Music
Paris Grey
born 1965 · singer, songwriter
Chicago-area singer whose voice fronted Kevin Saunderson's Inner City, the Detroit act that took techno-house to the top of the world's pop charts.
- Born
Glencoe, Illinois
age 60- Birth name
- Shanna Jackson
- Also known as
- Inner City
- Detroit years
- 1987–1990s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Paris Grey was born in Glencoe, north of Chicago, and was singing on the Chicago house scene when Kevin Saunderson asked her to add vocals to a track he had been working on in 1987. She flew to Detroit, wrote the lyrics, and “Big Fun” was born. Saunderson shelved the tape until British entrepreneur Neil Rushton came to Detroit looking for material for the compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit; the song's success in 1988 launched Inner City as a Detroit duo. Grey's warm, gospel-tinged vocals over Saunderson's sleek machine rhythms gave Detroit techno its most commercial form. “Big Fun” and “Good Life” reached the UK top ten and No. 1 on the US dance chart, followed by “Do You Love What You Feel” and “Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'”. Inner City topped the US dance chart five times and scored nine UK top-40 hits; Billboard ranked them among the 100 most successful dance acts ever.
Highlights
- Co-wrote and sang “Big Fun” (1988), UK No. 8 and US dance No. 1.
- “Good Life” (1988) reached UK No. 4 and US dance No. 1.
- Inner City had five US dance No. 1s and nine UK top-40 hits.
- Billboard ranked Inner City 69th among all-time dance artists (2018).