Guinn

Half a decade before Boyz II Men introduced themselves with "Motownphilly," there was another Philadelphia act on the Motown label, the sibling vocal group Guinn. Their self-titled 1986 album, an under-promoted set of mature and finely polished R&B, features the original recording of "Dreamin'," the Vanessa Williams version of which became a hit only two years later. Guinn consisted of Bonnie, Earl, Margie, Michael, Randy, and Skip Guinn, along with Lori Fulton. Some of the sisters had performed in the '70s as the Passionettes. In 1984, the Guinns were behind the single "Prove It to Me" under the name New Experience, released on Philly World. After adding Fulton and signing with Motown, they recorded Guinn with "Prove It to Me" collaborator Michael Forte, Donald Robinson, and Bobby Eli among the producers. "Dreamin'," "Open Your Door," and the contemporary gospel-flavored "People Will Be People" were issued as singles, but none of them registered on the Billboard charts. The parent LP fared similarly. Robinson subsequently produced a similar version of "Dreamin'" for Vanessa Williams, who took the song to the Top Ten of the Hot 100 in 1988. Fulton, who sang lead on the original and was featured in the background of the hit version, continued work as a session vocalist. Some of the Guinns remained involved with music. Most notably, Earl co-wrote Philadelphian Musiq Soulchild's 2007 Top 40 pop single "B.U.D.D.Y."
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