Kool & the Gang

From 1964 the band performed at jazz events most notably those which took place in a small theater every Sunday, this was the start of the career for 13 year old Robert Bell, his brother and five of their friends.

Originally the ensemble were called the "Jazzics" but changed their name in 1969 in order to avoid confusion which was caused when they called themselves "Kool and the Flames" which was a name extremely similar to one in which James Brown was using at the time. This then caused the group to rename themselves to "Kool & the Gang". 1969 saw them signed to De-Lite Records under Gene Redd who owned the label.

In 1969 under De-Lite records the band released their self titled debut album "Kool & The Gang". It is considered to be a classic in funk music and has been sampled by over 10 artists since its release.

In 1975 the band released their very well received alum "Light Of Worlds" this received 3.5 stars from rolling stone and contained the very successful song "Higher Plane" this song was able to reach number 1 on the R&B charts.

Many Kool and the gang songs have gone on to feature on multiple platforms. Songs have been used in films such as "Baby Boy", multiple commercials such as a Nike shoe commercial starring LeBron James and even the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

In 1973 New Jersey residents Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson, and Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien were assembled by producer Sylvia Robinson and formed The Sugarhill Gang. Sylvia Robinson and record mogul husband Joe Robinson were also founders of the label Sugar Hill Records named after the Sugar Hill, Harlem, New York neighbourhood.

Sylvia Robinson, aware of the popularity of hip-hop block parties tried to cash in and produce an infectious and catchy hit. The Sugarhill Gang released the single “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979 and became an instant worldwide hit with its notoriously groovy and danceable bass line of Bernard Edwards from Chic’s “Good Times”. “Rapper’s Delight” has gone on to sell over eight million copies worldwide, peaked at No. 3 in the UK singles chart and has been considered the first song to popularise rap in the U.S. and around the world.

Despite their early success, The Sugarhill Gang were unable to capitalise on their popularity with all of their albums failing to perform well commercially and critically. The band released an eponymously-titled debut album in 1980, and a sophomore album titled “8th Wonder” in 1982. After “Rapper’s Delight” the band had a number of moderate hit singles including “8th Wonder”, “Apache” and “Showdown”, although for the most part faded out of public consciousness by the mid-1980s.

The group returned in April 1999 to release the children’s rap album “Jump on It!” through Rhino Entertainment. The album was relatively well-received, featured a child friendly version of “Rapper’s Delight” and maintained the band’s old school hip-hop vibe. In 2014 Big Bank Hank died at the age of 58 after a long battle with lung cancer.

Rose Royce originated from Los Angeles, California, United States and initially formed in 1973. The first incarnation of the group consisted of drummer Henry Garner, percussionist Terral “Terry” Santiel, bassist Lequient “Duke” Jobe, saxophonist Michael Moore, trumpet player/vocalist Kenny Copeland, guitarist/lead vocalist Kenji Brown, trumpet player Freddie Dunn, and keyboardist Victor Nix. Their style shifted over the years, but closely emulated funk, disco, and R&B music. Their influences were not necessarily eclectic but were certainly profuse. Part of the list includes the Temptations, Kool & the Gang, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament, and Sly & the Family Stone.

Before forming Rose Royce many of it’s members acted as backing musicians for various LA groups. They later coalesced into a collective of session and touring musicians for soul singer, Edwin Starr. It was through Starr that the members met Motown producer Norman Whitfield, who signed them to his recently established label Whitfield Records. At this time the band called themselves the Magic Wand and were working for both funk singer Yvonne Fair and the Motown act Undisputed Truth. The group gradually started building an identity of their own and with the recruitment of lead singer Gwen Dickey (aka Rose Norwalt) they seemed to have solidified their independence as a band.

This newly revamped group garnered their name and broke into the mainstream with their involvement in the Joel Schumacher film,“Car Wash”. Norman Whitfield was hired as the music supervisor for the film, and as head consultant he decided this was the perfect opportunity to jump start Rose Royce’s career. The movie and soundtrack both proved to be very popular and as Whitfield intended, it launched the group into international success. The soundtrack featured three Billboard charting singles with the title track reaching the No.1 spot. Also the album won both the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Music and a Grammy award for Best Motion Picture Score.

The group’s 1st official studio album “Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom” was released on 29 July 1977 and soared on the market, hitting No.1 on the US Billboard Top Soul LPs and No. 9 on the US billboard Top LPs. The album has since gone Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK. Their follow up “Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!” also went Gold in the UK and likewise obtained Gold status in the US. It contained the two Billboard R&B hits “I’m in Love (And I Love the Feeling)” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (Madonna resurged interest in this song credited to her 1984 cover).

Their next album “Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection” performed well in critical circles, but experienced slight turbulence on the market; however, it did manage to appear on both the R&B and Billboard Albums charts. Though lead singer Dickey left Rose Royce in 1980, the band still continued to release consistently strong material, but never achieved the success of their early years. They released a total of seven albums throughout the 80s, but called it quits after their 1989 release “Perfect Lover”. Gwen Dickey started a solo career after her departure, but has left open the possibility of reforming Rose Royce.

Hailing from the Bronx, New York, US, Evelyn "Champagne" King came from a showbiz family, with her uncle being the actor and singer Avon Long and father, Erik King, a popular vocalist in New York City, US. King moved to Philadelphia, US, with her mother in her teens, with the pair getting jobs as cleaning women, whilst still sharing a passion for singing and music.

King was to gain her break into the musical world through a fortunate coincidence. King and her mother were working at Philadelphia International Records' studio, performing their cleaning duties, when producer T. Life overheard King singing from the washroom. Following this powerful voice, he found 16-year old King to be the source, quickly signing the young artist with a production deal and a contract with RCA.

WIth Life as producer, the pair got to work on her first recordings, with the result being "Dancin' Dancin' Dancin'." By 1977, they had enough material for an album, releasing "Smooth Talk" that same year. The single "Shame" was to be her career-launching single, gaining widespread airplay as well as breaking into the Top Ten of the R&B and Pop charts. The second single, "I Don't Know If It's Right" in 1978 found further success, selling Gold and reaching number seven in the R&B charts. The album went on to be a huge success, with this production partnership continuing for two more albums, "T. Life: Music Box" and "Call on Me."

In the early 1980s, King left Life for the producer Kashif, soon finding two number one hits with the singles, "I'm in Love" and "Love Come Down." Her albums continued to place highly in the charts, with 1982's "Get Loose" selling double-Platinum, garnering attention from EMI Records, who signed King in 1988. King worked with Leon F. Sylvers III on "Flirt" that same year, which reached number 20 in the R&B charts. "The Girl Next Door" followed in 1989 but failed to live up to the same commercial success.

In 1995, she signed with British label, Expansion, releasing "I'll Keep a Light On" which featured the musicians Larry Graham, Jeff Lorber and Paul Jackson Jr. King then took a long break from recording music, not returning to the studio until 2007, releasing "Open Book." Between these years a Greatest Hits album was released in 2001, celebrating King's musical efforts. Following her 2007 album, King released two singles since, with 2008's "The Dance" and 2011's "Everybody," featuring Miguel Migs.

From the ashes of the jazz fusion band Bell Telefunk, came the groovable, danceable sounds of Dazz Band. Founded by Bobby Harris in 1977, the saxophone and clarinet player later invited Wayne Preston, Les Thaler, Ed Myers, Michael Wiley, Isaac Wiley, Jr., Michael Colhoun, and Kenny Pettus to complete the lineup. Originally known by the name Kinsman Dazz when the band had residency at the Kinsman Grill in Cleveland, the group signed with 20th Century Records soon after forming and headed to the studio with Marvin Gaye. Producer Gaye was unable to complete the project and at the request of band leader Harris, Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist Philip Bailey was enlisted as producer.

Kinsman Band (as they were still known) released their debut single “I Might as Well Forget About Loving You” in 1978 ahead of the full-length “Kinsman Dazz” the same year. Producer Bailey significantly contributed to the album’s success and subsequently co-produced the band’s sophomore full-length “Dazz” in 1979. The following year the Kinsman Dazz became the Dazz Band and the group signed with Motown Records. Saxophonist Wayne Preston and trumpeter Les Thaler left the band in 1980 and were replaced by trumpeter Sennie Martin, trumpeter Pierre DeMudd, and keyboardist Kevin Kendricks.

Dazz Band’s debut record for Motown was the 1980 album “Invitation to Love” which resulted in a string of hit singles, most notably “Invitation to Love”. The full-length “Let The Music Play” arrived in 1981 led by the Top 50 single “Knock Knock”, followed by the group’s breakthrough hit single “Let It Whip” taken from the 1982 album “Keep It Live”. Produced by Reggie Andrews the single catapulted Dazz Band to notoriety, topped the Billboard R&B charts, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Jazz Band continued to earn a string of hits into the ‘80s, most notably “Party Right Here” (1983), “On the One For Fun” (1983), “Joystick” (1983), and “Let It All Blow” (1984).

Long noted for their high-energy, improvisational performances the group released their ninth studio album “Hot Spot” in 1985, charting at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B Chart. "Hot Spot" was the last record released on Motown Records, after which Dazz Band moved to Geffen Records to release the 1986 full-length “Wild & Free”. The studio album “Rock the Room” rounded off the group’s ’80's releases, following which the group released “Funkology” in 1994, “Under the Streetlights” in 1995, “Double Exposure” in 1997, “Here We Go Again” in 1998, and “Time Traveler” in 2001.