Five Star on the cover of their "Treat Me Like A Lady" single from 1990
Five Star (aka 5 Star) is a British pop / R&B group, from Romford
in Essex, England which was formed in 1983.
Band members
The group was comprised of three sisters, and their two brothers.
Biography
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Known for their glamorous image, distinctive matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines, Five Star were one of
the UK's biggest musical acts between 1985 and 1990. In the summer of 1986 they became the youngest act ever to top the album
chart with their million seller, Silk and Steel, which later went on to yield a record total of seven single releases, a
record number at the time (which was bettered by Michael Jackson's eighth single release
from Bad in 1989). In June 1986, Five Star declined
George Michael's offer of being support act at their Wham!
"The Final" tour.
The group from the East London suburb of Romford was put together by their father, Buster
Pearson (born in Jamaica and former session musician with Wilson Pickett), who
also acted as their manager. Pearson also set up Tent Records Inc. to release the group's
material. Considered by many to be a British version of The Jacksons, they went on to have
many UK hits between 1985 and 1990, scoring their biggest success in
1986 with Top 10 singles "System Addict", "Can't Wait
Another Minute", "Find The Time" (both produced by Richard James Burgess,
"Rain Or Shine" and their multi-platinum selling album Silk And Steel. Further Top 10 hits "Stay Out Of My
Life" (penned by Denise) and "The Slightest Touch" followed in
1987 as well as a BRIT Award for Best British Group. 1987 also
saw the release of their successful third album, Between The
Lines, which featured the Diane Warren-penned hit, "Strong As Steel".
Their squeaky clean image made the group as popular with the press as the record buying public, and many tabloids ran stories
of the Pearsons' everyday and private affairs, most notably Lorraine's engagement to Eddie
Murphy in 1988 and the group's move to a huge mansion, Stone Court, in Berkshire
complete with CCTV and alarmed security gates. This overt attempt by their father at keeping Five Star's business away from
public gaze only fuelled further interest and over-embellished stories of 'private nightclubs' and 'Neverland-style fairgrounds' for the siblings' private use. In some respects the fantasy element to
these tales and many others inevitably began to overshadow the music being produced (which had always been the group's main
interest over publicity).
In 1988, the group felt they had taken the unique musical sound that made their name as far as
it could go and changed their direction to a more adult-oriented, leather-clad disco/rock/dance act (led by a 1988 Leon Sylvers
III produced single "Another Weekend"). The harder edge and distinct Jackson feel to the
sound shocked many fans who thought they had begun to lose direction by pandering to pop trends rather than staying ahead of the
game. Despite the moderate success of the album Rock The World (a rather misguided title for a project featuring a wide
range of musical styles), which included a rousing rock anthem "There's A Brand New World" (written by Denise), the record sold
less well than earlier releases.
With the consistently high quality of material being released continuing into the following year, the group's popularity had
dramatically declined, and by late 1989 their Greatest Hits collection peaked at a lowly No.53 on the album chart. Also in 1989, the
group made an infamous appearance on British TV show Going Live, on which they were verbally
abused by a teenage phone-in caller. Apparently at loggerheads with RCA, Buster signed the group to
Epic Records the following year, and an entirely self penned, self produced album Five
Star was produced within the walls of their family home. Despite heavy promotion, the two singles from it "Treat Me Like A Lady" and "Hot Love" failed and a planned third
single "What About Me, Baby?" was shelved, with the UK release of the album also abandoned. The Pearson family realised they had,
over the course of five short years, been adored 'British pop heroes', then later portrayed as a 'freak family' by the fickle
British media which had, in turn, damaged their commercial success and credibility. Seeking fresh opportunities and a new
audience they moved to America in late 1990 amid reports of bankruptcy.
1991 saw the release of the slick, American-sounding Shine album, and later the more laid
back, mature Heart And Soul (1994) which had a distinct RnB direction. The following year,
Five Star brought the album to the UK, with considerably less press coverage than previous years. Whilst the album didn't set the
charts alight, it was nevetheless a return to form for fans and critics alike. It was around this time the group took their first
big break from the music scene and became more involved enjoying their new-found anonymity in adulthood. Denise got married and
had children and Delroy went into musical production, achieving big success in the U.S. charts.
In 2001, Five Star's 31st official single release "Funktafied" was a hit on the US
R&B chart and a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (the first time they had
featured on it since 1988). Five Star returned to the UK in 2002 (albeit now a trio comprising
Stedman, Denise and Lorraine) to perform on various tours (which have included the 2002 Here and
Now nostalgia tour). Later on, and after long delays, "System Addict" was re-recorded and re-released in 2005 to a weak
response from the record buying public. A planned re-release of "The Slightest Touch" was cancelled. Nevertheless, plans for all
five members to regroup and record new material in a full scale come-back were discussed for 2006/7. Part of these plans included
a multi-million pound record deal, national tour and fly-on-the-wall TV documentary. However, only three members expressed
interest and negotiations ground to a halt. After a disastrous gig at UK holiday resort Butlins
in October 2006 (whereby all 5 members were billed but, on the night, three impersonators turned up), Lorraine announced her
departure from the lineup, whilst Stedman and long-lost member Doris forged ahead recording solo material. Despite no official
statement from the group, it is widely assumed that Five Star have disbanded for good.
The future for the Pearson's seems to be rooted in solo careers for at least three members: Stedman's solo album, as yet
untitled, is complete and ready for a release date in the UK in Spring 2007. It will be showcased in London in February to the
public, journalists and music industry members. Updates of his activity can be obtained from his myspace page. Doris is yet to
reveal when her completed solo songs will see commercial release. They can currently be heard on her Myspace page. Denise
recently revealed she too is currently working on Solo material. A Myspace page will launch this year. Delroy continues to live
in LA with his family producing for U.S. music acts. Lorraine has so far not revealed any ambitions to pursue a musically-related
career. In March 2007, the group's record label, Sony BMG, released a brand new compilation DVD
of all their hit music video's called "Five Star Performance" which reached No.4
on the DVD music charts.
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "Problematic" (1983) Did not Chart
- "Hide and Seek" (1984) (UK #113)
- "Crazy" (1984) (UK #144)
- "All Fall Down" (1985) (UK #15, US Hot 100 #65, US RnB #16)
- "Let Me Be The One" (1985) (UK #18, US Hot 100 #59, US R&B #2)
- "Love Take Over" (1985) (UK #25, US RnB #9)
- "R.S.V.P." (1985) (UK #45)
- "System Addict" (1986) (UK #3)
- "Can't Wait Another Minute" (1986) (UK #7, US Hot 100 #41, US RnB #7)
- "Find The Time" (1986) (UK #7)
- "Rain Or Shine" (1986) (UK #2)
- "If I Say Yes" (1986) (UK #15, US Hot 100 #67, US RnB #13)
- "Stay Out Of My Life" (1987) (UK #9)
- "The Slightest Touch" (1987) (UK #4)
- "Are You Man Enough" (1987) (US only - US R&B #15)
- "Whenever You're Ready" (1987) (UK #11, US RnB #39)
- "Strong As Steel" (1987) (UK #16)
- "Somewhere Somebody" (1987) (UK #23)
- "Another Weekend" (1988) (UK #18, US RnB #23)
- "Rock My World" (1988) (UK #28)
- "There's A Brand New World" (1988) (UK #61)
- "Someone's In Love" (1988) (US only - US RnB #15)
- "Let Me Be Yours" (1988) (UK #51)
- "With Every Heartbeat" (1989)
(UK #49)
- "Treat Me Like A Lady" (1990) (UK #54)
- "Hot Love" (1990) (UK #68)
- "Shine" (1991) (UK #88)
- "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" (1994) (UK #84)
- "Surely" (1995) (US only)
- "I Give You Give" (1995) (UK #83)
- "I Give You Give Remixed" (1996) (UK # did not chart)
- "Funktafied" (2001) (US Only R&B #99)
- "System Addict 2005" (Sleaze Sisters remix) (2005), (UK #180)
- "The Slightest Touch 2005" (2005 Promo Remix) (2005), (unreleased)
DVD
External links
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