Between late 1979 and the end of 1989, there were nearly 500 (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s that reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 just one time, a list that includes Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Timbuk 3, The Church, Bronski Beat, Nik Kershaw, The Buggles, The Waitresses, Ultravox and two different bands named The Silencers. Once a week or so, I’ll highlight a (real) one-hit wonder for you.
1987 was a great year for musical acts from Miami, namely female or female-led acts from Miami. Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine were in their third big year in a row on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 and Dance charts, with their Latin Pop / Dance groove, and the Latin Freestyle Dance trio Exposé had their first big year, with a trio of big hits: “Come Go With Me,” “Point Of No Return” and “Let Me Be The One.” 
Another Freestyle Dance trio from Miami who had a big year in 1987 was Company B, who was formed in 1986 by Cuban-American producer Ish “Angel” Ledesma, who previously led the 1970s Disco / Latin Dance band, Foxy, who charted with two hits on the Hot 100, “Get Off” (No. 9, 1978) and “Hot Number” (No. 21, 1979), as well as a (real) one-hit wonder of the 80s, OXO, whose lone hit reached No. 28 in 1983, and was (and still is) a personal favorite, “Whirly Girl.”
Once “Whirly Girl” and its self-titled parent album charted, OXO started breaking up, and eventually did break up in 1986. From the ashes of OXO, Ish went back to his old Dance ways and formed the trio Company B, which featured Lori L. (Ledesma), Charlotte McKinnon and Susan Johnson Gonzalez. Before their self-titled debut album was released, Charlotte McKinnon left and was replaced by Lezlee Livrano. There have been many lineup changes throughout Company B’s history, and Susan Johnson Gonzalez remains as the only original member.
Not long after Company B formed, their debut single “Fascinated” was released on a small record label (following a similar route taken by Exposé with their original 1984 version of “Point Of No Return”). And, much like “Point Of No Return,” “Fascinated” created such a buzz in clubs and radio stations in the Miami area, that a major record label (in this case, Atlantic Records) took notice, and signed the trio.
“Fascinated” was the first single released from the album, and debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in late March 1987 at No. 92. Other debuts that week included future No. 1 “With Or Without You” by U2, “Brass Monkey” by The Beastie Boys and “La Isla Bonita” by Madonna.
When “Fascinated” made its debut appearance on the Hot 100, it was already in its third of four weeks at No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, the longest stay for any No. 1 on that chart all through 1987.
The song made an unassuming but steady climb up the Hot 100, debuting in the Top 40 in early May 1987. In mid-June 1987, “Fascinated” peaked at No. 21 for one week, and had dropped off the Hot 100 (for their only time) by the end of July 1987. It spent a respectable 18 weeks on the chart.
Along with the hits by Exposé that year, “Fascinated” had the distinction of being one of the first Freestyle songs to reach the Top 40 of the Hot 100, and is hailed today as a Freestyle classic. “Fascinated” would go on to rank at No. 12 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart for all of 1987, and it also reached No. 23 in The Netherlands and No. 89 on the U.K. singles chart.
Even though Company B (with their trademark platinum wigs early on) had just the one Hot 100 hit, they did reach BILLBOARD’s Dance chart three more times (“Full Circle,” No. 5, 1987, a personal favorite; “Perfect Lover,” No. 12, 1988; “Signed In Your Book Of Love,” No. 9, 1989). They ditched the platinum wigs in 1989, and released another four albums between 1989 and 1998.
In 1989, Company B covered the inspiration behind the trio’s name, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” the 1941 hit originated by The Andrews Sisters and became a Top 10 hit for Bette Midler in 1973. And just a couple of years ago, in 2017, Company B (now with an actual registered trademark owned by original member Susan Johnson Gonzalez) covered Banarama’s “Cruel Summer.”
Company B today.
These days, (real) one-hit wonder of the 80s Company B is still performing, and on December 6, 2019, will be a part of New York’s Largest Holiday Dance Party in Jamaica, NY, performing several of their Dance hits and the No. 1 Dance hit that have left people “Fascinated” for a long time to come…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b-6ksMdkrU
Company B in 1987.
FOREVER YOUNG 