Club Nouveau () is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name (French for "New Club") was changed from its original incarnation, "Jet Set", to capitalize on the breakup. The group was signed by Warner Bros. Records, on which Club Nouveau released its first three albums. Club Nouveau's go-go version of Bill Withers's song "Lean on Me" won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1987.
History From its debut album, Life, Love & Pain, which was released in 1986, the group scored four consecutive hits: "Jealousy" (essentially an answer song responding to Timex Social Club's hit "Rumors"), "Situation #9", "Lean on Me" and "Why You Treat Me So Bad". The latter two both made it to #2 on the Billboard R&B chart the next year, with "Lean on Me" going on to become a big Billboard Hot 100 hit. "Jealousy" also made an appearance on the soundtrack for the film Modern Girls. "Why You Treat Me So Bad" was interpolated by the hip-hop duo Luniz, on its hit single "I Got 5 on It", and subsequently by rapper/record producer Puff Daddy on his #1 R&B single "Satisfy You".
The group's original lineup consisted of Jay King, Valerie Watson, Samuelle Prater, Denzil Foster, and Thomas McElroy. Foster and McElroy soon left to form their own production team and focus on working with other acts. Prater, who had performed lead vocals on "Lean on Me", eventually left as well to pursue a solo career but reunited with the group in 2009.
The group's next albums—beginning with Listen to the Message—were laced with an evolving social consciousness. Notable recordings include "You Ain't No Friend of Mine" from Under A Nouveau Groove; a dancehall-influenced version of the Gospel classic "Oh, Happy Day", from A New Beginning; "Let It Go" from Everything Is Black; and "What Kind of Love" from The Collection Volume I. The group also recorded "Step by Step" for the Who's That Girl soundtrack.
Club Nouveau was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 1987. The group's version of "Lean on Me" was its most celebrated hit, resulting in a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year in addition to winning the Grammy for Best R&B Song that same year. "Lean on Me" was also nominated for two American Music Awards, nominated and won a Bammy Award, a BRE Drummer award, a Bay Area Star award and it won two NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) awards.
The 2015 lineup consists of King, Watson, and Prater.
In 2017, as part of Warner Music's divestment requirements as a result of its purchase of Parlophone, the group's Warner Bros. recordings were acquired by Tommy Boy Records, which worked 12-inch singles from its first album to clubs as a result of its emerging relationship with Warner and from being an expert in the format.
Discography Studio albums Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications US USR&B AUS CAN GER NL NZ 1986 Life, Love & Pain Release date: December 6, 1986 Label: Warner Bros. 6 2 90 13 65 69 9 RIAA: Platinum 1988 Listen to the Message Release date: May 24, 1988 Label: Warner Bros. 98 44 — — — — — 1989 Under a Nouveau Groove Release date: November 7, 1989 Label: Warner Bros. — 39 — — — — — 1992 A New Beginning Release date: April 30, 1992 Label: JVK — 80 — — — — — 1995 Everything Is Black Release date: October 10, 1995 Label: Rip-It — — — — — — — 2015 Consciousness Release date: June 2015 Label: Nouveau Music, Faze One Records — — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications Album US USR&B USDan AUS CAN GER IRE NL NZ UK 1986 "Jealousy" — 8 38 — — — — — — 80 Life, Love & Pain "Situation #9" — 4 — — — — — — — — 1987 "Lean on Me" 1 2 1 5 1 9 5 4 1 3 RIAA: Gold BPI: Silver "Why You Treat Me So Bad" 39 2 22 — — — — 96 — — "Let Me Go" — — — — — — — — — — "Heavy on My Mind" — 42 — — — — — — — — 1988 "It's a Cold, Cold World!" — 34 — — — — — — — — Listen to the Message "For the Love of Francis" — — — — — — — — — — "Envious" — — — — — — — — — — 1989 "No Friend of Mine" — 12 — — — — — — — — Under a Nouveau Groove 1990 "Under a Nouveau Groove" — — — — — — — — — — "Momentary Lover" — — — — — — — — — — 1992 "Oh Happy Day" — 45 — — — — — — — — A New Beginning 1993 "When Will You Come Back to Me?" — — — — — — — — — — 1994 "Ghetto Swang" — — — — — — — — — — Everything Is Black 1995 "Let It Go" (featuring Thrill Da Playa of the 69 Boyz) — — — — — — — — — — 1998 "What Kind of Love (Secret Rendezvous)" — — — — — — — — — — The Collection Volume 1 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
See also List of number-one hits (United States) List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.) List of number-one dance hits (United States) List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart Grammy Award for Best R&B Song Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals 30th Annual Grammy Awards
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