The Funk, Soul, R&B Thread.

SoulManX

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This thread is for those that enjoy some good soulful music.

Cameo


Formed in 1974, Cameo started out as a 13-member group created by former Juilliard student and New York-area clubgoer Larry Blackmon, called the New York City Players. Signed by Casablanca Records to their Chocolate City imprint in 1976, the group soon changed its name to Cameo. Cameo started with a deep, funky sound, but it was obvious from the start that their sights were set on the dance floors. Their first albums Cardiac Arrest, Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are and Secret Omen contained dance floor songs such as "Rigor Mortis", "I Just Want To Be" and "Find My Way," the latter which was a major disco smash and was included on the soundtrack to Thank God It's Friday.
By the time Cameosis came out in 1980 Cameo had gained considerable momentum through singles such as "Shake Your Pants". Albums such as 1981's Knights of the Sound Table and 1982's Alligator Woman saw the band playing up their eclectic style.
However, by the time the mid-1980s approached, Larry Blackmon and crew were ready to move on. Cameo stripped down to a quartet that included Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, and Charles Singleton (who left the group after She's Strange). Inspired by the edgy synthesizer arrangements being pushed forward by the new wave groups of the time, Blackmon moved the band into a hard-core "electronic funk" direction, utilising the new technology becoming available in the recording studios. He put his trademark "Ooow!" into the forefront of Cameo's mixes and markedly changed their sound.
1983's Style was the first disc to capitalize on Cameo's new sound. She's Strange came out in 1984 and its "12-inch mix" was a major smash in the R&B clubs. The title track and its follow-up "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck" were minor successes on the pop charts. 1985's Single Life was also an R&B hit that saw some crossover success.
"Word Up!" hit radio airwaves in mid-1986 and instantly became one of the biggest pop songs of the year. Critically acclaimed with large amounts of club and radio airtime, the resulting album Word Up! turned Cameo into superstars. The follow-up tracks "Candy" and "Back and Forth" were also huge hits for the funk trio. By the end of 1986 "Word Up!" seemed to be everywhere: radio, clubs, MTV, Coca-Cola commercials, and even in people's conversations as it became a national catch phrase. Some music critics have hailed "Word Up!" as the defining song of the 1980s.
Cameo had become one of the most well-known bands in the world, but the touring and fame that came from Word Up! took its toll. The group became overexposed, and needed to take some time before releasing its follow-up. Two years later Cameo would release Machismo to lukewarm pop response but favorable critical reviews and R&B success. 1991's Emotional Violence also did well critically, but didn't contain the "smash-hit" radio singles that Word Up had. 1994's In the Face of Funk album contained an excellent cover of Slave's "Slide" that got some club play, but for the most part, Cameo's reign was over.
Of course, nothing could top the phenomenon of the Word Up! period, and Cameo has kept this all in perspective. Instead of infighting or collapse - which many bands experience after falling from superstardom - Cameo has stuck together. The trio has continued to tour the globe to this day.
In October 2004 Candy appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Funk radio station Bounce FM.


 
Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the 1980s and fared well in the adult contemporary market as well, but their roots were 1970s soul music and funk. The East Coast outfit was formed in White Plains, New York, in 1976 by three brothers: lead singer/guitarist David Lewis, lead singer/keyboardist Wayne Lewis (b. 13 April 1957), and trombonist/percussionist Jonathan Lewis. After the Lewis Brothers hired lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), trumpeter William Sudderth, saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was replaced by Koran Daniels in 1981), bassist Clifford Archer, drummer Porter Carroll Jr., and percussionist/flautist Joseph Phillips, Atlantic Starr's original nine-person line-up was in place.
Influenced by 1970s funk/soul bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, New Birth, and L.T.D., Atlantic Starr started playing around the Northeastern U.S. They had only been together for about two years when they signed with A&M and started working with Bobby Eli, a well-respected record producer/songwriter from Philadelphia.
A syrupy adult contemporary ballad, "Always" reflected the Lewis Brothers' desire to have the type of crossover success that Whitney Houston and Lionel Richie had been enjoying in the 1980s. They got their wish when "Always" soared to Number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B chart in the spring of 1987.






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Oran "Juice" Jones


Oran Jones was a Soul and R&B musician in the 1980s. He is also the first artist that was signed to OBR Records (a Def Jam susbsidary). His song "The Rain" gave him one-hit-wonder status. He also charted the top of the R&B charts with "How To Love Again", a duet with labelmate Alyson Williams.
Today, he is sometimes cited as "Orange Juice Jones".



 
Midnight Star

The group was formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University by then students Reginald and Vincent Calloway (brothers), (trumpeter Reginald, and trombone player Vincent), vocalist Belinda Lipscomb, saxophonist/keyboardist Bill Simmons, drummer Melvin Gentry, keyboardist/vocalist Boaz Watson, bass guitarist Kenneth Gant and guitarist Jeffrey Cooper. With its members coming from their hometowns of Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Indianapolis, Indiana. After making some demos, they ventured to NYC and performed for a showcase where Solar Records chieftan Dick Griffey (whom had a label deal with RCA Records. They released their first album, THE BEGINNING in 1980 with production mostly by Harvey Mason, except for the first single "Make It Last", which was produced by Leon Sylvers.. In 1981 , their second album, STANDING TOGETHER reached position #54 on the Top R&B charts. In 1982 they released a third album, VICTORY, which had a cameo appearance by funk star Bootsy Collins on the track "Hot Spot". After building a steady following of loyal fans from their first three albums and a sense of belief in their talents by Griffey, the group went into the studio to produced their fourth album in 1983. The results were incredible, sort of re-writing the old adage of the third time is the charm, as this was their fourth project. Released in 1983, the album NO PARKING ON THE DANCE FLOOR propelled Midnight Star to the top of the album charts, immediately going gold, then platinum and ultimately double platinum. To date the album is still a strong seller as it approaches three million sales. The first single, "Freak-A-Zoid" which went to number two on the Billboard R&B chart with its funky galactic vocoder laced spacey groove. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, the vocoder on this record was done by Bo Watson, not Vincent Calloway. The album also contained the ballad gem "Slow Jam" (which was co-written by Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, whom also guested on guitar on the recording session of this classic number), which to date has been consistently voted one of the best soul ballads of all-time. By now, Atlanta, Georgia native son, - Drummer Bobby Lovelace (formerly of Cameo's protégée group Mantra) joined the group to free up Melvin Gentry to totally concentrate on singing and playing guitar. Their fifth album, PLANETARY INVASION was a big hit as well, going platinum and making the pop Top 20 and also contained the the number one R&B single "Operator" in addition to the wildy popular album track "Curious".
In 1986, they came out with their fifth album, HEADLINES and it went on to became their third gold album in a row. It featured the hit singles "Midas Touch" and the title cut - "Headlines". Shortly after the release of the album, the group had internal strife with management and one of its members - Reginald Calloway. The self-proclaimed leader was voted out of the group and soon thereafter his brother Vincent resigned. Re-energized, and free of its internal demons, the other members, Lipscomb, Cooper, Gant, Gentry, Lovelace, Simmons and Watson continued and released the self-titled album MIDNIGHT STAR in 1988. The album contained two hit singles, "Don't Rock The Boat" (which featured a guest rap from Ecstasy of Whodini) and "Snake In The Grass". The group continued to tour all over America, Europe and Japan. In 1990 they released their final album for Solar Records entitled WORK IT OUT. The seven member group enjoyed a mild hit from this album in the single "Do It (One More Time)".
Group members took a brief hiatus to do individual projects for a short while. Belinda Lipscomb did plays and musicals, cut jingles and commercials; bassist Kenneth Gant performed with the late great Billy Preston; Melvin Gentry (briefly called MacArthur) and Boaz Watson did production chores on Shanice, Toni Braxton and others. Watson also did a major tour with Babyface serving as the musical director, and performed the same chores with Toni Braxton. In 2000, charter member Jeffrey Cooper left the group to spend more time with his family. In 2002 the group, now a sextet formed their own indie label Reel Star Records and released the album 15th AVENUE. Shortly theareafter keyboardist Dave Stewart of Cincinnati, Ohio was added to augment their sound for some tour dates that keybaordist Bill Simmons is unable to attend.
The group returned to Kentucky State University in October of 2006 for a concert to celebrate their 30 year anniversary. EMI Record recently re-released NO PARKING ON THE DANCE FLOOR with bonus cuts as well as the ULTIMATE COLLECTION cd.
Midnight Star of 2006 continues to perform all across America and other parts of the world. They are in the studio working on new material for a 2007 release. Tours of Japan and Europe are in store for the first and second quarter of 2007.



 
Alexander O'Neal (b. November 14, 1953, Natchez, Mississippi) was a member of The Time when the group first formed in 1980. However, he was dropped immediately from the group, supposedly for seeming "too black".
Three years later, he was able to get a record deal with Clearance Avant's Tabu Records. O'Neal sings in the retro-style of soul when it comes to doing it in both the dance-pop numbers and modern, urban ballads. He is considered to be one of the very best artists that former, fellow Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had ever produced for. He did numerous duets with his labelmate singer Cherrelle, including hits Saturday Love and Never Knew Love Like This.
The 1985 self-titled release was filled with streamlined grooves, including the funk jam, Innocent. The song was a funky Jam/Lewis groove, featuring The Secret - (Monte Moir, Cherrelle, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis). The song lasts nearly 10 minutes and consists of some exceptional guitar and keyboard solos, which also features the funk intermission of Alex 9000. Alex's 1987 release, titled Hearsay, includes the smash hit Fake. Fake is arguably one of the best songs ever made to feature the "Minneapolis Funk" sound, the song was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for Single of the Year (Male). In late 1990, he had a minor hit with All True Man.
His 1988 album, My Gift to You, was a successful holiday release, with the track Our First Christmas still popular during the holidays.
He has recently appeared in the celebrity duet show Just the Two of Us with BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce. Based in Minneapolis, he frequently commutes to Britain, which he sees as his "second home". His six albums have charted both in the UK and the US and he has enjoyed numerous sell-out tours.
In 2005, he recorded his first live album, Alexander O'Neal Live at Hammersmith Apollo. It's a collection of his Favorites and Biggest Hits from his career. With his personal love of performing on stage and constant tour support from his fans it was a clear progression for him to deliver the live experience in the form of an album. He has handpicked tracks that traverse the success of his career singing alongside a 12 piece band.
O'Neal's first Live DVD, taken from a performance at London's Hammersmith Apollo in March 2006 in due out in January 2007. It includes a duet with J.C. Bentley, Saturday Love.



 
James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born on June 6, 1959 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) and Terry Lewis (born November 21, 1956 in Omaha, Nebraska) are an American R&B and pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most notably Janet Jackson.
The pair met in high school in Minneapolis and formed a band called Flyte Time, later The Time. In 1981, they were joined by Morris Day and toured with Prince as Morris Day & the Time. As members of The Time they recorded two albums, The Time and What Time Is It?. From these two albums which shaped early eighties R&B music "Cool","Get It Up", "The Walk", "777-9311", and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too". The pair were fired from the tour because a blizzard left them unable to rejoin after a short break to produce The SOS Band. However, one of the tracks they were producing, "Just Be Good to Me", became a big hit and made their reputation, as well that of the SOS Band.
After working with other artists like Gladys Knight and Luther Vandross, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and produced her breakthrough album Control in 1986, for which the duo won a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, was even more successful.
Since that time they have founded a record label, Perspective Records, and worked with artists including Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, The Human League, Usher, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. In 2000, the two were guest performers for J-pop singer and songwriter Utada Hikaru's concert tour in Japan, Bohemian Summer.
Terry Lewis married R&B singer Karyn White, with whom he had a daughter, Ashley Nicole. The pair have since divorced.

Jimmy Jam is the brother-in-law of NBA superstar Kevin Garnett



 
The SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Originally known as "Santa Monica", the "SOS" acronym in the band's name stands not for "Save Our Souls", but for Sounds of Success.
The band, fronted by Mary Davis, was initially famous for the post-disco hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1979. In 1982, they joined forces with then-new production team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, who went on to craft a string of R&B hits for the group, including "Just Be Good to Me", "Tell Me If You Still Care", "Borrowed Love", and "The Finest".
The Jam/Lewis produced SOS Band hits are notable for popularizing the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine (and its distinctive cowbell sound) in popular music. The group continues to tour and perform to this day.
The song "Just Be Good to Me" was remixed by Beats International (Aka Norman Cook or Fatboy Slim) the song made its way to UK number one single as "Dub Be Good To Me". The song was reworked with the bassline to the Clash's "Guns of Brixton".



 
Cherrelle rose to fame as one of the premier female R&B divas of the mid-to-late 1980s. Cousin of pop singer and TLC founder Perri "Pebbles" Reid, Cherrelle began her music career shortly after being discovered by Tabu Records founder Clarence Avant, who signed her to his label in 1983. Cherrelle got her name after her boss from a job hollered "Cher-relle, you're late again!"
In 1984, under the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, she released her debut, Fragile, which went gold, thanks to the Top Ten R&B single, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On". She released her best-selling album in 1985 with High Priority, which featured the hits "You Look Good to Me", "Will You Satisfy?" and "Artificial Heart" and her seminal duet with Alexander O'Neal in the #2 single, "Saturday Love". In 1988, she released her third album Affair, which featured the #1 R&B single, "Everything I Miss at Home". On that strength, it was her third consecutive gold record.
She released her last chart-topper with 1991's The Woman I Am, which was a departure from her Jam & Lewis productions. She reunited with the producers eight years later with her album The Right Time, which was released in 1999. Since then, Cherrelle has been performing at venues in America and all over the world. Pop singers Robert Palmer and Mariah Carey have each covered her "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" while "Saturday Love" has been heralded as one of the greatest soul duets in history.



 
Gap Band


Early years

Growing up with a Pentecostal minister father, the Wilson brothers formed the Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Street Band in 1967, with Tuck Andress (later of Tuck and Patti). The name was derived from the streets that formed the African American business district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They released their first record on an indie label in 1974 to little success. At the time, the group had up to twelve musicians. Condensing to the three brothers and with producer Leon Russell on the helm, the group began to find success in 1978 with songs such as "I'm in Love" and "Shake", the latter becoming a Top 10 R&B hit.

[edit] Success

By 1979, the group had changed its name to The Gap Band, and found success with the groundbreaking single "I Don't Believe You Wanna Get Up and Dance (Oops Upside Your Head)". But it was in the 1980s that the group found their biggest success, with songs like "Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)", "Humpin' ", "Yearning For Your Love", "Outstanding", "You Dropped a Bomb on Me", "I Found My Baby", "Early In the Morning", and "Party Train" further establishing the group as icons.
Four of the band's albums, The Gap Band II, The Gap Band III, The Gap Band IV, and Gap Band V - Jammin, achieved platinum selling status, and four of their singles ("You Dropped a Bomb on Me", "Outstanding", "Oops Upside Your Head", and "Early in the Morning") reached the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B charts.
Their success dwindled at the end of 1984, although they have continued to record albums and are constantly on tour. Brother Charlie ventured into a solo career during a break from the group in the mid-1980s, being featured on the 1985 hit with funk group Zapp titled "Computer Love". Wilson's powerful vocals would be credited in part for establishing the careers of Guy's Aaron Hall and R. Kelly. The band reunited in 1996, and issued The Gap Band: Live and Well, a live greatest hits album.
Ever since the 1990s, the Gap Band's most famous hits have been sampled and covered by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Warren G., Blackstreet, Shaquille O'Neal, Mia X, and Mary J. Blige. "Outstanding" was even sampled for a famous 1990s commercial for malt liquor. While they missed the time that black musicians recorded soundtracks for action films by a decade, they produced and recorded some songs for Keenan Ivory Wayans' 1988 hit movie, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Among the musicians they have inspired are R. Kelly, Keith Sweat, Ruff Endz, Guy, Blackstreet, Mint Condition, Jagged Edge, and Aaron Hall. Recently, "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was featured in the hit videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Funk radio station Bounce FM.
In mid-2005, Charlie released his second solo album, Charlie Last Name, Wilson which was produced by R. Kelly.
On August 8, 2006, Hip-O Records released Gold, a 2-CD compilation from the Gap Band. [1].



 
Suggestion for this thread: don't just post large profiles of people! Let's discuss people that we like.

I'm a huge fan of Van Hunt and Calvin Richardson. Anyone else heard of them?
 
Currently into Corinne Bailey Rae, Amel Larrieux and a little John Legend. From past times, Sam Cooke, Stevie of course, and....
 
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You can't talk about funk until these cats enter the room.

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AndThePickles said:
Suggestion for this thread: don't just post large profiles of people! Let's discuss people that we like.

I'm a huge fan of Van Hunt and Calvin Richardson. Anyone else heard of them?


Oh I know just giving some information to those that don't listen to some of these bands. :ninja:
 
BlackHardKnight said:

I was a "Pre-Celebration" fan mostly (they were more funk driven). I did like some of their "pop" hits". But they Got too soft with "Joannna" and "Cherish".
Still no denying their successful run!! A lot of hits!
 

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