Song:Fascinated
Album:Club Classics
The girl group Company B topped the dance charts and crossed over to pop in 1987 with Fascinated. They were part of Miami's Freestyle scene. The group was led by producer Ish "Angel" Ledesma. The group members were interchangeable which was not unusual for a group like this. Ledesma was born Oct. 2, 1952 in Cuba but he grew up in Miami. In the early 70s he was a session musician at TK. He played guitar on Gwen McCrae's Rockin' Chair. In 1976 he formed Foxy who scored a top ten hit in 1978 with Get Off. After they split up in 1979, Ledesma released a solo album and continued playing sessions. Then he formed Oxo in 1983 and they had a top 30 hit with Whirly Girl. They only recorded one album. When Freestyle girl groups like Expose became popular, Ledesma started his own girl group Company B. The original members were Lori Ledesma, Charlotte McKinnon and Susan Gonzalez. They all wore platinum wigs. Fascinated was released on a small label. And it became so popular in Miami clubs that Atlantic Records picked it up for distribution. Fascinated topped the dance chart and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. A couple of their other songs from Company B's 1987 debut album were dance hits and you can get them on this comp. By the time Company B's 1989 album Gotta Dance was released, Lori was the only original member remaining. When the album didn't do well, Ledesma ended Company B and returned to session work. He still does that. Susan has reformed Company B a couple of times and they tour the Freestyle nostalgia circuit. Here's the video for Fascination by Company B.
I heard that song back in the 80's in bars and loved it. They played the hell out of that song. Then it disappeared completely. I found the same video on YouTube and still listen to it every now and then. Thanks so much for the bio and information Frank. David.
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