READY FOR THE WORLD ascended upon the music scene in 1985 with stage presence and hit songs that helped skyrocket their career and solidified their status as bonafide international musicians, with the release of songs like “Oh Sheila,” “Love You Down” and “Digital Display.” The Flint, Michigan funk band with slight rock leanings parlayed sensuous vocals and trendy production into the group’s eponymous self-produced debut album, Ready For The World. Ballads tonight and deep inside your love were the first to hits. But it was their third single from the album, the magnificent Prince-sounding electronic dance tune oh sheila, that moved the group to the top of the Pop and Soul charts. oh sheila garnered four 1 positions on Billboard’s R&B, Pop, Dance and Video charts in just one week. That year becoming the first ever single by a group to hold the 1 spot on four Billboard charts simultaneously landing the group in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In 1986 members Gerald Valentine (drums), John Eaton (bass guitar) Gordon Strozier (lead guitar), Melvin Riley (lead vocals) Gregory Potts (keyboards) and Willie Triplett (keyboards, percussions) recorded their sophomore disc, Long Time Coming, which proved to be an equal success. The slow jam, love you down, landed them another cross-over hit, climbing to 1 on Billboard’s R&B charts, and reaching 9 on the Pop charts.