Ready For The World

Emerging from Michigan with funk at its core and subtle rock accents, Ready for the World transformed Melvin Riley’s whining vocals and fashionable production into two R&B chart-toppers for MCA during the mid-1980s. Riley, Gordon Strozier, Gregory Potts, Willie Triplett, John Eaton, and Gerald Valentine launched the project on their independent Blue Lake imprint before MCA signed them. The label re-released the track “Tonight,” which climbed to number six on the R&B charts in 1984. “Deep Inside Your Love” quickly followed and earned another Top Ten R&B placement, after which the group claimed its first of two number ones with “Oh Sheila.” That single delivered a major crossover breakthrough by also reaching the top of the pop charts. Their fourth consecutive Top Ten R&B hit came via “Digital Display,” yet two unsuccessful singles arrived before “Love You Down” returned them to the summit of the R&B rankings in 1986. It proved to be their final hit and reached number nine on the pop side.