Innocence (band)

Innocence
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1990–1992
LabelsCooltempo/Chrysalis/EMI
Past members
  • Gee Morris
  • Anna Jolley
  • Mark Jolley
  • Brian Harris

Innocence was a British R&B band fronted by Gee Morris that achieved some success in the UK in the early 1990s.

Masterminded by the production team of Anna Jolley, Mark Jolley and Brian Harris, Innocence's sound was similar to then-popular group Soul II Soul, but also added elements of downtempo and chill-out music. Signed to Cooltempo Records, the group's debut single, "Natural Thing", became their biggest UK hit in 1990, peaking at No. 16.[1] The 12" version of the song featured the complete introduction and guitar solo by David Gilmour, from the Pink Floyd song, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".[2]

That same year they released their debut album, Belief,[2] which was a Top 30 hit in the UK Albums Chart.[1] The album spawned four further singles, all but one charting inside the UK Top 40.[1] Belief was released in the US the following year, adding a cover version of "Riders on the Storm", originally by The Doors, which was not available in the UK edition. The album and its singles only found modest success in the US Billboard R&B chart.

In 1992, they released their second album, Build. Never released in the US, it was less successful than their debut, although two of its singles became Top 40 hits in the UK. They were "I'll Be There" (peaking at No. 26) and a cover version of a Diana Ross song "One Love In My Lifetime" (peaking at No. 40). After this album, the group disbanded. Gee Morris later released an unsuccessful self-titled solo album in 1994.

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
Year Single Peak positions Album
UK
[3]
AUS
[5]
GER
[6]
NED
[7]
US R&B
[8]
US Dance
[9]
1990 "Natural Thing" 16 116 14 30 27 Belief
"Silent Voice" 37 38
"Let's Push It" 25 153 37 39 21
"A Matter of Fact" 37 175 57
1991 "Remember the Day" 56 187
1992 "I'll Be There" 26 174 Build
"One Love In My Lifetime" 40 168
"Build" 72 161
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 269. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  3. ^ a b c "Official Charts > Innocence". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Innocence Chart History > Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.[dead link]
  5. ^ a b Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  6. ^ German chart peaks:
  7. ^ "dutchcharts.nl > Innocence in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Innocence Chart History > Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.[dead link]
  9. ^ US Dance Club Songs peaks: