Driza Bone

Driza Bone is a international dance music / remixing musical ensemble, led by the record producers / musicians, Billy April and Vincent Garcia. They used various female vocalists to provide the vocal element to their output. Driza Bone (sometimes billed as Drizabone) were primarily popular in the early 1990s. They were named after the Driza-Bone brand of waterproof riding coats.^[1]

Career

The most successful remix single was of the American R&B singer Shanice's 1991 single, "I Love Your Smile". It surpassed the success of the original track, reaching #2 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

Driza Bone's most popular track, as an artist, was the song "Real Love", which reached #16 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1991, before they had remixed "I Love Your Smile".^[2] At the time of the single, Drizabone were mainstays April and Garcia, plus vocalist Sophie Jones.^[1] Jones had performed the original demo versions of the song, but was not really interested in a musical career, and Dee Heron (b. Jamaica, West Indies) gave up her secretary's job to take over her role.^[1] The follow-up hit was "Catch the Fire" (UK #54).^[2] They filled their time by performing production/remix duties for Lindy Layton ("Without You (One and One)"), Alison Limerick, Lisa Stansfield ("Change"), Kylie Minogue, and the aforementioned Shanice.^[1]

They eventually met the Atlanta, Georgia based singer Kymberley Peer (b. Detroit, Michigan), who had formerly worked with Howard Hewitt and Freddie Jackson.^[1] She was also a partly established actress, having appeared alongside Marvin Winans and Vanessa Bell Armstrong in the musical, Don't Get Got Started. She was on hand to record Drizabone's first single in three years, "Pressure", which prefaced their long awaited debut album.^[1] Thus followed "Pressure" (UK #33), "Brightest Star" (UK #45), and a re-release of "Real Love" in 1995 (UK #24, their biggest hit since the original version of the track).^[2] Driza Bone also had a charting album in 1994, titled Conspiracy, which debuted and peaked at #72 on the UK Albums Chart in November of that year.^[2] All of their chart successes were released on the Fourth & Broadway record label.^[2]

In 2010, Billy April, now credited under his real name Billy Freeman, revived the project under the name The Drizabone Soul Family, releasing an album titled All the Way with a new line-up of vocalists.

Discography

Singles

• "Real Love" (1991) UK #16
• "Catch the Fire" (1991) UK #54
• "Pressure" (1994) UK #33
• "Brightest Star" (1994) UK #45
• "Real Love" (re-release) (1995) UK #24

^[2]

Albums

• Conspiracy (1994) UK #72

^{[2] [3]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} NME.com
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 169. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
3. ^ Allmusic.com - album overview

• Chartstats.com