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.

Sister Sledge were made up of the four daughters of famed Broadway tap-dancer Edwin Sledge and the actress Florez Sledge. Debbie, Joni, Kathy and Kim were not protégé’s of their parents, however, as they were given singing lessons by their grandmother, an ex lyric soprano opera singer called Viola Williams. The quartet cut their teeth performing live at church gatherings, before forming a band together (called Mrs. Williams’ Grandchildren, no less) and by 1971, they had embarked on their first tour all over the East Coast of the USA. Soon after they started building up a following thanks to their live performances, the band changed their name to Sister Sledge, and released “Time Will Tell”, their first single, in the same year.

Strangely enough, it was in the U.K that the band saw their first big success, with their single “Mama Never Told Me” hitting the top twenty of the singles chart. However, the best was yet to come. The band spent most of the seventies enjoying reasonable success all over the world, and even scored a huge hit in Japan with “Love Don’t Go Through No Changes On Me”. They’d had enough initial success to score a record deal with Atlantic Records but they weren’t capitalizing on it. That is, until the company pared the band with Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic. Immediately the pairing paid off, with their single “He’s The Greatest Dancer” hurtling into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.

This paled in comparison to the follow up, however. The title track to their 1979 album “We Are Family” was an enormous smash hit all over the world, peaking at number two on the Hot 100. This propelled the album into a top three spot on the Billboard 200 and it was eventually certified Platinum in the U.S and Gold in the U.K. The band weren’t able to keep up that level of success in the U.S but spent the rest of the 1980’s as a huge name in the U.K. They were even able to beat the chart success of “We Are Family” twice over there, with 1984’s number four single “Lost In Music” and the following year’s number one hit “Frankie”. However, all the success in the world wasn’t enough to keep Kathy from leaving the group in 1989.

Fortunately, the split was very amicable, and not only did the band continue to have a few more hit singles in the U.K after she left, but she’s joined them for sporadic shows and releases in the 90’s and 2000’s. We’re living in the age of “Uptown Funk”, and so far it’s proving to be a pretty deathless hit. Hopefully, it’ll revive interest in the late seventies and early 80’s disco and funk that inspired it, and if you’re interested, then you can’t do much better than checking out one of that era’s finest groups, Sister Sledge. Highly recommended.

With a line-up of both singers and dancers Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, Shalamar were joined by producer Leon Sylvers III, and signed with Griffey’s SOLAR Records in 1979 . The same year the group had their debut smash hit with “Take That to the Bank”, which sold over a million copies in the U.S. The single paved the way for a string of subsequent hits in both the U.S. and the UK, including “The Second Time Around” later in 1979, “I Owe You One” in 1980, and “I Can Make You Feel Good” in 1982.

“There It Is”, “Friends” and “A Night to Remember” also became smash hits in 1982, the latter of which popularised the group in the UK for Daniel’s body-popping dancing skills, where he premiered the moonwalk for the first time on the TV show "Top of the Pops". After watching Shalamar on the TV show “Soul Train”, Michael Jackson became a fan of the groups and took his 12 year old sister Janet to see the band perform at Disneyland. In addition Daniel later helped choreograph the iconic moves in Jackson’s “Bad” and “Smooth Criminal” music videos.

The band released three albums with this line-up “Big Fun”, “Three for Love” and “Friends”, representing Shalamar’s golden age. With increasing tensions with Dick Griffey and Solar Records, Watley and Daniel departed the group, making way for Micki Free and Delisa Davis. The change marked a musical move into a more new wave/synth inspired sound, however the band soon found success again. In 1984 the single “Dancing in the Sheets” from the “Footloose” soundtrack saw the band reached the Billboard Top 20 again and “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills” from “Beverly Hills Cop” earned the band their only Grammy. Hewett left the group shortly after and was replaced by Sydney Justin, although the band quickly sank into obscurity.

In 1996 the original line-up returned alongside LL Cool J and Babyface with the single “This Is for the Lover in You”. The group subsequent played again on “Top of the Pops”, the trio’s first live performance since 1983. Since then with a line-up of Daniel, Hewett and Dick Griffey’s daughter Carolyn Griffey, Shalamar have regularly toured the UK, including as part of “The Ultimate Boogie Nights Disco Concert Series” in 2009.

Boney M. formed in 1976 and though the group was based out of Bon, West Germany none of it’s core members were natives of the country. Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett were both born in Jamaica, Maizie Williams was originally from Montserrat, West Indies and Bobby Farrell was from Aruba. Though these singers did not start performing together until 1976 this project was already underway in 1974.

During this year Farian had already come up with the group’s name (which he derived from a popular TV series) and had recorded it’s 1st single “Baby do You Want to Bump”. The track caught on in the Netherlands and Belgium and this spurt of popularity cited Farian to compile a group of singers and dancers to front his work. For the group’s first incarnation he recruited singers Maizie Williams, Sheyla Bonnick, and a dancer known simply as Mike. The group expanded to include Claudja Barry and Bobby Farrell. The group finally reached a degree of stabilization when Maricia Barrett and Liz Mitchell joined.

In 1976 the group released their studio debut album “Take the Heat off Me”. Although the group had coalesced into a stable line up, Barrett and Mitchell were essentially the only performers to appear on the album alongside Farian (who contributed the majority of the male vocalizations). The album was an obvious nod to the disco genre and included two original singles “Daddy Cool” and “Baby Do You Want to Bump” as well as the Bob Marley cover “No Woman, No Cry”. Though the album just barley missed the cut on the US Billboard Album charts, it was a huge success in many European countries, topping both Sweden and Finland’s album chart, landing at No. 6 on Austria’s album chart and No. 2 on Norway’s.

The band’s sophomore album, “Love for Sale” was released 1 year later. It was a commercial hit, going on to achieve Gold certification in the UK and featuring two hit singles “Ma Baker” and “Belfast”, which peaked at No.1 on the German Singles chart. Prior to this release the band had been rigorously performing at local disco’s and nightclubs, but after the release of “Love for Sale” they were able to embark on their first headlining tour.

In 1978 the group released what is considered to be their best album, “Nightflight to Venus”. This release was their first to take No.1 on the UK album charts. Though the album continued to draw inspiration from R&B, Dance and Disco music, some of the tracks chosen for this album were stylistic variations from these genres, such as the cover of Neil Young’s classic folk tune “Heart of Gold” and the Country standard “King of the Road”. The group’s biggest hit was a Wiest Indies Children’s traditional “Brown Girl in the Ring”.

Their 4th album “Ocean’s of Fantasy” saw release in September 1979. It was their second album to reach No.1 in the UK. This album featured the two singles “Gotta Go Home”/”El Lute” and “I’m Born Again”/”Bahama Mama”.

Boney M’s hype started to fade in the 80s. They released a successful greatest hits compilation in 1980, but a comparatively weak 5th studio album “Boonoonoonoos”. This release was followed by the departure of Bobby Farrell. Later that year the band put out a Christmas album and in 1984 released “Ten Thousand Lightyears”, their first album without Farrell’s promotional support. Farrell returned in 1984 in time for the release of two moderately successful singles “Kalimba de Luna” and “Happy Song”. The group’s 8th and final studio album “Eye Dance” was issued in October 1985; however, Farian had noticeably lost interest in the group at this point and the resulting album was panned by critics and also did poorly on the market.

Boney M’s “Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix ’88” came out in 1988; however, the band was basically defunct at the time. Several different incarnations emerged and imploded throughout the 90s and 2000s, with the longest lived being Maizie William’s line up who embarked on an Australian tour in 2014.

The band came together initially when two American serviceman brothers, Jennie Wilder and Keith Wilder, who were based in Germany, began performing together. After they were discharged, they moved to London, UK in 1975 to team up with songwriter/keyboardist Rod Temperton. They then fleshed out the lineup with Spaniard Mario Mantese (bass), Czechoslovakian Ernest Berger (drums) and Americans Jesse Whitens (guitar) and Eric Johns (guitar). With the multicultural nature of the group, they managed to create an eclectic sound that pushed their music well ahead of their peers, becoming pioneers in their genre.

After touring the London club circuit, they gained the attention of GTO Records, with their simple disco beats and heavy funk grooves. They began recording their debut album but the tragic murder of Jesse Whitens set them back. However, finding a replacement in Roy Carter, they began recording again, releasing a string of singles culminating in the hit disco anthem, 1977’s “Boogie Nights.” The song hit number two in the UK charts and also became a top five hit in America. Their debut album appeared later that year, titled “Too Hot to Handle,” peaking at number five in the R&B charts. By the end of the year, they had also gained a number two hit in the US with their soul ballad, “Always and Forever.”

Success followed them into their next album, “Central Heating,” in 1978, featuring the hit, “The Groove Line,” which scaled the top of the charts. However, lineup instability followed shortly after, with both Johns and Temperton leaving the band. Further tragedy hit after Mantese was stabbed by his girlfriend and was left paralysed, forcing his retirement. In 1979, Heatwave had recuperated to record their third album, “Hot Property,” which despite its strong collection of songs, failed to make much of an impression in the charts.

Bad luck seemed to follow the members of Heatwave, with Jonnie Wilder suffering a paralysing car crash in 1980. His brother continued to lead the group, releasing “Candles,” which featured the top 40 single, “Gangsters of the Groove.” Heatwave continued to be a powerful presence in the world of disco ad funk, but in 1983, they brought the group to a close after several lineup difficulties. However in 1989, the Wilder brothers returned, with “Sound of Soul,” which led to the group to continue to tour in the UK and America, releasing a live album in 1997, titled “Live at the Greek Theater.” Their classic hit, “Boogie Nights” was reimagined in 2002, through an extended club remix which helped to spread Heatwave’s music to a whole new generation of dance fans. Jonnie Wilder sadly passed away in his sleep at his home in Ohio, US, in 2006.

The Drifters were formed in 1953 originally as back up vocalists for Clyde McPhatter, however McPhatter was only associated with the group for a year. McPhatter, with the intention of wanting to blend gospel and secular music, got some of his old church group together, which included William “Chick” Anderson, David Baldwin, James “Wrinkle” Johnson and David “Little Dave” Baughan. They only released one recording, but the record executive in charge of the group didn’t think the group worked and suggested a whole new lineup.

The whole new lineup consisted of Bill Pinkney, Andrew Thrasher, Gerhart Thrasher, Willie Ferbee and Walter Adams, and it was this group that produced the hit song “Money Honey” in September 1953. Unfortunately the group went through a few more lineup changes and was a short-lived group due to various reasons. Some members of the group started a new group under the name The Original Drifters (inducted into the Vocal Hall of Fame in 1998), but The Drifters continued on with a whole new lineup that included Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, Elsbeary Hobbs. It was this group that released a string of successful songs, including “There Goes My Baby” and “This Magic Moment,” and it was also this group that was later inducted into the Vocal Hall Of Fame in 2000 (as Ben E. King & The Drifters).