location_of_formation hot house 
M People are an English dance music band which formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s . The name M People is short for ___MASK84___ People , who formed the group . In December 2016 , " Billboard magazine " ranked them as the 83rd most successful dance artists of all - time . Hot House ( also billed as `` Hot ! House '' ) were an English soul music band featuring Heather Small , Martin Colyer and Mark Pringle , who first came to the attention of the British Music Press ( Record Mirror etc . ) in January 1987 . This was when they released the ballad `` Do n ' t Come To Stay '' on the deConstruction Records label ( then named as `` De Construction '' ) . The record failed to reach the UK Top 40 , peaking at # 74 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1987 , however the record earned the band acclaim and they recorded tracks for their debut album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals , Alabama . In September 1987 , the band released `` The Way That We Walk '' . However even with a number of magazine interviews the record failed to reach the UK chart . In fact the band would not enter the chart again until a re - issue of `` Do n ' t Come To Stay '' , re - issued via deConstruction ' s deal with RCA Records ( BMG ) , eclipsed the original peak by four places in September 1988 . Mark Pringle and Martin Colyer are now directors of Rock ' s Backpages , an online library of music journalism . Heather Small went on to greater success with M People . Rock music is a genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll " in the United States in the 1950s , and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later , particularly in the ___MASK63___ and the United States . It has its roots in 1940s ' and 1950s ' rock and roll , itself heavily influenced by blues , rhythm and blues and country music . Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk , and incorporated influences from jazz , classical and other musical sources . Soul music ( often referred to simply as soul ) is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s . It combines elements of African - American gospel music , rhythm and blues and jazz . Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States ; where record labels such as Motown , Atlantic and Stax were influential in the civil rights era . Soul also became popular around the world , directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa . Heather Small ( born 20 January 1965 ) is an English soul singer , best known for being the lead singer in the band M People . Her debut solo album was " Proud ", which was released in 2000 . She was also a contestant in the British television show "" Strictly Come Dancing " in 2008 ." Jazz is a music genre that originated amongst African Americans in ___MASK77___ , United States , in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Since the 1920s jazz age , jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression . It emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles , all linked by the common bonds of African American and European American musical parentage with a performance orientation . Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes , call and response vocals , polyrhythms and improvisation . Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression , and in African - American music traditions including blues and ragtime , as well as European military band music . Although the foundation of jazz is deeply rooted within the Black experience of the United States , different cultures have contributed their own experience and styles to the art form as well . Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as " one of America ' s original art forms ". Motown is an American record company . The record company was founded by Berry Gordy , Jr . as Tamla Records on January 12 , 1958 , and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14 , 1960 , in ___MASK26___ , ___MASK16___ . The name , a portmanteau of " motor " and " town ", has also become a nickname for ___MASK26___ . Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American - owned record label that achieved significant crossover success . In the 1960s , Motown and its subsidiary labels ( including Tamla Motown , the brand used outside the US ) were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound , a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence . During the 1960s , Motown achieved spectacular success for a small record company : 79 records in the Top Ten of the " Billboard " Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969 .