Milli Vanilli
Aaaand we’re jumping back into the realm of all that is quintessentially nineties: pop, R&B, and dance music. The award-winning West German group, created initially by songwriter and producer Frank Farian, consisted of artists Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus– otherwise known as Fab & Rob. Milli Vanilli shot to fame with the release of their debut album (which, by the way, is perfect for the roller rink), Girl You Know It’s True. The album, which was in pretty much every American household by mid-1990, was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also gave us five great top-five hits– three of which slid into number one on the Billboard 100. Remember “Baby Don’t Forget My Number”? How about “Blame It on the Rain”, “All or Nothing”, “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You”, and of course the titular song, “Girl You Know It’s True”? Of course you do. They won a Grammy for the album!
Or not. Perhaps more notable than their music was the drama surrounding it– after the duo were caught lip syncing at a concert, it was revealed that they hadn’t actually performed any of the vocals on the album. Producer Frank Farian admitted it! As a result of the backlash (which was about as ferocious as the average anti-war Vietnam protest), Milli Vanilli had their Grammy stripped away, which made them the first and only group to have a Grammy Award stripped from their cold, posturing hands. The news resulted in almost 30 lawsuits against Farian, Morvan and Pilatus.
While Farian was left to juggle with The Real Milli Vanilli, our boys Rob & Fab recorded a follow-up album called, well, Rob & Fab. Though Pilatus and Morvan did all the vocals on the album, it was a flop due to limited release, a lack of publicity, and their complete lack of relevance following their humiliating lip syncing scandal. That album sold less than 2,000 copies, and the world forgot about them… right?
In 1997, the original trio decided to begin work on a comeback. It never happened, though, because Rob Pilatus dove into the world of drugs and crime during recording. Pilatus wound up overdosing on prescription drugs and booze in his hotel room, which is the most celebrity sort of death you could ask for. After Pilatus’s death, Morvan continued on as a solo artist– and that’s what he continues to do today. As of 2015, Fab Morvan is working on a new album with one of the original (real!) Milli Vanilli singers.
