Today is an American R&B vocal group formed in 1988. The group comprised Frederick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford, Larry "Chief" Singletary, Wesley "Wes" Adams, and Larry "Love" McCain, childhood friends from Englewood, New Jersey.

History

The group started in 1984 as The Gents and comprised Drakeford, McCain, William McNeir, Ronald Scruggs, and

Bernard Belle Bernard Belle (November 12, 1964 – June 23, 2022) was an American composer, producer, and musician. After starting his career as an R&B guitarist, Belle became known as a songwriter for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and a producer of go ...

. During an anti-drug benefit, the group received a meeting with the producer

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. "Tedd ...

who renamed the group Today and melded them into the current lineup. Riley helped them receive a deal with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

. As the head of MCA records urban department, Jheryl Busby, moved into Motown, he brought several acts with him, including Today, The Boys and The Good Girls. While touring the country, the groups were successful. Motown promoted Today as the new Four Tops, and The Boys and The Good Girls were promoted as the new

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

and new

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 ...

respectively. Today released their self-titled debut album in 1988. The single "Him Or Me" reached #3 on the R&B charts and was followed by " Girl I Got My Eyes On You" which reached #1. It was also their only song to chart in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, and peaked at #94 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in early 1989. Yet the album's later singles did not do as well as their early showings, and they began to resent the way they were being produced and promoted. Riley did not help the group with their second album, ''The New Formula''. Released in 1990, the album manage to chart three singles: "Why You Get Funky on Me", which was also featured in the movie ''

House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

'' reached #2 on the R&B charts. "I Got The Feeling" peaked at #12 on

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and "I Wanna Come Back Home" peaked at #46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After the group broke up, Drakeford started a solo career as Big Bub while Singletary, Adams, and McCain wrote songs and tried unsuccessfully to get a deal as a trio. Drakeford released three albums as a solo artist: 1992's ''Comin at Cha'' ( EastWest), 1997's ''Timeless'' ( Kedar/

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

), and 2000's ''Never Too Late'' (

Flavor Unit The Flavor Unit is a crew of emcees and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey. It is now known as the Unit. The original version of the crew centered on producer the 45 King. It was Mark's connections to radio personalities DJ Red Aler ...

). His single "Need Your Love", credited to Big Bub feat.

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...

, peaked at #70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1997. In 2010, it was announced that all four members reunited and were changing to the Gospel music genre and would work on a new album and a new single "Orchestrate" was released.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

*
Today (band)
on R&B Haven {{DEFAULTSORT:Today (Band) African-American musical groups American rhythm and blues musical groups American boy bands Motown artists New jack swing music groups Vocal quartets