TLC

TLC is an American R&B band formed in 1991. The title of the outfit came from the first letters of the names of the participants: T-Boz (Tionne Watkins), Left Eye (Lisa Lopes) and Chilli (Rozonda Thomas). It was decided that the duty of the group’s leader would be taken by Tionne Watkins. TLC began working on their first long player in the LaFace studio in summer 1991. It was issued early in 1992 under the title Ooooooohhh On The TLC Tip. Tionne did the vocals, Lisa wrote the lyrics and Rozonda arranged the choreography. The sexy style of the new artists along with their catchy music including rap elements performed by Lisa, brought the high sales and good reviews. The success was consolidated by the strong video for the single Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. This one and two other singles, What About Your Friends, and Baby, Baby, Baby went platinum. In March 1992 Tionne’s long concealed blood anemia was discovered. The doctors urged TLC to reduce the concert schedule in order to avoid possible complications which the band immediately did.

In 1994, before the release of the second TLC album, Lisa got arrested on arson charges. Uncontrolled while intoxicated, the artist burned down to the ground the mansion of her boyfriend, a professional football player Andre Rison. Her lawyers proved she was an alcoholic and saved her from sentence despite Lisa’s dissatisfaction with their job. In the end, Lisa embarked on a rehab program, got five years of probation and a huge fine. The scandal helped TLC to attach huge attention to their sophomore release CrazySexyCool (1994). The record was more mature and serious than the debut work preserving, still, the sexy and strong image of the girls. They also did a bigger job on writing the material on their own. CrazeSexyCool performed nicely in charts and brought the group Grammy. The paradox was that with CrazySexyCool as the highest selling R&B album, TLC ended up in bankruptcy, mainly due to immense insurance payments Lisa was forced to make over the arson incident. As a result the band’s debts amounted to 3.5 million dollars. Trials left the girls no time to do music and the aggravating problems heavily affected their personal lives.

In 1998, TLC began putting the things in order after the end of court processes and expiry of the contract with their first manager. In 1999 they recorded the third album and called it Fanmail. The excellent commercial performance of this record proved the group was still interesting to the audience. Again, the outfit earned a number of rewards and topped the charts. Lisa managed to develop the reputation of the most significant person in the band. In 2001 she released her solo album Supernova to critical acclaim. Sadly, in spring 2002 she died in a car accident in Honduras during her vacation. Tionne and Rozonda pulled their strength together to continue working on the album 3D started when Lisa was alive. It was the last record to feature her voice. Despite Lisa’s death, TLC remained loyal to their style and produced an optimistic album. Just like the previous works, 3D (2002) was a big commercial hit. It was later announced that Lisa could not be substituted and the band would continue as a duet. However, the subsequent single Damaged appeared the band’s last release. The girls took up solo careers leaving the chances for reunion in uncertainty. Nevertheless, in 2004 TLC released the record Now and Forever - The Hits, which included their hits and other songs. The album Playlist: The Very Best Of TLC was issued in 2009.