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In April of 1998, an audition was
held at Greenhills Sound Studios for an all-male vocal group. Larry Hermoso,
who apparently managed the group in their first year, conducted the audition.
Among the two hundred that auditioned, six of which were selected, namely, Olan
Crizaldo, Al Nievera, Piwee Polintan, Froi Calixto, Chris Gomez and Glenn
Gonzales. "Soul Of Jeremiah" was the name given to the
group.
By May, the group signed a recording
contract with Star Records, Inc. Apparently at this point, one of the members
resigned (Chris Gomez). The group's name was then shortened to just
"Jeremiah". They then recorded a single for the soundtrack of the
movie "Labs Kita, Okey ka Lang?" entitled "Nanghihinayang".
Fortunately, this song topped the charts in an overwhelming two weeks and
stayed on top for 6 months.
In November of 1998, their much awaited debut album was released. Their
carrier single was "Di ko Kaya". The album consists of eleven
songs including "Nanghihinayang" as a bonus track. This album
reached a gold record status in less than a month. Their second single,
"Hindi Ako katulad Niya" was released by early 1999. This song
also topped the charts nationwide.
By this time, problems arose between the group and their manager. In
February of that year, the group left their manager and by April, one of
the members (Al Nievera) decided to leave the group. With only four
members, the group decided to find a replacement. They then got Symon
Soler, a former child actor who apparently was the best friend of Piwee
Polintan. Piwee and Symon were both from "That's Entertainment".
At this point, they recorded a single for the soundtrack of the movie
"Hey Babe". The song entitled "Oh Babe", which was a
revival originally done by the group Singsing in the seventies, became
another huge hit. It topped the charts in several weeks.
That same year, the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation
awarded the group as the Most Popular Group Singer / Entertainer for the
year 1999. An award given by Awit Awards for Best New Group Recording
Artist then followed it.
Numerous singles for soundtracks and Christmas albums then followed the
group's success. By January of 2000, the group recorded an entry for the
Metropop 2000 Song festival. Fortunately, this song entered into the
Finals and bagged the third place. By March, the group concentrated on
doing their second album and it was released in July. This self-titled
album consists of fourteen heart-warming songs, three of which were
revivals. Their carrier single is entitled "Bakit ka Iiyak?"
In June, the group acquired the services of their new manager, June Rufino.
She intends to maintain the group and further bring them to greater
heights.
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