Biography: Club Nouveau

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This disco act from Sacramento, California, USA, was formed by producer Jay King and comprised Valerie Watson, Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy and Samuelle Prater. All bar Prater had previously been members of the Timex Social Club, a local vocal group. With Watson singing lead, a 1987 revival of Bill Withers’ ‘Lean On Me’ - issued on King’s own King Jay Records - climbed to number 1 in the USA and reached the Top 10 in most European countries. However, the follow-up, ‘Why You Treat Me So Bad’, was only a modest domestic hit. Some later singles made ripples regionally, but the replacement in 1988 of McElroy and Prater with David Agent and Kevin Irving failed to rekindle chartbusting enthusiasm for the group. Foster and McElroy went on to form a production duo and record as FMob, before founding the female vocal group En Vogue.

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