Innocence (band)

Innocence was a British R&B band fronted by Gee Morris that achieved some success in the UK in the early 1990s.

Innocence
Origin	London, England
Genres	R&B ambient chill-out
Years active	1990–1992
Labels	Cooltempo
Past members	Gee Morris Anna Jolley Mark Jolley Brian Harris

Masterminded by the production team of Anna Jolley, Mark Jolley and Brian Harris, Innocence's sound was similar to then-popular group Soul II Soul, but also added elements of downtempo and chill-out music. Signed to Cooltempo Records, the group's debut single, "Natural Thing", became their biggest UK hit in 1990, peaking at No. 16.^[1] The 12" version of the song featured the complete introduction and guitar solo by David Gilmour, from the Pink Floyd song, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".^[2]

That same year they released their debut album, Belief,^[2] which was a Top 30 hit in the UK Albums Chart.^[1] The album spawned four further singles, all but one charting inside the UK Top 40.^[1] Belief was released in the US the following year, adding a cover version of "Riders on the Storm", originally by The Doors, which was not available in the UK edition. The album and its singles only found modest success in the US Billboard R&B chart.

In 1992, they released their second album, Build. Never released in the US, it was less successful than their debut, although two of its singles became Top 40 hits in the UK. They were "I'll Be There" (peaking at No. 26) and a cover version of a Diana Ross song "One Love In My Lifetime" (peaking at No. 40). After this album, the group disbanded. Gee Morris later released an unsuccessful self-titled solo album in 1994.

Discography

Albums

• Belief (1990) UK No. 24,^[3] US R&B No. 54^[4]
• Build (1992) UK No. 66,^[3] AUS No. 217^[5]

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions						Album
		UK ^[3]	AUS ^[5]	GER ^[6]	NED ^[7]	US R&B ^[8]	US Dance ^[9]
1990	"Natural Thing"	16	116	14	30	—	27	Belief
	"Silent Voice"	37	—	38	—	—	—
	"Let's Push It"	25	153	37	—	39	21
	"A Matter of Fact"	37	175	57	—	—	—
1991	"Remember the Day"	56	187	—	—	—	—
1992	"I'll Be There"	26	174	—	—	—	—	Build
	"One Love In My Lifetime"	40	168	—	—	—	—
	"Build"	72	161	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 269. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
3. "Official Charts > Innocence". Official Charts Company. from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
4. "Innocence Chart History > Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.^{[dead link]}
5. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
   • All except noted: "Response from ARIA re: Innocence chart history, received 16 January 2018". Imgur.com. from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2018. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. This chart history is missing data for "Natural Thing".
   • "Natural Thing": "ARIA Singles Chart w/c 9-7-1990". Imgur.com. from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
6. German chart peaks:
   • "Natural Thing": "Innocence – Natural Thing (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
   • "Silent Voice": "Innocence – Silent Voice (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
   • "Let's Push It": "Innocence – Let's Push It (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
   • "A Matter of Fact": "Innocence – A Matter of Fact (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
7. "dutchcharts.nl > Innocence in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
8. "Innocence Chart History > Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.^{[dead link]}
9. US Dance Club Songs peaks:
   • All except noted: "Innocence Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
   • "Natural Thing: . Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2014.