21st Century | de

The 21st Century ... Freddie Williams,Alphonso Smith,Tyrone Moores, Pierre Johnson and Alonzo Martin were five teens hailing from the Henry Horner Homes off the west side of Chicago. They all attended Richard T. Crane High School. They were discovered and produced by writer/producer Marvin Eugene Smith for local Chicago label Golden Tone Productions. The wild success of this single soon led to a distribution deal with RCA Records that re-released the record in March 1975. It enjoyed a long run on several urban stations and has reappeared recently in numerous versions over the years covered by a wide range of artists, including Snoop Dogg (Sisters & Brothers KOCH 2005,) Mario & Nicki Minaj (Somebody Else RCA 2013,) Frank Ocean (Somebody Else RCA 2013,) and Chris Brown (Somebody Else 2013.) Pierre Johnson, the group's former lead has a track "Saturday Night Scru" (also produced by Marvin Eugene Smith) on the very popular "Whispers From The Underground" album, a compilation of several upcoming artists. It is available from numerous online music sites. During their heyday the 21st Century starred on Soul Train in 1975 with Patti Labelle and Minnie Ripperton. They also opened for James Brown, Billie Preston, the Spinners,the Miracles, Impressions and many others. Given their rich, robust vocals on record and live they were truly ahead of their time. .