The beginnings of the band 112 can be traced to the members meeting at high school. Daron Jones, Michael Keith & Reginald Finley sang together while Jones & Keith were in middle school & Finley was in high school. A close friend of Finley's, Aldon Lagon was recognised for his deep bass voice and added to the line up along with high tenor vocalist Marvin Scandrick who the boys sang with in the school chorus. They changed their name to 112 after a move to New York in 1996, before this they were performing at local events as Forte.
They recorded their debut album in 1996 and it was released in late August to moderate chart success in the US. It peaked at #37 on the US Billboard Charts and has now sold over two million copies in the States achieving double platinum certification. Their rise to fame really began in the following year when two of the singles from second album 'Room 112' charted within the top 20 of the US charts and 'Love Me' was certified as gold selling.
The band had the incredible opportunity to support Whitney Houston on the 'My Love Is Your Love Tour' in the summer of 1999 whilst promoting their first record, understandably their fan base grew substantially. The group's third albu, 'Part III' was released in 2001 and including the hit 'Peaches & Cream' which earned the group their first Grammy nomination in the Best R&B Group or Duo category. It received a lot of radio publicity ahead of the release and charted at #2 on the US chart, which still remains the band's highest chart placing to date. The band then got another fantastic deal supporting another renowned R & B vocalist, this time it was Janet Jackson on her U.S 'All for You' World Tour.
The band released two albums on Def Jam after a split with long term record label Bad Boy. In 2008 Michael Keith decided to leave 112 and go solo before reconciling with the group in 2010. The 'For The Fans' Tour which kicked off in the summer of 2012 and is still going to date, there are no signs of a new album release yet.
R&B artist, Ginuwine became friends with many musicians who were highly regarded in the rap and R&B industry, who subsequently led him on the path to success. These people included the likes of Missy Elliot and Timbaland, these turned out to become his principal collaborators throughout the 1990s.
Timbaland and Ginuwine worked well together and this was made evident through Ginuwine's first single, titled "Pony". It showcased his charming and smooth vocals together with Timbaland's original production flair. Interestingly, "Pony" proved to be a hit and was used in the film, 2007’s Wild Hogs, and also used in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV in 2008.
However, after the success of Ginuwine’s second album, the duo grew apart. Much to the enjoyment of producers R. Kelly, who helped Ginuwine from then, producing hit after hit.
Ginuwine has achieved great success, this was proved in 2001 when he had a number-four hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "Differences", which also peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Just a year later however, the musician’s parents both passed away. This encouraged him to write and produce more sombre songs from the heart, such as , “Two Reasons I Cry".
I remember listening to 112 growing up, they used to be a really popular R&B group especially in the 90s.
They used to be a part of bad boy records and perform with puff daddy, notorious big, etc... Its great to see that they have reunited and came back to perform to their original fan base.This is what true R&B sounds like, not none of the stuff that we hear in the radios now.
I think they perform well together. When they perform their voices blend well, I especially love slim's voice. His voice is just so distinctive and different, I can tell it apart from any other singer.
When you watch them live, you can tell they try to get the crowd going. This is easy especially when most of their crowds are people that already know them and their music. They played some of their popular original hits such as cupid, anywhere and its over now.
What's great, is we all remember these songs and we can just jam and sing along. They can easily have the ladies going crazy with their sexy slow love making music and when their performing the song anywhere, dancing especially with their shirts off.
Is there a classic R&B banger that says the nineties quite like Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’. The beat, lyrics and delivery are all smoother than smooth, and made all the more remarkable by the fact that they’re coming from a man born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, which sounds like a name more befitting some kind of elfin children’s character than an impossibly debonair ladies’ man. Even if he’s struggled to scale the same heights as he found himself at in the nineties in the years since, he’s still plugged away throughout the noughties, releasing new records and touring the UK several times, most notably on a joint jaunt with fellow smooth operator Joe. In fact, it was the collaborative nature of his tours that would ultimately lead to his latest project; last year, he dropped the record Three Kings, as one-third of TGT alongside Tyrese and Tank, who hail from that same nineties scene and go a way back (Tyrese was best man at Ginuwine’s wedding). They toured the UK last year, too, performing their new cuts as well as delving into their own solo catalogues to delight female audiences across the land. They’re likely to be back before long - Ginuwine has been a regular fixture on these shores for a while - but in the meantime, check out Three Kings from some genuinely superb harmonisation.