Az Yet

Briefly popular soul quartet Az Yet was initially formed in 1989 as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen; they were later joined by Kenny Terry who they found singing in the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel. Darryl Anthony was added later.

A demo by the group found its way into the hands of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds through his mother-in-law, Jacqueline McQuam who held later various showcases to highlight their work. Impressed by their sound, Edmonds asked them to perform at a concert with After 7 and El Debarge. and subsequently added Boyz II Men founding member Marc Nelson.

Az Yet released their self-titled debut album in 1996 on LaFace Records. Their first album featured the hit single "Last Night" which reached #1 on the R&B charts and #9 on the Hot 100. The album's second single, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (a cover of the Chicago hit), reached #8 on the Hot 100 and achieved platinum status ("Last Night" went platinum as well). Driven by these two singles, the album reached RIAA platinum status in 2002.

Marc Nelson left the group and pursued a solo career. Nelson was replaced by Tony Grant as lead singer who was subsequently replaced by Ledon Bishop.

During Tony Grant's brief tenure with Az Yet, the only recording he made with the group was an appearance on the popular remake of "You're The Inspiration" with Chicago's Peter Cetera in 1997. The group continued to tour for several more years, experiencing exceptional success in Europe, Australia and Japan.

There were two groups using the name Az Yet. The first group is composed of original group members Dion Allen, Shawn Rivera, Kenny Terry, and Marc Nelson. The second group is original member Darryl Anthony and three new members: LeDon Bishop, Kris Gilder, and "Dante 7" Harper. The first group released one album titled "Back Home 2007" which was released in December 2006 and is available by download only. The album features the return of former lead singer Marc Nelson.

Darryl's group released an EP entitled "That B U" in 2004. Most recently, returning from a successful Australian tour and in the processes of setting up a return to Australia, Asia and New Zealand. They are also attendees at numerous high-profile events (2007 - Philadelphia 76ers, televised performance of the National Anthem, 2006 - Detroit Lions televised performance of the National Anthem, House of Blues Performance with Stevie Wonder, 2005 - MTV Real World Philadelphia performance, Soul Train Awards) and over the past few years have been invited by many radio stations across the country to perform at their various events.

Recent song, "Keep On Pushin'", written and produced by Darryl Anthony and LeDon Bishop and recorded by Az Yet, was chosen as the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's theme song for the Power To End Stroke Campaign. This stroke awareness campaign strives to educate African-Americans on the warnings signs and prevention of stroke.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikepedia article Az Yet.