P.M. Dawn

P.M. Dawn is an American hip hop/R&B musical ensemble, formed in 1988 by brothers Attrell Cordes (Prince Be) and Jarrett Cordes (DJ Minutemix). The duo is known for its smooth, artistic sound, which mixes hip-hop and classic soul with contemporary pop music.

They released their debut single, "Ode to a Forgetful Mind", in 1989. Their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience featured the international hit "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", which sampled the Spandau Ballet song "True", and featured a cameo by Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley in the music video of the song. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" hit #1 the week of November 30, 1991, and holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the introduction of Nielsen SoundScan to the chart. The song also reached #3 in the United Kingdom. "Paper Doll" was released in the U.S. as a follow-up to "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss," and peaked at #28 in early 1992.

In 1992, PM Dawn appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD Red Hot + Dance, contributing "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (Richie Rich Mix)." The album was meant to raise money and awareness in support of the AIDS epidemic. P.M. Dawn contributed the single "I'd Die Without You" to the 1992 Eddie Murphy comedy Boomerang and its soundtrack. The number one hit was also included on P.M. Dawn's next album, The Bliss Album…?, as was the Billboard Top 10 single "Looking Through Patient Eyes".

"Looking Through Patient Eyes" featured backing vocals by Cathy Dennis and sampled George Michael's hit "Father Figure". The music video for the song was shot in a church, and featured Christian images. The Bliss Album…? also featured the Boy George duet "More Than Likely" and a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". The album also included "So On and So On," which led to a 1999 sampling lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Paul and Michael Batiste claimed that the song "So On and So On" used unauthorized samples from David Batiste & The Gladiators' "Funky Soul". The fifth Circuit Federal Appellate Court found that the Batistes point to no evidence in the record demonstrating that consumers were confused or deceived by either the use of a digital sample of "Funky Soul" in "So On and So On", or the attribution to David Batiste as a co-author of the track.

P.M. Dawn contributed a cover of "You Got Me Floatin'" to the 1993 compilation album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Their 1995 album Jesus Wept was unable to attain the success of their first two albums. The album's highest charting single was "Downtown Venus", which contained a sample of Deep Purple's "Hush", and reached #48 on the Billboard chart. Also, in 1995, P.M. Dawn was credited with the remix of White Zombie's "Blood, Milk and Sky" (Miss September Mix) on the Supersexy Swingin' Sounds compilation album.

In 1996, P.M. Dawn contributed "Non-Fiction Burning" to the AIDS-Benefit Album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1998, P.M. Dawn's fourth album, Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad was released. The album's single, "Being So Not For You (I Had No Right)" being only a minor chart hit. In 2000, they released the compilation, The Best of P.M. Dawn.

In 2005, Minutemix decided to leave P.M. Dawn to pursue an interest in a solo career. This led to the introduction of The Doc Of The Dawn-Doc.G, also known as 'Dr.Giggles' or 'Blissboy #2', who is the Cordes brothers' paternal first cousin. In June 2006, P.M. Dawn commenced a summer tour called "Summer of Bliss, 2006", playing venues across the United States in an effort to promote a new album planned for release in 2007, with a live album also expected to be recorded that year. P.M. Dawn Greatest Hits Live was finally released in early 2010.