Breakfast Club, the New York group that at various times counted Madonna (on drums), Stephen Bray (Madonna’s replacement on drums and a co-writer/producer during her imperial period), and Randy Jackson (bassist and future American Idol judge) as members, had just a single top 40 hit, “Right On Track.”

This week in 1987, “Right On Track,” was climbing the Billboard Hot 100 at #15 as Madonna’s recent #4 hit, “La Isla Bonita,” was headed down. Co-written by Bray and vocalist Dan Gilroy (both Madonna exes) and produced by future American Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine, “Right On Track” was taken from the Breakfast Club’s eponymous debut album.

The single peaked at #7 at the end of May, with remixes by John “Jellybean” Benitez (another Madonna ex) also reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, getting lots of folks moving out to the left and sliding to the right for a while. Wish I could namecheck the women who did the backing vocals, because they make the track for me.

“Kiss And Tell,” the comparatively subdued follow-up to “Right On Track,” peaked at #48, but Breakfast Club did notch two other hits over on the Dance chart, “Never Be The Same” (#8, 1987) and “Expressway To Your Heart” (#30, 1988), which featured Shep Pettibone on remix duties.

Breakfast Club received enough attention to net a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist alongside Cutting Crew, Terence Trent D’Arby, Jody Watley, and Swing Out Sister. Watley was the new love Grammy voters were looking for.

Purchase Breakfast Club – “Right On Track” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.