Guy (band)
Guy was a popular
1980s and
1990s hip-hop,
funk,
R&B and
soul band that was one of the early pioneers of
hip-hop/
R&B music and which set a trend in the early
1990s in a movement called the
New jack swing.
Formed in
Harlem,
New York in
1987 by young musician/
record producer Teddy Riley, the original members of Guy included Riley and
R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall and
Timmy GatlingWho were students at HBCU Virginia State University
www.vsu.edu in Petersburg,Va. After signing to
Uptown Records, the group released their first self-titled album in
1988. Gatling left after the first album was done and was quickly replaced by Aaron's younger brother Damian. Upon its release, the album went platinum three times over and included classics like "Groove Me", "Teddy's Jam," "I Like", "Piece of My Love" and "Merry-Go-Round of Love". That first album quickly established the group and Riley as musical forces.
After producing music for other artists other than his group, Riley returned to the group after they opened for
New Edition and released their second album,
The Future, in
1990. The songs "I Wanna Get Wit U" and "Let's Chill" gave them a broader, mainstream fan base. However, as soon as
The Future's success had dried up, Guy would be album-less for much of the
1990s. In the meantime, Riley went on to produce for artists such as
Heavy D and
Michael Jackson, and formed another R&B group named
Blackstreet.
In
2000, Riley and the Hall brothers reunited to release their first album in nine years titled
Guy III. The album featured the modest hit "Dancin'", but their label
MCA Records had a hard time promoting it. As quickly as it was released, it quickly dropped from the public radar. Since then, Guy has been relatively quiet, but rumors of working on a new album still linger.
In
2006 They are part of
New Jack Reunion Tour Line up.