Club Nouveau

Club Nouveau was formed in Sacramento, California, in 1986 by record producer and performer Jay King. The group emerged following the disbandment of Timex Social Club, with King capitalizing on this change by renaming his new project “Jet Set” to “Club Nouveau” (French for “New Club”). The initial lineup included Jay King, Valerie Watson, Samuelle Prater, Denzil Foster, and Thomas McElroy. They secured a record deal with Warner Bros. Records and released their debut album, “Life, Love & Pain,” in 1986. This album quickly produced several hits, including “Jealousy,” “Situation #9,” “Lean on Me,” and “Why You Treat Me So Bad.” The group’s rendition of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” became a significant success, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1987.

Following their initial success, Club Nouveau experienced internal changes as Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy departed to establish their own production team. Samuelle Prater, who provided lead vocals on “Lean on Me,” also pursued a solo career before rejoining the group in 2009. Despite these shifts, the group continued to release music with an evolving social consciousness, reflected in subsequent albums such as “Listen to the Message” (1988) and “Under a Nouveau Groove” (1989). These albums featured songs like “It’s a Cold, Cold World!” and “No Friend of Mine.” Their body of work also includes a dancehall-influenced version of the gospel classic “Oh, Happy Day” from their 1992 album, “A New Beginning.”

Club Nouveau maintained a consistent presence in the music industry, releasing albums such as “Everything Is Black” in 1995 and “Consciousness” in 2015. The group’s recordings for Warner Bros. were acquired by Tommy Boy Records in 2017 as part of a divestment requirement. The current lineup, as of 2015, includes original members Jay King, Valerie Watson, and Samuelle Prater. They continue to perform and have projects offering previously unreleased versions of their early hits.