Watley, Jody

Watley, Jody, former Soul Train dancer who went on to singing success in Shalamar and as a solo artist; b. Chicago, 111., Jan. 30, 1959. Her godfather is the late Jackie Wilson. Her father was a radio evangelist who hosted a gospel music show as well. However, the thing Jody Watley wanted more than anything else as a teen was to dance on Soul Train. When her family relocated from Chicago to Calif., she got her chance and took it. She and her partner Jeffrey Daniels became the most popular pair on the show, known for starting the trend of matching costumes and using props like rollerskates and balloons. The show’s host and producer, Don Cornelius, invited the pair to become part of Shalimar, a new group he was putting together with Dick Griffey. Between 1977 and 1984, the group landed a spate of R&B hits including “A Night to Remember,” ’Take That to the Bank,” and the R&B chart topping (#8 pop), gold “Second Time Around.”

Watley, however, disliked the lack of creative input the group allowed her and left in 1982. She moved to England for a while, doing some modeling and singing on records by Musical Youth, the Art of Noise, and Band Aid, where she was one of the few Americans participating. In the mid-1980s, she moved back to Los Angeles, where she hooked up with former Prince bassist Andre Cymone. They collaborated on a number of songs that became Watley’s eponymous debut in 1987.

With her dancing and modeling background, Watley was perfect for MTV. That Cymone’s Minneapolis funk was very similar to the Minneapolis funk with which Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam were scorching the charts on Janet Jackson records didn’t hurt, either. Chock-full of dance rhythms, the album rose to #10 and went platinum on the strength of slick, soulful songs like the R&B chart topping (#2 pop) “Looking for a New Love,” the #6 pop “Don’t You Want Me,” and the #10 “Some Kind of Lover.” She took home the 1987 Grammy for Best New Artist.

Although that Grammy has frequently been the kiss of death, Watley came back strong with Larger Than Life. The first single, “Real Love,” went gold, hitting #2 pop and topping the R&B charts. A duet with rappers Eric B and Rakim, “Friends” rose to #9. She followed this with the ballad “Everything,” which hit #4. The album rose to #16 and went gold. She followed this with a dance remix compilation of songs from the previous two albums.

In an effort to continue the change of artistic gears (and to support the cause of AIDS research) Watley participated in the fund-raising Cole Porter tribute Red, Hot and Blue, covering “After You, Who” with a torch-like intensity. This carried over to her Affairs of the Heart album, which included more ballads and less dance music. While critics loved it, although it only spawned one minor hit, the #19 “I’m the One You Need.” Her next album, Intimacy, again wowed fans and critics, but didn’t reach her old dance audience or make too many new fans. MCA let her go, and in 1995 Watley started her own label, Avitone, recording Affection, for which she also wrote, produced, and even directed the videos. Unfortunately, the record got little in the way of radio play and didn’t sell very well.

With poor sales of the previous two records, Watley was put in the position of making a comeback. Signing with Atlantic, she released Flower, recorded with a spate of the more successful contemporary soul producers to update her sound. While the album worked on an artistic level, it failed to find an audience.

Discography

Jody Watley (1987); Larger than Life (1989); You Wanna Dance with Me? (1990); Affairs of the Heart (1991); Intimacy (1993); Affection (1995); Flower (1998).

—Brock Helander