Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Lisa Velez, Alex "Spanador" Moseley, Mike Hughes |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam emerged as a groundbreaking urban contemporary ensemble from New York City during the 1980s, recognized as one of the earliest freestyle music acts. The trio consisted of lead vocalist Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez), guitarist and bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes, with production initially handled by Full Force.
History
The formation of the group occurred after Lisa Velez auditioned for Full Force at age 14, which led to their signing with Columbia Records. Their first single, "I Wonder If I Take You Home," was initially launched in Europe in 1983 and gained momentum in U.S. clubs by 1984, prompting a domestic release. The track reached number one on Billboard's Dance/Disco chart, climbed to No. 6 on the R&B chart, and peaked at No. 34 on the Hot 100 in 1985, ultimately earning gold certification.
Their debut album, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, was released in 1985. Following singles included "Can You Feel the Beat" which attained No. 40 on the R&B chart, and the gold-certified ballad "All Cried Out", which reached No. 3 on R&B and No. 8 on the pop chart. This album was certified platinum.
The 1987 release Spanish Fly yielded two chart-topping pop hits: "Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion", both achieving gold status. "Head to Toe" dominated the R&B chart for two weeks and maintained a position within the top five of the pop chart for nearly three months; meanwhile, "Lost in Emotion" featured one of MTV’s most frequently aired videos in 1987. The album Spanish Fly earned platinum certification and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Additional singles from this album included "Someone to Love Me for Me" (No. 7 R&B) and "Everything Will B-Fine" (No. 9 R&B). Between these releases, they contributed "Go for Yours" to the soundtrack of Caddyshack II.
Their third studio effort, Straight to the Sky (1989), showcased the single "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star". The group's final album, Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen, did not achieve significant commercial success but featured the No. 1 R&B and club hit "Let the Beat Hit 'Em". The band dissolved in 1991.
On February 1, 2025, Lifetime aired Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story, a biographical film chronicling the band's journey.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
AUS | CAN | UK | ||||||||||
| 1985 | Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
|
52 | 16 | — | — | 96 |
| |||||||
| 1987 | Spanish Fly
|
7 | 7 | — | 18 | — |
| |||||||
| 1989 | Straight to the Sky
|
77 | 18 | — | 63 | — | ||||||||
| 1991 | Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen
|
133 | 29 | 125 | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" indicates that an album did not chart or was not released in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- Head to Toe (1995, Sony Music)
- Lisa Lisa and Friends (1995, Sony Music)
- Past, Present & Future (1996, Thump)
- Super Hits (1997, Sony Music)
- Playlist: The Very Best of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force (2010, Columbia/Legacy)
Singles
- RIAA: Gold |
| Track | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications | Source Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B |
US Dance |
AUS | BEL | CAN | IRE | NL | NZ | UK | |||||
| "I Wonder If I Take You Home" | 1985 | 34 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 41 | — | 12 |
|
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force | |
| "Can You Feel the Beat" | 69 | 40 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 97 | ||||
| "All Cried Out" | 1986 | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Head to Toe" | 1987 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 15 | 1 | — | 16 | 9 | 82 |
|
Spanish Fly | |
| "Lost in Emotion" | 1 | 1 | 8 | 83 | — | 7 | — | — | 15 | 58 |
| |||
| "Someone to Love Me for Me" | 78 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Everything Will B-Fine" | 1988 | — | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Go for Yours" | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Caddyshack II | |||
| "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" | 1989 | 29 | 3 | — | 153 | 16 | 98 | — | 6 | 10 | 90 | 'Straight to the Sky' |
- !scope='row'|'Just Git It Together' | |
|
- !scope='row'|'Kiss Your Tears Away' | ||||||||||||||
|
- !scope='row'|'Let the Beat Hit 'Em' | ||||||||||||||
|
- !scope='row'|'Where Were You When I Needed You' | ||||||||||||||
|
- !scope='row'|'Forever' | ||||||||||||||
|
- !scope='row'|'Let the Beat Hit 'Em Part 2' | ||||||||||||||
|
data-sort-value="" style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec); color: var(--color-base, inherit); vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | — Non-album single | - colspan=15 style='font-size:90%'|"—" indicates tracks that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
External links
- Articles with short description
- American dance music groups
- Electronic music groups from New York (state)
- American house music groups
- American freestyle music groups
- Columbia Records artists
- Musical groups established in 1985
- Musical groups disbanded in 1991
- 1985 establishments in New York City
- 1991 disestablishments in New York (state)
- Musical groups originating from New York City
- Mixed-gender musical trios
- Female-fronted musical ensembles
- Musical groups disestablished in 1991