The Cover Girls are a New York based group that hit the music world by storm when their first album was released in 1986. The all girl trio is considered to be one of the greatest Latin hip hop groups of all time. The group had an original sound unlike anybody else, and that sound gave their music a unique identity that they could definitely call their own.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Cover Girls put out hit after hit. They had a very big impact on the popularity of freestyle music. The fame of the group became huge and their songs were played nationwide. The girls became instant stars and their songs become favorites to dance to. The Cover Girls were featured on Soul Train, MTV, the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon; to name a few.
Top Songs From The Cover Girls
The Cover Girls most popular hit songs are mainly from their first album titled “Show me.” The original Cover Girls included lead singer Angel Mercado, Caroline Jackson and Sunshine Wright. Sunshine would leave the group after the album release and be replaced by Margo Urban. With Margo, the group released three more songs off of the “Show me” album. From this album, the Cover Girls released hits “Show me” (#44 U.S. Chart, #34 U.S. R&B Chart, #4 U.S. Dance Chart, “Because of you” (#27 U.S. Chart, #47 U.S. R&B Chart, #16 U.S. Dance Chart,) “Inside Outside” (#55 U.S. Chart, #12 U.S. Dance Chart,) “Promise me” (#40 U.S. Chart,) and “Spring Love” (#98 U.S. Chart, #82 U.S. R&B.)
Their next album titled “We can’t go wrong” was released in 1989 and had three songs hit the charts. The single “We can’t go wrong” made its way to #8 on the U.S. Chart. Other charting songs included “My heart skips a beat” (#38 U.S. Chart, #4 U.S. Dance Chart) and “All that glitters isn’t gold,” (#49 U.S. Chart, #18 U.S. Dance Chart.) This would be the end of the Angel Mercado era as she pursued a solo career. She was replaced by Evelyn Escalera as the lead vocalist of the Cover Girls.
With Angel’s departure from the group, the Cover Girls now consisted of Evelyn Escalera, Caroline Jackson and Margo Urban. Some wondered how the group would do without Angel Mercado’s lead vocals. In 1990, Epic Records released an album titled “Music speaks louder than words” which featured various artists. The Cover Girls would be one of the groups on the album and would include their single “Don’t stop now” (#63 U.S. Chart, #8 U.S. Dance Chart.) The B-Side of that album would be a song called “Funk Botique” (#55 U.S. Chart, #8 U.S. Dance Chart.) Margo Urban then left the group and was replaced by Michelle Valentine.
The group now consisted of Evelyn Escalera, Caroline Jackson and Michell Valentine. In 1991, the “Here it is” album was released and produced. Four songs made the charts. The top selling song from this album, and one of the all-time great Cover Girls songs ever was “Wishing on a Star.” This remake of the 1978 classic by “Rose Royce” was a major hit. It climbed to #9 on the U.S. Chart, #19 on the U.S. R&B Chart and #7 on the U.S. Dance Chart. Michelle Valentine was the lead vocalist of “Wishing on a star.” The Cover Girls would later also make a Spanish version of “Wishing on a star.” In this version, both Michelle Valentine and Evelyn Escalera share the lead vocals and the song was titled “Estrella Del Amor.”
Also charting from the “Here it is” album was “Funk Botique” (#55 U.S. Chart, #8 U.S. Dance Chart,) “If you want my love here it is” (#125 U.S. Chart, #8 U.S. Dance Chart,) and “Thank you” (#75 U.S. Chart.) Caroline Jackson would then leave the group.
How did the Cover Girls begin and get their start?
The girls were brought together by music promoter Sal Abbatiello. Sal, a multi-club owner, had a particular club that made its mark with freestyle music. With the Cover Girls already an idea, auditions were held. Lots of girls auditioned their singing and dancing skills. A couple of weeks later, the winners received a call telling them that they were now a Cover Girl. The three winning girls had never met before, but it was now time for Fever Management to introduce them to one another. Surely, at that moment, the girls had no idea how big they were going to become.
Fun facts about the Cover Girls
Who are the members of the Cover Girls?
The Cover Girls have had more than a few different line ups throughout the years. The original, most known and who most fans consider the Cover Girls are the original members. That would be Angel Mercado, Caroline Jackson and Sunshine Wright. Margo Urban is also considered to be an original Cover Girl as she replaced Sunshine Wright early during the groups prime. Other Cover Girl members have included Michelle Valentine, Evelyn Escalera, Lorraine Munoz and Sabrina Nieves.
Reemergence of the Cover Girls
The Cover Girls as a group were quiet in the mid 90s to the turn of the new century. Around 2001, Fever Records put together Evelyn Escalera, Lorraine Munoz and Sabrina Nieves and officially recognized them as the Cover Girls. This trio has been performing ever since.
Around 2011, Angel Mercado, Caroline Jackson and either Sunshine Wright or Margo Urban started performing together again under new management. They began performing under Latif Mercado’s management company (lead singer Angel’s husband.) They call themselves “The Original Cover Girls” as to not get confused with Fever Record’s current Cover Girls.
The Cover Girls name controversy
This may get a bit confusing, so we’ll explain it as clear as possible. Today, in the 2020s, we have two different Cover Girls groups. The original management of the Cover Girls (Fever Records) claim that they have legal rights to the groups name and have had its trio of girls performing as the Cover Girls since the turn of the century. These girls are Evelyn Escalera, Lorraine Munoz and Sabrina Nieves. The original management has continually demanded that the “Original Cover Girls” stop performing the Cover Girls songs.
Even with those demands, the “Original Cover Girls,” Angel Mercado, Caroline Jackson, Sunshine Wright and Margo Urban continue to perform under the “Original Cover Girls” name and have been doing so since 2011. The “Original Cover Girls” have let it be known that they don’t like others performing their songs pretending to be them. Actually, the negative feelings seems to be more toward their old management company and not the other girls personally. Many freestyle music fans have also shared their displeasure of Fever Records for trying to pass off their trio as the original Cover Girls.
Where are the Cover Girls from?
The Cover Girls are from New York