Blackface



Shai is a pop, R&B, and soul vocal quartet that debuted in 1992. The group is best known for the a cappella single If I Ever Fall in Love, which reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shai was formed at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The group consists of Marc Gay, Carl Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier, and Garfield A. Bright. Gay, Martin, and Van Rensalier were members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and, along with their friend Bright, decided to pursue a music career. They moved to New York City in hopes of securing a record deal, but initially had little success. As their funds dwindled, they entered a radio contest hosted by station WPGC, performing Carl Martin's original song If I Ever Fall in Love a cappella. The song won the contest and gained local airplay, eventually attracting national attention. This led to a contract with Gasoline Alley Records and the release of their debut album. The single If I Ever Fall in Love became a hit, peaking at number two in the U.S. The album went double platinum and also produced two additional top ten hits: Comforter and Baby I'm Yours, both of which reached number ten. A remix album followed, featuring reworked versions of earlier hits, including Yours, a variation of Baby I'm Yours, which peaked at number 63. While later releases did not match the success of their debut, the group had a brief return to the Top 40 in 1994 with the song The Place Where You Belong, which reached number 34 and appeared on the *Beverly Hills Cop III* soundtrack. Their last charting single was I Don't Wanna Be Alone in 1996, which peaked at number 89. Shai has continued to record and perform over the years, releasing albums such as Destiny (1999), Back From The Mystery System: The Love Cycle (2004), Love Cycle: Back From The Mystery System (2007), and Worldwide (as D-n-G of Shai) (2009). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.