En Vogue

En Vogue was formed in the late 80s by Oakland-based production and songwriting duo Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy when they recruited vocalist for their release "FM2" for Atlantic. The concept was simple, a modern-day girl trio in the tradition of the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Ronettes and the like who had flourished in the early 1960s. Approximately 3000 women attended the auditions with Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones making the final cut.

The group expanded almost immediately to a quartet with the addition of Terry Ellis who was initially heartbroken when missing the audition due to a delayed flight. Their debut, Born To Sing, went on to be certified Platinum three times over propelled by four major singles, including "Lies", "You Don't Have to Worry", and "Hold On" (which was famously interpolated on the LL Cool J song "The Boomin' System" from the same year), all of which peaked at the number one slot on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart. In addition to their immediate success, the group influenced the wave of vocal groups throughout the 90s, with a line-up of En Vogue continuing to this day.