Today

In the late 1980s Motown presented Today as the next Four Tops, though the label applied similar positioning to other acts. The Boys received promotion as the fresh Jacksons while the Good Girls were cast as the new Supremes. Today and the Boys both reached the summit of the R&B charts; the Good Girls placed a few singles but never attained the top spot. Childhood friends Frederick Lee “Bubba” Drakeford, Larry Singletary, Wesley Adams, and Larry McCain formed the Gents around 1984 in Englewood, New Jersey. At an anti-drug benefit they met a record-company executive who introduced them to the still-unknown Teddy Riley; Riley renamed the quartet Today and reportedly produced his first group project with them. While working for MCA Records, Riley obtained a contract for the act. Urban-division head Jheryl Busby then departed MCA for Motown to succeed Berry Gordy Jr. as president (Gordy moved to chairman of the board), bringing Today, the Boys, the Good Girls, Milira, Rich Nice, MC Trouble, and additional artists along. Marketed collectively as the New Motown Artists, the roster toured the country with a seamless live presentation headlined by the Boys.

Today’s debut single “Him or Me” entered the charts, yet the follow-up “Girl I Got My Eyes on You” climbed to number one on Billboard’s R&B survey dated April 8, 1989; the Boys’ second chart-topper, “Lucky Charm,” had held the position the previous week. Subsequent releases “Take It Off,” also issued as a 12-inch, and “You Stood Me Up” fell short of projected sales. Both tracks appeared on the self-titled Motown debut. Dissatisfaction with production and promotion soon surfaced among Today, the Boys, and the Good Girls alike. Riley oversaw the first album but was absent from the second and final Motown release, The New Formula, a title that reflected the group’s altered circumstances. That LP underperformed commercially; its only notable single, “Why You Get Funky on Me,” surfaced in March 1990. Shortly after the New Motown Artists tour concluded, most of the associated acts vanished from the spotlight, including MC Trouble, who suffered a brain tumor.

Today disbanded. Prior to Motown the members had recorded as the Gents for Positive Image Records, releasing “For You and My Baby” in 1984; that lineup also included William McNeir, Ronald Scruggs, a performer known only as Harold, and Bernard Bell. Bell contributed background vocals to Today’s final Motown album. Under the name Big Bub, Drakeford launched a solo career on East West Records with the 1992 set Comin’ at Cha, which yielded several hits; he later issued albums on Universal and Flavor Unit Records, produced for other artists, and supplied backing vocals on numerous sessions. Singletary supplied vocal arrangements and songwriting for acts such as F.A.T.E. and Big Bub. Together with Adams and McCain he also composed material and recorded demos in hopes of securing a trio deal.