Old School Saturdays--The Mary Jane Girls

photo courtesy of qedmedia.ca

Remember the Mary Jane Girls?? I love the song “All Night Long!” The 1980’s all female pop, disco, funk, and R&B group were protégés of the infamous Rick James. It is said that the origin of the group’s name came from James’ love of marijuana (aka “mary jane”). Candice "Candi" Ghant, Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie, Ann "Cheri" Bailey, and Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich were the original members that made up the group, portraying various characters developed by James. "JoJo" was supposed to be headed for a solo career, but James sold the act as a group to Motown, which led to the signing of a contract in 1980.

The Mary Jane Girls released their self-titled debut album in 1983, producing the group’s first R&B hits, which were “Candyman,” “All Night Long,” and “Boys.” Their second album, Only Four You, was released in 1985. The second released single, “In My House,” was the group’s biggest hit to date. It first charted at #1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and then it peaked at #3 on the R&B chart, eventually crossing over to the Hot 100 chart, where it reached #7. The single also spent 12 weeks in the Top 40.

A third album was never recorded. Throughout the mid-80s, various members left the group, along with James having problems at Motown. This eventually led to the group breaking up. Some of the members are still active in music and other forms of art and artists such as Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Big Daddy Kane, and Black Eyed Peas have sampled a few of their songs.

Thanks for tuning in to another Old School Saturday. Check out the playlist I’ve put together for your listening pleasure.

mary jane girls