52nd Street

52nd Street was a vocal group from Manchester, England, who had a 1986 Top Ten R&B hit with "Tell Me How It Feels." The lineup was John Dennison, Diane Charlemagne, Tony Bowry, and Rony Henry. They were part of the mid-'80s British soul music invasion that included Junior, Loose Ends, Five Star, and Soul II Soul. The group recorded for the same label as Loose Ends, MCA Records, shared the same producer, Nick Martinelli, and to some extent the same sound. "Tell Me How It Feels" made it to number eight R&B on Billboard's chart in spring 1986. The single was on their LP Children of the Night, which included the whimsical "Never Give Up on You," the jazzy, loping radio-aired title track -- not to be confused with the same-named classic by the Stylistics; "Look I've Heard," an ode to self-centered teenagers; the jaunty "I Can't Let You Go"; the slammin' "Let's Celebrate"; and the follow-up single "You're My Last Chance." Their second LP, 1987's Something's Going On, yielded the charting single "I'll Return." ~ Ed Hogan