Hi-Five
| Hi-Five | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Waco, Texas, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
1989–1994 2012–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members |
Treston Irby Shannon Gill Marcus Sanders Billy Covington Faruq Evans |
| Past members |
Tony Thompson (deceased) Russell Neal Roderick Clark Toriano Easley Terrence Murphy Ricky Smith Andre Ramseur aka Dre Wonda |
Hi-Five is an American R&B quintet based in Waco, Texas. Hi-Five had a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 in the early 1990s with "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)". The band was formed in 1989, and consisted of Tony Thompson, Roderick "Pooh" Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley. Easley was later replaced by Treston Irby.
Background
Rise to fame
Hi-Five was originally signed to Jive Records in late–1989 and released their eponymous debut album in 1990.[1] The album went platinum and was produced by Teddy Riley; it included such singles as "I Just Can't Handle It" (R&B #10), "I Can't Wait Another Minute" (Pop #8, R&B #1), and their biggest hit to date, "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", which went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[2]
The group's second LP, Keep It Goin' On, came out in 1992. Though not as successful as their debut effort, several tracks from this album, including "She's Playing Hard To Get" (Pop #5, R&B #2) and the R. Kelly-penned "Quality Time" (Pop #38, R&B #3) got major airplay in East Coast (US) urban markets. Shortly after this album was released, the group was involved in a vehicular accident, which left Roderick "Pooh" Clark paralyzed from the chest down. In 1993, Hi-Five emerged with a third album, Faithful, which featured the songs "Unconditional Love" (Pop #92, R&B #21) and "Never Should've Let You Go" (Pop #30, R&B #10).[2] "Unconditional Love" was also featured in the multi-platinum Menace II Society soundtrack, and received extensive airplay on urban contemporary stations throughout the summer of 1993 as the movie increased in popularity. "Never Should've Let You Go" was featured in the Sister Act 2 soundtrack.
Later years
After Hi-Five disbanded in 1994, Thompson released a solo album, Sexsational, in 1995. He later reunited Hi-Five on his own independent N'Depth label for the release of the album The Return in 2005.[3] On June 1, 2007, police found Thompson dead near an air conditioning unit behind an East Waco apartment complex.[4] A later autopsy revealed he had died as a result of inhaling freon from an air conditioning unit.[5]
In 2011, Treston Irby released his debut solo single "Everything" under the mantle Tru$ on his independent label, Bronx Most Wanted Ent. In 2012, Irby, Shannon Gill and Marcus Sanders reformed Hi-Five with two new members, Andre Ramseur (aka Dre Wonda) and Faruq Evans. They released a single called "Favorite Girl" also on the BMW label. Ramseur later left the group and was replaced by Billy Covington. Hi-Five was featured on the TVOne music documentary series Unsung on August 6, 2014, chronicling the quintet's upbringing in Waco, their rise to superstardom, tragedies among group members, and their comeback. [6] On July 2, 2014, former Hi-Five member Russell Neal was charged with murder in the stabbing death of his wife in Houston.[7]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [8] | |||||||||||||
| 1990 | Hi-Five
|
38 | 1 |
| ||||||||||
| 1992 | Keep It Goin' On
|
82 | 9 |
| ||||||||||
| 1993 | Faithful
|
105 | 23 |
| ||||||||||
| 2005 | The Return
|
— | — | |||||||||||
| 2014 | The EP
|
— | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Greatest Hits
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [8] |
US A/C [8] |
AUS [10] |
GER [11] |
NLD [12] |
NZ [13] |
UK [14] | |||||||
| 1990 | "I Just Can't Handle It" | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | Hi-Five | ||||
| 1991 | "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" | 1 | 1 | 42 | 47 | 41 | 47 | 43 | 43 |
| ||||
| "I Can't Wait Another Minute" | 8 | 1 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Just Another Girlfriend" | 88 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1992 | "She's Playing Hard to Get" | 5 | 2 | — | 46 | — | 76 | 14 | 55 | Keep It Goin' On | ||||
| "Quality Time" | 38 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | ||||||
| 1993 | "Mary, Mary" | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Unconditional Love" | 92 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Faithful | |||||
| "Never Should've Let You Go" | 30 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | ||||||
| 1994 | "Faithful" | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" (with Nuttin' Nyce) | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2012 | "Favorite Girl" | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Favorite Girl - Single | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "I Just Can't Handle It" | Antoine Fuqua |
| 1991 | "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" | |
| "I Can't Wait Another Minute" | ||
| "Just Another Girlfriend" | ||
| 1992 | "She's Playing Hard to Get"[15] | Lionel C. Martin |
| "Quality Time" | ||
| 1993 | "Unconditional Love" | Marcus Nispel |
| "Never Should've Let You Go" | ||
| 1994 | "Faithful" | |
| "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" (w/ Nuttin Nyce) |
References
- ↑ "Remembering Rhythm & Blues: January 2007". Rememberingrhythmandblues.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- 1 2 "Hi-Five Billboard Chart History". billboard.com. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ↑ "Hi-Five's Tony Thompson Dies At 31". Billboard.com.
- ↑ "Local Music Icon Found Dead". KXXV.com.
- ↑ "Family and friends remember Waco singer Tony Thompson at headstone ceremony". Waco Tribune-Herald. 2010-05-05.
- ↑ "Hi-Five documentary to air, revisiting chart-topping Waco hip-hop group | Tv And Radio". Wacotrib.com. 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "Former R&B singer charged with murdering wife in Houston". CBS News. 2014-07-07.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "US Charts > Hi-Five". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- 1 2 "US Certifications > Hi-Five". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ↑ "AUS Charts > Hi-Five". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ "GER Charts > Hi-Five". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ "NLD Charts > Hi-Five". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ "NZ Charts > Hi-Five". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ "UK Charts > Hi-Five". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ↑ ""She's Playing Hard to Get" by Hi-Five". VH1. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2011.