Top Ten R&B Girl Groups

In honor of Black Music Month, we’re highlighting ten of the most impactful R&B girl groups.

8. Mary Jane Girls - The brainchild of Rick James to showcase his background singer Joanne “JoJo” McDuffie's vocals, the Mary Jane Girls were formed in the early 1980s. Under James’ musical direction and with JoJo on lead vocals, the group made hits like “All Night Long” and “Candyman. ” They didn’t sell millions or even top the charts — though their lead single, off their second album, In My House, reached number 3 on the Billboard R&B charts and spent 12 weeks in the Top 40 — they made a definite impact on a generation of listeners. Mary J. Blige remade “All Night Long” on her classic sophomore LP, My Life, and their music was sampled by everyone from Kylie Minogue and the Black Eyed Peas to Redman and Jay-Z.(Photo: Courtesy Gordy Records)
7. Xscape - Atlanta-based quartet Xscape was discovered by Jermaine Dupri at a festival and included singers Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, Kandi Burruss and Tamika and LaTocha Scott. Dupri immediately signed them to SoSo Def Records and produced their first single, “Just Kick It,” a cool, sexy track which gave the ladies a solid introduction to the music scene. Their debut album, Hummin Coming At ‘Cha, achieved platinum success with the help of their second single, "Understanding." Their second album, Off the Hook, kept Xscape on the cutting edge with tracks like "Feels So Good," which reached the top 40, and "Who Can I Run To," which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s final album before disbanding, Traces of My Lipstick, debuted at number 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop album chart and sold over a million copies with the help of sassy sing...
6. Pointer Sisters - Born and raised in Oakland, California, sisters June, Bonnie and Anita released their self-titled debut in 1973 and recorded a string of mildly successful songs until the 1980s, when they piqued the music world’s interest with tracks like "He's So Shy," and "Slow Hand." But it wasn't until 1983 when the Pointer Sisters released their biggest-selling album, Break Out. The following year they had four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits with  "Automatic," "Jump (for My Love)," "I'm So Excited," "Neutron Dance." Today, the Pointer Sisters' songs are regularly sampled by other artists and used in commercial advertising, showing their timeless mass appeal.(Photo: Courtesy RCA Records)
5. SWV - Sisters With Voices or SWV were the epitome of hip hop soul. With hard-hitting beats and melodic vocals, music fans were truly “weak in the knees” for the trio from New York. With hits like “Weak,” “I’m So Into You,” “You’re the One” and the remake of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” titled “Right Here/Human Nature,” Taj, Coko and Lele became one of the top-selling female groups of all time, with 15 million records sold worldwide. The group briefly disbanded after their fourth album, but not before leaving fans with more good music, like “Downtown,” “Always On My Mind” and “Rain.” The group have since returned to music with their 2012 single, "Co-Sign."(Photo: Courtesy E1 Music)4. En Vogue - Cindy, Maxine, Dawn and Terry, four girls from Oakland, California were one of the most successful acts of the 1990s as En Vogue. Their music video for their first single, “Hold On,” off their debut album, Born to Sing, featured the ladies in all black body-con dresses singing their hearts out and became a template for every talent show and for many female acts that followed, including Destiny’s Child. En Vogue are in the top 10 of the best-selling girl groups of all-time, selling 20 million albums worldwide. Their sophomore LP, Funky Divas, showed that all four ladies could sing lead and still strike platinum with hits like "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," "Free Your Mind" and "Give It Up Turn It Loose." But it was their track on the Set It Off film soundtrack that scored them their ...

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Atlanta-based quartet Xscape was discovered by Jermaine Dupri at a festival and included singers Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, Kandi Burruss and Tamika and LaTocha Scott. Dupri immediately signed them to SoSo Def Records and produced their first single, “Just Kick It,” a cool, sexy track which gave the ladies a solid introduction to the music scene. Their debut album, Hummin Coming At ‘Cha, achieved platinum success. The group’s final album before disbanding, Traces of My Lipstick, debuted at number 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop album chart. They have since reunited for tours and reality shows.

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