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Az Yet

American contemporary R&B group

Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their songs "Last Night" and the cover "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" originally performed by Chicago.

01Formation

Formed in 1989 initially as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen, the two were later joined by Kenny Terry, whom they met singing in the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel in Philadelphia, Claude Thomas, Damon Core, & Dyshon Benson.

02Debut album

Az Yet released their self-titled debut album in 1996 on LaFace Records. The album featured a "who's who" of musical heavyweights, including David Foster, Babyface, Sheila E., and Brian McKnight. The first single, "Last Night", reached No. 9 on the US Hot 100, #1 on the R&B chart, peaked at No. 2 on Australia's ARIA charts, and spent 2 weeks at No. 1 in New Zealand's RIANZ charts, ultimately achieving platinum status in the US. The group's second single, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (a cover of the Chicago hit featuring Peter Cetera), was nominated for a Grammy award (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals), reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, and achieved platinum status. Driven by these two singles, the album reached RIAA platinum status.

03Members

Current

  • Kenny Terry (1991-present)
  • Dyshon Benson (1992-1995; 2016-2019; 2023-present)
  • Jibriel Patterson (2023-present)
  • Jay Naught (2023-present)
  • Drayton (2023-present)

Former

  • Dion Allen (1989-2023) aka Kagiso Mucanze
  • Shawn Rivera (1989-2015)
  • Marc Nelson (1995-1997; 2007-2010; 2015-2016; 2023)
  • Darryl Anthony (1994-2007)
  • Claude Thomas (1990-1994; 2014-2023)
  • Tony Grant (1997-1999; 2010-2011)
  • LeDon Smith (1999-2007)
  • Parrice Smith (2016-2022)
  • Kris Gilder (2004-2007)
  • Dante Harper (2004-2007)
  • Damon Core (deceased) (1990-1992)

04Television

Fueled by two top ten hits, the group's popularity led them to several television appearances in their early years. Live performances include The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, All That and two appearances on Soul Train (the first in 1996 with Marc Nelson as the lead singer and the second in 1997 with Tony Grant). The group was also cast as "TJ's Band" and appeared in several episodes of the short-lived television drama Fame L.A.

Az Yet toured as featured actors/performers in 2013 with the Broadway musical, My Brother Marvin (The Secret Life of Marvin Gaye), starring Keith Washington, Tony Grant and actress Lynn Whitfield.

Later that year, the group recorded "Magical Moment" with Malaysian Idol winner Jaclyn Victor as a theme song for the animated feature film, Ribbit (KRU Studios).

05Discography

Studio albums

  • Az Yet (1996)
  • Back Home 2007 (2006)
  • She's Magic (2016)

Extended plays

  • That B U (2004)

Singles

Year Title Album Label Released Hot 100
1996 "Last Night" Az Yet LaFace Records August 12, 1996 9
1997 "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" Az Yet LaFace Records February 2, 1997 8
1997 "You're the Inspiration"
(Peter Cetera featuring Az Yet)
You're the Inspiration Platinum Entertainment August 26, 1997 77
2007 "Keep on Pushin'" Back Home InnerSoul Records May 5, 2007
2008 "Share Life" Single only Az Yet Records October 30, 2008
2008 "She Loves the 90s" Single only Az Yet Records November 12, 2008
2009 "I Can't Let U Go" Untitled Az Yet Records January 2009
2011 "Ms. Behaving" Single only Az Yet Records February 2011
2012 "Star Spangled Banner" Single only Az Yet Records July 2012
2013 "All It Takes" Single only Az Yet Records January 2013
2013 "Magical Moment" Ikut Rentakku KRU Music June 26, 2013

Soundtrack appearances

Watch videos about Az YetExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Az Yet, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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