The song "Sick and Beautiful" from their debut album '' Melt'' went to #1 on the Canadian music Top 40; it also peaked at #11 on the US
Radio and Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
Alternative chart.
In January 2010, ''Forward Your Emotions'' was re-released internationally by
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is an American compact disc only re-issue record label that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York.
They re-release lesser known albums from popular and lesser known artists, including Paul Butterfield, Cactus, Herbie ...
.
Awards and recognition
In 1986, the band was nominated for three
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
Producer of the Year
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...
(
Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario."Can you just Imagine It: Ottawa songwriter-producer finally leaves the basement". ''Ottawa Citizen'', February 20, 1992. He has been a member of the bands One to O ...
Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario."Can you just Imagine It: Ottawa songwriter-producer finally leaves the basement". ''Ottawa Citizen'', February 20, 1992. He has been a member of the bands One to O ...
)
Howe served as producer for
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
's debut album '' Alanis'', which was only released in her native Canada, as well as Ontario based hip hop duo Mix Breed.
allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...