Party Like It's 1991

Clockwise: Mariah Carey, C+C Music Factory, CeCe Peniston, and Deee-Lite.

It is Friday night, and time to hit the clubs! What, you can't go out tonight? Not to worry, I'll bring the music to you. That is, if you don't mind dancing to the hits of twenty years ago. for instance, the #1 song on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for the first two weeks of 1991 was The Power of Love by the ingenious Deee-Lite. The song was off the debut album, World Clique, made by Towa Tei, DJ Dmitry, and the amazing Lady Miss Kier.



A few months later, Mariah Carey released the third single off her self-titled debut, and on March 16, 1991, Someday was on top of the Dance chart. The song not only topped the club chart, it made it all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.



For two weeks at the end of summer, C+C Music Factory presents Freedom Williams & Zelma Davis ruled the Dance chart with Things That Make You Go Hmmm. For the weeks of August 31 and September 7, 1991, it was perched at #1. The song made it to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well.



And as fall changed to winter, a new singer was breaking out on the scene when her first single grabbed the attention and interest of the clubbers. For the weeks of October 26 and November 2, 1991, CeCe Peniston was singing her heart out on Finally. Just barely 22 years old, Peniston was letting her voice be heard, and the exposure at the clubs was leading to airplay and sales, and the single went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well.



Hope your volume was loud and your moves were bold.

Worth Another Listen - Deee-Lite

In 1986, Lady Miss Kier met DJ Dmitry, and they started working on music together. Soon thereafter, Towa Tei was added to the mix, and Deee-Lite was established. Prior to this, Lady Kier was working to establish herself in the fashion industry, and was active in the club scene, which is where she met Dmitry. As well as the musical partnership, they entered into a romantic one.



In 1990, they released World Clique, and their big style and their animated performances set them apart from the crowd, and sent them moving up the charts. The album went to #20 on the US charts, while the first single, Groove Is In The Heart, practically lived at #! on the Club charts, and scored #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.



Their second single was Power Of Love, which again topped the dance charts, but they never saw a single fly up the pop charts again. Far from one-hit-wonders, they had secured six #1 songs on the US Club charts, starting with Groove Is In The Heart, through to their last single, Call Me, in 1995, after the band had called it quits. In 1992, they scored a #1 with Runaway.



In many ways, I feel as though Lady Miss Kier paved the way for performers like Lady GaGa and Katie Perry to top the charts today. Lady Kier's outrageous sense of style, and bold and brash musical style, certainly were setting the trends, not following them. In 1994, Lady Kier and Dmitry ended their relationship, and the band were finished as well.




Lady Kier disappeared for a while, living and working in the UK, and returned to the US a few years ago. She is rumored to be working on a new musical project, and has many fans on the edge of their seats while the rumors build. To find out more about Lady Miss Kier, go to here official website here or her MySpace page here.