Stevie B

Hailing from South Florida, Stevie B. established himself as a key figure in the late-1980s Miami dance music community through his work as a singer, songwriter, and producer, later ascending to the summit of the pop charts via the blockbuster “Because I Love You (The Postman Song).” Before that breakthrough he had cycled through an assortment of unpromising positions that included car-wash attendant and fast-food server. His first chart entry arrived in 1987 with “Party Your Body,” a track that began as a local favorite and expanded into a nationwide club staple; the song also supplied the title for his 1988 debut album, which earned gold certification. The 1988 follow-up In My Eyes yielded his initial Top 40 single, “I Wanna Be the One,” while the next release, “Love Me for Life,” likewise entered the Top 40. In 1990 “Because I Love You” marked the height of his commercial run, and the parent album Love & Emotion supplied two additional Top 20 entries, “I’ll Be by Your Side” and its title track. The subsequent surge of alternative rock, however, diminished mainstream interest in Stevie B.’s light dance-pop style, and he never regained his earlier momentum; later projects such as 1992’s Healing and 1996’s Waiting for Your Love attracted scant attention. The Best of Stevie B. appeared in 1998. It’s So Good followed in 2000 and This Time in 2006, neither matching the reach of his prior work, yet the 2009 single “Running for Miles” resurfaced on the dance floor. That track appeared on the same year’s “comeback” album The Terminator, which also included a featured turn by Miami rapper Pitbull on “Spring Love.”