The Cover Girls

The Cover Girls is a New York City-based freestyle-urban-dance-pop girl group that achieved the majority of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the group's best-known songs are "Show Me" and "Wishing on a Star."

Origins

The Cover Girls began its musical career in the late 1980s at a time when other American and British girl groups such as Exposé, Bananarama, Seduction, and Company B were scoring hit singles on the pop and dance charts. The group was formed by music promoter and dance club owner Sal Abbatiello^[1] and originally consisted of singers Angel Sabater, Caroline Jackson and Sunshine Wright. The increased popularity of freestyle music, a Latin-influenced form of dance music, played an influential role in the style of their initial recordings.

Chart success

The Cover Girls released their first album, Show Me, in late 1987. Five singles were released from this album, including the Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits "Because of You" and "Promise Me". The title track from the album was released as a 12" single prior to the album's release and was a Top 5 hit on the US dance chart. Their second album, We Can't Go Wrong, was released in 1989 and included the song "My Heart Skips a Beat" (pop Top 40, dance Top 5) as well as the title track, which was the group's first Top 10 pop hit in early 1990, peaking at #8. The single, "Don't Stop Now", was released in 1991. This was Evelyn Escalera's first recording with the group. The group's third studio album, Here It Is released in 1992, produced the group's most recent pop hit, a cover version of the Rose Royce 1978 song "Wishing on a Star" with new co-lead singer Michelle Valentine. The Cover Girls' version of this song became their second Top 10 pop hit when it peaked at #9 in the summer of 1992. It also reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart that same year.

Personnel changes

In late 1988, Wright decided to leave the group and was replaced by Margo Urban. In 1990, while The Cover Girls were the opening act on the New Kids on the Block tour, Sabater embarked on a solo career; singer Evelyn Escalera was hired to replace her. Then in 1992, Urban left the group and was replaced by Michelle Valentine, leaving Jackson as the sole original member. By the time they released their fourth studio album, Satisfy, in 1996, the majority of the lead vocals were being performed by Valentine with new singers Damie, Gayle, and Sheila. The current line-up of The Cover Girls is Escalera, Lorraine Munoz and Sabrina Nieves, although it is unknown whether a fifth studio album will be released.

Former member Sabater released her solo debut album, Angel, in 2000. Sabater still tours singing Cover Girls songs under the name "Angel (The Original Cover Girl)".

In November 2008, Evelyn Escalera released her first solo single. It's a cover of the Mariah Carey Christmas classic "All I want for Christmas Is You" Its available on iTunes, under her new pseudonym Evelyn DeMille.

Discography

Singles

¤ "Don't Stop Now" and "Funk Boutique" were released in the U.S. on the same single. The songs charted separately on the Billboard Hot 100, but were listed together as a double-A-side on the US dance chart.

References

External links

• Cover Girls Myspace Page
• Fever Records