The Chicago vocal group
Ten City was one of the few house units to enjoy mainstream exposure during the late '80s and early '90s. Originally called
Ragtyme, the trio was formed by vocalist
Byron Stingily, guitarist
Herb Lawson, and keyboard player
Byron Burke, all under the aegis of producer extraordinaire
Marshall Jefferson. After signing with Atlantic in the late '80s,
Ten City's debut LP,
Foundation, included the singles "Right Back to You" and "That's the Way Love Is," both of which received a good response in R&B and dance circles.
State of Mind and
No House Big Enough followed in 1990 and 1992, though Atlantic dropped them soon after. Just after release from their contract, the single "Fantasy" (written with
Masters at Work) did well on the club scene, but by the time
Ten City released their third album,
That Was Then, This Is Now, the buzz had disappeared. The group rapidly disintegrated, though
Stingily went on to a solo career.
–
Ron Wynn, Rovi