Byron Stingily

Byron Stingily served as lead singer for Ten City before establishing himself independently as a solo performer, earning recognition for possessing one of house music’s most striking vocals—a sweet, flawlessly transparent upper range that echoed the style of Smokey Robinson and disco celebrity Sylvester. Having begun performing at the age of five, he spent his childhood on Chicago’s west side; although he enrolled at Blackburn College in rural Illinois in the early 1980s, he immersed himself in the city’s burgeoning house community by the middle of the decade. His debut single, “Funny Love,” appeared in 1985 and was subsequently licensed to Trax Records. After crossing paths with house maestro Marshall Jefferson, Stingily cut the Chicago classics “Can't Stay Away” and “Just a Little Bit,” and he drew notice when he supported Jefferson during a New York appearance.

While in the city, Jefferson and Stingily visited major labels and secured an Atlantic Records deal even before assembling a band. In 1988 they enlisted guitarist Herb Lawson and DJ-turned-keyboardist Byron Burke, initially operating as Ragtyme. The trio issued “Devotion” and “Right Back to You” before adopting the name Ten City and completing their first album, Foundation. Two additional Atlantic releases followed; each fared well in clubs yet failed to register commercially, prompting the label to drop the group in 1993. Ten City later collaborated with Masters at Work on the track “Fantasy,” which earned extensive club exposure, yet more than a year elapsed before the release of their fourth album, That Was Then, This Is Now. By then momentum had faded and Ten City soon disbanded.

Although Columbia offered Stingily a solo deal, he chose to work with independent labels and honed his skills as composer and producer, contributing to Kim English’s singles “Nitelife” and “Time for Love” as well as recordings by Michael Watford and Maysa Leak of Incognito. He began releasing material on Nervous in 1996 with the singles “Love You the Right Way” and “Don't Fall in Love.” In 1997 both “Sing-A-Song” and “Get Up” achieved notable garage-crossover success, and he issued his first solo album, The Purist, the following year. Club Stories appeared two years later.