German R&B group
Milli Vanilli ( MIL -ee və-NIL -ee ) was a German duo R&B music act from Munich . The act was created in 1988 by Frank Farian , founder of Boney M. ,[ 4] and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus as the lip-syncing performers,[ 5] with the two actual main studio singers, Brad Howell and John Davis ,[ 6] and studio singers Charles Shaw , Jodie Rocco,[ 7] and Linda Rocco,[ 7] [ 2] with an unrelated touring band.
Their debut album, as All or Nothing in Europe, and expanded, including "Baby Don't Forget My Number " and "Blame It on the Rain ", composed by Diane Warren ,[ 8] as Girl You Know It's True in the United States, achieved international success and brought them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on 21 February 1990, which was later taken away.[ 9]
They became one of the most popular pop acts in the late-1980s and early-1990s, with 7 million records sold in America alone; internationally, Milli Vanilli sold approximately 30 million singles.[ 10] However, their success turned to infamy when it was discovered that Morvan and Pilatus did not sing any of the vocals on their music releases. Their Grammy Award was revoked.[ 11] [ 12] [ 13] In 1998, they recorded a comeback album, Back and in Attack , but its release was canceled after Pilatus died the same year.[ 14]
^ Blake, Meredith (27 October 2023). " 'We wanted to sing all along': A new documentary seeks to reframe the Milli Vanilli controversy" . Los Angeles Times . November 20, 2023
^ a b "Milli Vanilli voice steps into the limelight" . 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ Wiener, Candice (26 April 2021). "Girl You Know It's True The Real Voice of Milli Vanilli: Meet Jodie Rocco" . Real Vegas Magazine . Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ McCaul, Molly; Bennett, James II (23 June 2023). "A new film challenges what we know about Milli Vanilli" . THE CULTURE SHOW . GBH. Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ Kaufman, Gil (20 February 2020). "Blame It on The Tape: A Behind-the-Scenes Oral History of the Rise and Fall of Milli Vanilli" . Billboard . Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ "Here Are the Faces and Real Singers of Milli Vanilli [PHOTOS]" . 99.9 KTDY . 9 January 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ a b Horton, Adrian (15 June 2023). " 'People thought they knew the story': the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli" . The Guardian . Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ Rich TVX News Network (31 October 2023). "Milli Vanilli on Paramount+: The Pact With the Devil — Linda Rocco Unveiling Secrets" . Medium . Retrieved 1 November 2023 .
^ "32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards (1989)" . National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2019 .
^ Milli Vanilli Biography by Neil Z. Yeung
^ Shriver, Jerry (28 January 2010). "Milli Vanilli frontman says duo were musical 'scapegoats' " . USA Today . Archived from the original on 29 January 2010.
^ Philips, Chuck (20 November 1990). "Milli Vanilli's Grammy Rescinded by Academy : Music: Organization revokes an award for the first time after revelation that the duo never sang on album" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020 .
^ Philips, Chuck (16 November 1990). "It's True: Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing : Pop music: The duo could be stripped of its Grammy after admitting it lip-synced the best-selling 'Girl You Know It's True.' " . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020 .
^ "Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Dead At 33" . Rolling Stone . 7 April 1998. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008 .