Enjoy this latest installment of TVOne’s Unsung music documentary show, which features legendary soul and rhythm and blues group, Mint Condition. Throughout this ep, you hear from friends and family and learn more about the highs and lows of this incredible group that spawned a string of hits including “Breakin My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)”, “Swingin” and more. We learned a tremendous amount about the group and have even more respect for them after seeing the show. Enjoy!
Description from TVOne:
Right from the start Mint Condition stood out from the pack with a sound that blended funk, rock, R&B and jazz. Their 1991 breakout single Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) was a smash on both the R&B and pop charts and was followed by Top Ten singles U Send Me Swingin, Forever in Your Eyes and the timeless ballad What Kind of Man Would I Be.
But the mere fact that Mint Condition was a band became a challenge as they struggled against the tide of 90s hip hop. And when Keri Lewis left shortly before marrying Toni Braxton, the group struggled to stay together. In this entertaining episode of Unsung, the members of Mint Condition reunite to reveal the ups and downs of their lives and careers, and the double-edged challenge of remaining the last great Black band.
More about Mint Condition From AllMusic:
Formed in the early ’80s in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mint Condition began as lead singer Stokley Williams, guitarist Homer O’Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/guitarist Keri Lewis, and guitarist/bassist Rick Kinchen. The six talented musicians combined a variety of influences and experiences to shape their own sound. Williams began playing classic West African instruments at the age of four, while O’Dell grew up listening to his father play blues bass and singing with him in a family group. Waddell played in a recording arts band at school and mastered keyboards by listening to jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock. Exposed to his father’s extensive jazz collection, Allen played keyboards and sax in local bands throughout his high school years, as Lewis was mastering keyboards, percussion, and guitar while attending school. Kinchen‘s first and strongest influence was his family, all of whom played instruments and encouraged his interest in music. He developed his skills as a bass player by listening to records by Stanley Clarke and Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson. Kinchen played in various bands in his native Chicago and performed at several productions at Kennedy-King College before moving to the Twin Cities.
The band was featured at the 1986 Minnesota Black Musician Awards program and built a strong core following for itself in a multiple-state area (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Nebraska) as a result of its dazzling, highly energetic live shows. Mint Condition came to the attention of Minneapolis R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as a result of a showcase performance in 1989. The band had steady success beginning with the hits “(Breaking My Heart) Pretty Brown Eyes” and “Forever in Your Eyes” from its debut, Meant to Be Mint (1991), and with “Nobody Does It Betta” and “(U Send Me) Swinging” from its second album, From the Mint Factory (1993); the group continued with the platinum success of the single “What Kind of Man Would I Be” from its gold album Definition of a Band (1996).
Be sure you stay tuned into the upcoming episodes this season.