Public Announcement w/ Special Guest Dexter O'Neal and Funk Yard

4208 West Pfeiffer Road,Bartonville IL 61607

17 March, 2021

Description

Truth Nightclub & Ultra Lounge presents Public Announcement - Live in Concert Special Guest Dexter O'Neal and Funk Yard Public Announcement is an American R&B group, which was formed in 1991 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. They teamed with singer R. Kelly for their collaboration album Born into the 90's (1992). The group is known for collection of R&B hit songs like "She's Got That Vibe", "Honey Love", "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)", "Dedicated", "Body Bumpin' (Yippie-Yi-Yo)", and "Mamacita". The group signed with Jive Records in 1991 after R. Kelly met the members from Public Announcement and auditioned them to be his backup singers and dancers. The group was originally R. Kelly backed up by Earl Robinson, Andre Boykins, and Ricky Webster. R. Kelly and Public Announcement released their collaboration album, Born into the 90's in January 1992. One of the last albums to be released during the new jack swing period of the early 1990s, the album included the hits "She's Got That Vibe", "Honey Love", "Dedicated", and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" all of which was led by Kelly, eventually leading to the album reaching a million copies domestically and going platinum. (Overall, "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" were the only two hits to reach No. 1 on the R&B chart during Public Announcement's tenure.) The group was billed as R. Kelly and Public Announcement essentially making the group backup members for Kelly rather than a cohesive unit. After a successful tour ended in 1993, Kelly parted ways with Public Announcement to begin a solo career, The group suddenly left the music industry after his departure. Public Announcement brought in a new member Big Mel. With Earl, Rick, Andre, and Mel, the group signed with Atlantic Records. They released a single "Take Advantage Of Me" but an album never materialized and Andre, Rick, and Big Mel left the group. Boykins and Big Mel worked on music together and individual careers. Boykins also continues to work closely with R. Kelly. According to his Myspace page, Boykins is currently a songwriter and producer at the Chocolate Factory studio in Chicago; he often tours with Kelly, and has been featured in many of Kelly's videos such as "I Wish", "When a Woman's Fed Up", and "Contagious" by The Isley Brothers to name a few. Original member Earl Robinson recruited Chicago natives Feloney Davis, Glenn Wright, and Euclid Gray as new members of Public Announcement in 1996 and Davis took over as the lead singer. In 1997, they eventually scored a record deal with A&M Records and started working on their sophomore and solo debut album All Work, No Play. In 1998, they scored their first and only top five hit without Kelly, named "Body Bumpin' (Yippie-Yi-Yo)" released on February 3, 1998, which peaked at No. 5 Pop and No. 4 R&B. This album featured Feloney Davis taking over the lead vocals.