Destiny's Child

Though the occasional comparisons to the Supremes are hyperbolic, to say the least, the rise of Destiny's Child has been similarly meteoric. And like its pioneering Motown heroes, the Houston-based R&B group has endured more than its share of internal strife. Personnel troubles notwithstanding, however, Destiny's Child's success has been fueled mostly by hard work and an indefatigable spirit. Almost a decade into its existence, the quartet — whose members are still in their teens — exhibits a solid professionalism comparable to that of veterans twice their age.

The Destiny's Child story begins in Houston, where 8-year-olds Beyoncé Knowles, and LaTavia Roberson met while auditioning for a local children's group. Soon Knowles, Roberson, and Knowles' cousin, Kelly Rowland, were spending their afternoons studying videotapes of the Supremes and the Jackson 5, trying to mimic the Motown groups' choreography. Two years later, LaToya Luckett hooked up with the ambitious grade-schoolers, and, with her addition, the group discovered they had a special chemistry. Dubbing themselves Destiny's Child, the fledgling quartet began studying voice and performing at civic events in the local area. From the start, the members of Destiny's Child evidenced a work ethic that was uncommonly strong for pre-teen adolescents. With Knowles' father, Mathew Knowles, acting as its manager, the group kick-started its career with a performance on Star Search. Gradually, low profile appearances in and around Houston led to more prestigious jobs, and the group found itself opening for the likes of Dru Hill, Immature, and SWV, whenever such artists came to town. By 1996 — the year the group signed to Columbia Records — Destiny's Child had honed itself into a finely tuned, confident vocal act. The group's first release under the auspices of a major label was the song "Killing Time," which appeared on the Men in Black soundtrack.

A few months later, the composition appeared on Destiny's Child's self-titled debut CD, which was released February 17, 1998. Sporting a legion of high-profile musical enablers, Destiny's Child featured a hit single, "No, No, No," which, by the time of the album's release, had already been certified platinum. (A remix of the song, produced by Wyclef Jean, became a house favorite in dance clubs around the country.) For the next several months, Destiny's Child toured with Boyz II Men, K-Ci & Jo Jo, and Uncle Sam. By year's end, the hard work had paid off, as the group was accorded three awards at the 1998 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Such honors paled, however, in comparison to the success generated by Destiny's Child's next album. Upon its release in July 1999, The Writing's on the Wall debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart, foreshadowing a string of impressive showings that would soon follow. "Bills, Bills, Bills," the first single from the CD, held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard R&B singles chart for nine weeks, besting any other single released that year.

Three more songs from the CD — "Bug a Boo," "Say My Name," and "Jumpin, Jumpin" — proved nearly as popular, and indeed, by year's end, The Writing's on the Wall had nearly reached platinum status. Meanwhile, Destiny's Child continued to maintain a relentless work pace, characterized by several peripheral activities and appearances. On December 1, 1999, along with 'N Sync, Wyclef Jean, and Monica, the quartet performed a sold-out benefit show staged to raise proceeds for the HIV/AIDS-awareness organization LIFEbeat. The group also added to its movie soundtrack credits by contributing songs to the feature films Why Do Fools Fall in Love? ("Get on the Bus," produced by Timbaland), Life ("Stimulate Me," featuring R. Kelly), and Romeo Must Die ("Perfect Man"). That same year, Destiny's Child made its acting debut with a cameo on the "Smart Guy" TV show. And, in perhaps its most prestigious appearance, the group performed alongside its idol, Diana Ross, on the VH1 presentation Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross. To no one's surprise, when the 1999 Grammy nominations were announced, Destiny's Child's name was listed in two categories: Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best R&B Song (for "Bills, Bills, Bills," in both instances). Moreover, the NAACP honored the quartet with an "Image Award" in the category of Outstanding Duo or Group. Even as such accolades were rolling in, however, Destiny's Child was in the midst of a burgeoning crisis.

In March 2000, as the group prepared to shoot a video for its hit "Say My Name," Columbia Records announced that Roberson and Luckett had left the group. Moreover, the two co-founding members had already been replaced with 18-year-old Farrah Franklin and 19-year-old Michelle Williams, both of whom (it was announced) would join Knowles and Rowland at the Grammy ceremonies. Though details were at first sketchy, it soon emerged that the root of the split lay in Luckett's and Roberson's growing discomfort in regard to Mathew Knowles' management of the group. Of the mind that Knowles' dual role, as manager and as Beyoncé's father (and Rowland's legal guardian as well), constituted a conflict of interest, the two sought to "disaffirm" their management contract. While the sought-after contract dissolution in no way implied that the two wished to resign, they were nonetheless summarily fired. Within weeks, Luckett and Roberson filed suit, alleging that Knowles' "greed, desire for control, self-dealing, and promotion of his daughter's interest" had constituted abuse toward the plaintiffs, and that he and Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland "went on a rampage to destroy LaToya and LaTavia and their careers."

The matter has yet to be litigated or resolved. Meanwhile, the Destiny's Child juggernaut continues to push forward with ever-increasing momentum. In early 2000, the reconfigured group undertook a two-week promotional tour of Europe, which was followed by two sold-out shows with Brian McKnight at New York's Madison Square Garden. Beyoncé contributed vocals to the first single from the forthcoming debut album by Roc-A-Fella femme fatale Amil. And, as if that isn't enough, the group is featured (along with Da Brat and Vita) on the theme song for the feature film Big Momma's House. A summer and fall tour with Christina Aguilera is in the works, although those plans have now been complicated by Franklin's announcement that she has left Destiny's Child, a mere five months after joining the group. Franklin claimed that she was exhausted and dehydrated, but no official reason was given for her resignation. The group's record label, Columbia, released a statement saying Destiny's Child will continue as the trio of Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, and Beyoncé Knowles.

— Russell Hall Courtesy of: http://wallofsound.go.com/artists/destinyschild/home.html