"I don't want your number,
I don't want to give you mine,
I don't want to meet you nowhere,
I don't want none of your time..."

Throughout the history of the music industry, there have always been performing acts that were manufactured for the sole purpose of making a quick buck. And to the cynical observer, perhaps one could include TLC on the list. Sure, they were paired with prolific songwriters and seasoned producers and every bit of their act was professionally polished, but the trio of singers that formed to create TLC proved that they weren’t just some pre-fabricated act, devoid of talent and appeal – they were three unique and entertaining personalities that enjoyed a success that few manufactured acts have ever achieved.

Teenage singer, Crystal Jones, was living in Atlanta in 1990 when she put out a call to find two other performers to complete a trio she was forming called 2nd Nature. Answering the call were two local and similarly unknown singers named Lisa Lopez and Tionne Watkins. After arranging an audition with recording artist, Perri “Pebbles” Reid, she was impressed with Lopez and Walker, but felt that Jones wasn’t the right fit. Jones would be replaced with a dancer named Rozonda Thomas and the resulting trio had sufficient appeal to land them a recording contract with LaFace Records, owned by prolific songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmunds and Pebbles’ husband, Antonio Reid.

The name TLC was originally the result of the initials of the founding members, Tionne, Lisa and Crystal. With Crystal out of the band, however, each member of the new trio came up with a nickname that would represent each letter and the girls became known as Tionna “T-Boz” Walker, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez and Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas. With that out of the way, they began recording their first album, Ooooooohhhh…On the TLC Tip in 1991. Soon after, the trio was creating a major buzz in the industry with their “New Jill Swing” sound, a play on the “New Jack Swing” sound popularized in the late 80s. The album produced three Top-10 hits, “What About Your Friends,” “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” and “Baby-Baby-Baby” and their debut album would sell over four million units in the first year.

Of course, nothing sells records like some good, old-fashioned controversy and the first issue involved their wardrobe, which extensively utilized condoms as fashion accessories. But this was only a blip on the radar compared to what would follow. Lopez was dating Atlanta Falcon football player Andre Rison and the often-incendiary relationship took a turn for the worse when in an inebriated state, Lopez decided to set fire to some shoes in his bathroom, which resulted in his mansion burning to the ground, and for good mention, smashed up a bunch of parked cars nearby during her rage. This little meltdown led to numerous legal problems for the singer and a court-ordered stint in rehab. It also provided plenty of press interest, where the singer was never shy about speaking her mind about herself and her harsh criticisms towards the other members of TLC.

All of this controversy was swirling around as TLC began working on their follow-up album, and a dream team of producers that included Dallas Austin, Sean “Puffy Combs, Jermaine Duprey and Babyface, was assembled for the project. The result, CrazySexyCool, was a more polished and mature sound that leaned more towards R&B than hip-hop, and the payoff was enormous – two #1 hits (“Creep” and “Waterfalls”,) five total songs in the Top-5, six Grammy nominations (and an award for Best R&B Album) and eventual sales in excess of an astounding 11 million units.

Unfortunately, in the midst of all of this success, which included a successful tour with Boyz II Men, there were legal and financial problems aplenty. The trio was forced to file for bankruptcy, thanks to a combination of debts incurred by their fledgling record company and the insurance claims that were still outstanding as a result of Lopez’s former pyromania tendencies.

While these issues played out in various courtrooms, the trio was distracted by other events. T-Boz was battling sickle cell anemia (a disease she would eventually become a national spokeswoman for,) Left Eye was hosting an MTV show called The Cut and Chilli was a new mother. In 1999, they regrouped and released a new album of material called Fan Mail, a shout-out of sorts to all of those who stuck by them during their trials and tribulations.  The album debuted at #1, produced the #1 hits “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty”, sold in excess of 6 million copies and garnered TLC with another Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2000.

In the year that followed, there was more bickering between the members of TLC, with Lopez making it clear that she felt she wasn’t getting the artistic recognition she deserved. She began work on a solo album called Supernova and released a single with Melanie C (otherwise known as “Sporty Spice” of The Spice Girls) called “Never Be The Same Again.” The hugely successful single reached #1 in Britain and many other countries around the world.

Sadly, the aforementioned song title turned out to be an ominous glimpse into the future of TLC. As the band began work on their newest album, called 3D, the tragic news came that Left Eye was killed in a car accident while doing missionary work in Honduras. The remaining members finished the album, which, although it failed to match their earlier achievements, still sold 2 million copies.  And although it marked the end of the glory days for TLC, they still left a legacy that, no matter what else is said, still significantly surpasses the achievements of the typical pre-fabricated industry-created act. TLC was far more special than that.