Az Yet is an American R&B group from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, best known for their songs " Last Night" and the cover "

Hard to Say I'm Sorry "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a power ballad written by bassist Peter Cetera, who also sang lead on the track, and producer David Foster, for the group Chicago. It was released on May 17, 1982, as the lead single from the album ''Chicago 16''. On S ...

" originally performed by

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Formation

Formed in 1989 initially as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen, the two were later joined by Kenny Terry, whom they met singing in the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel in Philadelphia, Ali Hyman, Claude Thomas, Damon Core, & Dyshon Benson.

Debut album

Az Yet released their self-titled debut album in 1996 on

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

. The album featured a "who's who" of musical heavyweights, including

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

, and

Brian McKnight Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma. McKnight is known for h ...

. The first single, " Last Night", reached #9 on the US Hot 100, #1 on the R&B chart, peaked at #2 on Australia's

ARIA charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, and spent 2 weeks at #1 in New Zealand's

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

charts, ultimately achieving platinum status in the US. The group's second single, "

" (a cover of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

hit), was nominated for a Grammy award (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals), reached #8 on the Hot 100, and achieved platinum status. Driven by these two singles, the album reached RIAA platinum status.

Television

Fueled by two top ten hits, the group's popularity led them to several television appearances in their early years. Live performances include 'The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show', 'All That' and two appearances on Soul Train (the first in 1996 with Marc Nelson as the lead singer and the second in 1997 with Tony Grant). The group was also cast as "TJ's Band" and appeared in several episodes of the short-lived television drama "Fame L.A.". Az Yet toured as featured actors/performers in 2013 with the Broadway musical, ''My Brother Marvin (The Secret Life of Marvin Gaye)'', starring

Keith Washington Keith Douglas Washington (born November 15, 1960) is an American R&B vocalist from Detroit who recorded the hit single " Kissing You" in 1991. The song was also used as background music for the ABC television soap opera ''General Hospital''. ...

, Tony Grant and actress

Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield ('' née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...

. Later that year, the group recorded "Magical Moment" with ''

Malaysian Idol ''Malaysian Idol'' is the Malaysian version of the Idol Series that started in UK, similar to shows such as UK's '' Pop Idol'' and ''American Idol'' in the franchise. This show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Malaysia, with t ...

'' winner

Jaclyn Victor Jaclyn Joshua Thanaraj Victor (born 4 December 1978) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress & businesswoman who won the inaugural ''Malaysian Idol'', ''Ikon Malaysia'' & ''Gegar Vaganza Season 9''. As the winner of ''Malaysian Idol'', she wo ...

as a theme song for the animated feature film, ''Ribbit'' (

KRU Studios KRU Studios is a Malaysian media and entertainment company. Founded in 1992, KRU Studios has since diversified and now provides a range of services related to the media and entertainment industry, specialising in both production and distributio ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Az Yet Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their songs " Last Night" and the cover " Hard to Say I'm Sorry" originally performed by Chicago. Formation Formed in 1989 initially as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen, t ...

'' (1996) *''Back Home 2007'' (2006) * ''She's Magic'' (2016)

Extended plays

* ''That B U'' (2004)

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

*1996: ''

The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor may refer to: * ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963 film), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis * ''The Nutty Professor'' (1996 film), directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy ** ''The Nutty Professor'' (soundtrack), sound ...

'' *1997: '' Steel'' (

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

) *1998: ''Hav Plenty'' (Polygram) *1998: ''Fame L.A.'' Soundtrack for the TV Series (Polygram) *2001: '' Kingdom Come'' (GospoCentric Records) *2014: ''Ribbit'' (

)

References

External links

*
Rock On the Net: Az Yet
{{Authority control African-American musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American boy bands Musical groups from Philadelphia LaFace Records artists DreamWorks Records artists