| Ten City | |
| Alias: | Ragtyme |
| Origin: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genre: | House, R&B |
| Years Active: | 1987–1996; 2021-present |
| Label: | Atlantic, EastWest Records America, Columbia, Ultra Music[1] |
| Current Members: | Byron Stingily Marshall Jefferson |
| Past Members: | Byron Burke Herb Lawson |
Ten City (derived from intensity) is an American, Chicago, Illinois-based R&B and house music act, that enjoyed a number of club hits and Urban radio hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was one of the first exponents of deep house.[2]
Formerly known as Ragtyme, the group comprised vocalist Byron Stingily, guitarist Herb Lawson and keyboardist Byron Burke and were augmented by producer Marshall Jefferson.[3] The group was signed by Atlantic Records and released the album Foundation[3] in 1989, which became the group's only album to cross over, peaking at No. 49 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[4]
Ten City is best known for the singles "Devotion", "Right Back to You" and "That's the Way Love Is,"[2] which hit No. 1 on the US dance chart and No. 8 on the UK Top 40 in 1989.[5] Stingily, who left the group and became a successful solo artist, re-recorded the song and brought it back to No. 1 on the US dance chart in 1999.
In 2021, Stingily teamed up with producer Marshall Jefferson to release "Be Free" on Ultra Music,[6] the first single in 25 years to be credited to Ten City.[7] [8] [9] [10] Its parent album, Judgment, was nominated for a Grammy Award that year in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album.[11]
| Year | Album | Label | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | UK | ||||||
| 1989 | Foundation | Atlantic Records | align=center | 49 | align=center | 22 | |
| 1990 | State of Mind | align=center | — | align=center | — | ||
| 1992 | No House Big Enough | EastWest Records America | align=center | — | align=center | — | |
| 1994 | That Was Then, This Is Now | Columbia Records | align=center | — | align=center | — | |
| 2021 | Judgment | Ultra Records | align=center | — | align=center | — | |
| 2023 | Love Is Love | Helix Records | align=center | — | align=center | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [13] | US R&B | UK | IRE [14] | ||||||
| 1987 | "Devotion" | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| 1988 | "Right Back to You" | align=center | 8 | align=center | — | align=center | 80 | align=center | — |
| 1989 | "Funny Love" | align=center | — | align=center | ― | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| "That's the Way Love Is" | align=center | 1 | align=center | 12 | align=center | 8 | align=center | 11 | |
| "Devotion" (re-release) | align=center | 17 | align=center | — | align=center | 29 | align=center | 22 | |
| "Where Do We Go?" | align=center | 28 | align=center | 34 | align=center | 60 | align=center | — | |
| "Suspicious" | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | |
| 1990 | "Whatever Makes You Happy" | align=center | 16 | align=center | 53 | align=center | 60 | align=center | — |
| "Superficial People" | align=center | 22 | align=center | — | align=center | 96 | align=center | — | |
| "I Should Learn to Love You" | align=center | ― | align=center | — | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| 1992 | "Only Time Will Tell" / "My Peace of Heaven" | align=center | 2 | align=center | ― | align=center | 63 | align=center | — |
| 1993 | "Fantasy" | align=center | 20 | align=center | ― | align=center | 45 | align=center | — |
| 1994 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | align=center | — | align=center | ― | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| "Goin' Up in Smoke" | align=center | 21 | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| 1996 | "Nothing's Changed" | align=center | — | align=center | ― | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| "All Loved Out" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| 2021 | "Be Free" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — |
| "On It" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| 2022 | "Piece of My Heart" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — |
| "A Girl Named Phil" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| "Love Is Love" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — | |
| 2023 | "I Love Me" | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | ― | align=center | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||