 En Vogue originally started out as the brain child of production team Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, who themselves were former members of the band Club Nouveau. Foster and McElroy wanted a vocal group who could transcend any one category by combining hip hop and R&B with roots in the girl group traditions, and a sophisticated sexiness. With these qualities in mind, the two held auditions and decided upon the four-woman lineup of Cindy Herron Braggs, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. The group went through several name changes finally arriving at the moniker En Vogue. The sound of En Vogue has been compared to the Supremes, although En Vogue does not highlight a single lead singer, but features each of the women on lead vocals. The group's 1990 debut album, Born to Sing, had a No. 2 hit called "Hold On," which crossed over from the R&B charts to the pop charts. This fueled the album's sales which resulted in platinum success. In 1992 the group released Funky Divas, which received a tidal wave of popular and critical support. The sound of the album defied definition by utilizing rap, reggae, pop, rock and R&B; a sonic mix that resulted in five Grammy nominations. The album's multi-platinum success can be traced to the three top 10 singles "My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," and "Free Your Mind," which kept the album in constant rotation on radio stations and MTV. In 1993, En Vogue joined forces with Salt N' Peppa for the hit single "Whatta Man." The band took a three-year hiatus resulting from internal trouble between the band members as well as problems with their managers. The group has reformed as a trio, minus original member Dawn Robinson. Their single, "Don't Let Go," from the soundtrack to Set It Off, went platinum. The trio released EV3 in late 1997, and a compilation of their greatest hits in late 1999.
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