Calendar

WBLS has been holding it down as the center of soul and R&B in New York City for decades. For this throwback jam in Coney Island, it assembles a collection of R&B stars from the late ‘80s and ‘90s sure to trigger nostalgic notions of love and tenderness, hosted by the legendary radio DJ Funk Flex. Headliner Jon B was one of the biggest R&B stars of the ‘90s, with platinum records, GRAMMY nominations, collaborations with the likes of Babyface and Tupac Shakur, and writing credits with Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Color Me Badd, and the Spice Girls. Vivian Green got her start writing for Boyz II Men and singing with Jill Scott before kicking off her solo career; her latest album Love Absolute dropped in 2020. Meli’sa Morgan had a Hot 100 hit with her 1985 cover of Prince’s “Do Me Baby,” and spent time on the R&B and Dance charts in the ‘90s; a verse from her 1986 single “Fool’s Paradise” was the inspiration for Mary J. Blige’s iconic hook on Jay-Z’s 1996 single “Can’t Knock the Hustle.” Horace Brown cracked the Hot 100 chart twice in the ‘90s with “One for the Money” and “Things We Do For Love”; his debut album had guest appearances from Sean “Puffy” Combs, Faith Evans, Foxy Brown, and Jay-Z. The lineup is rounded out by Jeff Redd, who had a pair of singles from his 1990 debut LP A Quiet Storm hit the R&B charts, and famously helped facilitate the start of Mary J. Blige’s career.