I love remembering songs that are perfect for "Lost in the '80s", and Nolan Thomas' "Yo Little Brother" is so lost and forgotten, it's nearly sublime.



This is another of those tunes that everyone seems to remember, but wasn't much of a chart hit. "Yo Little Brother" was one of the first Latin Freestyle crossover hits that was years ahead of its time -- three years later, studio creations Exposé would score platinum with this sound and even the Pet Shop Boys plundered it for a Top Ten hit with "Domino Dancing". Then came Stevie B., George Lamond, etc., etc.

But poor Nolan Thomas barely scraped #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1985 with this nugget, and now he's truly Lost in the '80s...my Google Fu is pretty strong, but I'll be damned if I could come up with any info on this guy. All I know is that he was on Mirage Records, a tiny label with a big distribution deal that was on something of a roll in 1985 (stay tuned this week for more Mirage Records goodness), and that there was a video for this song I remember being sort of wretched and embarrassing.

I also wonder how my friends and I actually heard this song for the first time, since I don't remember radio touching it...was it via the video? Who knows. Lost in the '80s, I suppose.

Tip a 40 to the Nolan Thomases, Dinos, Georgios and Noels of the '80s with "Yo Little Brother," ripped directly from my little 45 I've had for 20 years(!). I don't believe it's ever been released on CD.

"Yo Little Brother" peaked at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, #26 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles chart.

Labels: 1985, nolan thomas