An all girl hip-hop/r&b group discovered by singer Peri "Pebbles" Reid in Atlanta in the early 1990s. Consisting of Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, TLC is the best selling girl group of all time.
The group's first album, 1991's
Oooohhhh....on the TLC Tip sold 4 million copies and spawned such hits as "Ain't to Proud to Beg" and "Baby, Baby, Baby."
Early in their career some people criticized the group for their over-the-top fashion sense (they used
condoms as fashion accessories) and their somewhat manufactured sound. Under the influence of Pebbles and her then-husband L.A. Reid (part owner of LaFace Records), the girls didn't have much creative control over their image or the terms of their oppressive recording contract.
TLC's followup album
CrazySexyCool spawned three back to back #1 hits, including the infectious "Waterfalls." The album sold over 10 million copies and the girls became bonafide superstars.
Unfortunately personal and professional problems still plagued the group. Lisa Lopes was found guilty of
arson after an admitting to setting a fire in her boyfriend's home after an argument. Tionne experienced severe health problems from
sickle cell anemia which caused the group to cancel several tour dates. Chilli kept busy with acting projects and the birth of her son. They had to file for bankruptcy protection after finding that they were almost $4 million in debt. In addition to this the group was fighting to get out of their contract with Pebbles so they could renegotiate their contract with LaFace.
Rumors of a break-up swelled but eventually things worked out for TLC. They said goodbye to Pebbles as a manager and re-signed with LaFace under better terms. The groups latest album
Fanmail is a platinum hit and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.