Sylvester: "Do You Wanna Funk"- VideoRemix/1982
Sylvester: "Do You Wanna Funk"- VideoRemix/1982
Sylvester was born on September 6, 1947 (to December 16, 1988). The celebrated disco, R&B, and soul legend known as the “Queen of Disco” rocked to the top of the disco music charts in the late 1970s as an androgynous performer with a captivating falsetto voice. While others would later emulate his style, Sylvester was unique and groundbreaking, and considered a visionary in terms of his proud queerness, Blackness and artistry. “Billboard” ranked him as the 59th most successful dance artist of all time.
Sylvester was born on September 6, 1947 (to December 16, 1988). The celebrated disco, R&B, and soul legend known as the “Queen of Disco” rocked to the top of the disco music charts in the late 1970s as an androgynous performer with a captivating falsetto voice. While others would later emulate his style, Sylvester was unique and groundbreaking, and considered a visionary in terms of his proud queerness, Blackness and artistry. “Billboard” ranked him as the 59th most successful dance artist of all time.
Sylvester James, Jr. was born to Letha Weaver and Sylvester “Sweet” James in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in a family he once described as “upper middle class, Black, bourgeois…” He and his five siblings were raised by his mother and stepfather, Robert Hurd, but he reported that he was most influenced by his grandmother, Julia Morgan. Sylvester would later boast of her being a prominent blues singer in the 1920s and 30s, and the tales he heard of her days of “divadom” had as much artistic influence on him as anything else he would experience.
Portrait of a group of teenagers (and several pre-teens) as they walk along train tracks in the Watts neighbourhood, Los Angeles, California, July 1966. (Photo by Bill Ray/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Sylvester first developed a love of singing through the gospel choirs of his Pentecostal church, the Palm Lane Church of God in Christ in South Los Angeles. He recognized his homosexuality from an early age, The childhood joy and affirmation that Sylvester received from lifting his voice in public performance also brought him the pain and despair of alienation and ostracization. The church’s organ player sexually molested Sylvester, and when Sylvester required hospitalization from the assault, the church, in a stunning display of hateful stupidity, treated the attacker and victim with the same level of scorn. Ridiculed for effeminacy and condemned for homosexuality at the age of 13, Sylvester stopped attending the church that shaped his childhood and allowed him the first opportunity to develop into a singer. News of Sylvester’s same-sex activity soon spread through the church congregation, and feeling unwelcome and persecuted for his homosexuality, he stopped attending when he was thirteen.
Sylvester left his mother’s home soon after, and now homeless, he spent much of the next decade staying with friends and relatives, in particular his grandmother Julia, who expressed no disapproval of his homosexuality, having been a friend of a number of gay men in the 1930s. On occasion, Sylvester would return to his mother and stepfather’s home for a few days at a time, particularly to spend time with his younger sisters, Bernadette and Bernadine. At 15, he began frequenting local gay clubs, and built up a group of friends from the local gay Black community, eventually forming a group they called the Disquotays. After complaining that he was “suffocating in Los Angeles,” Sylvester made his way to San Francisco, where he embraced the counter-cultural life and joined the drag troupe, The Cockettes, eventually producing his own solo shows heavily influenced by female blues and jazz singers Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker. In the middle of their critically panned tour of New York City, Sylvester left the Cockettes, and decided to focus entirely on a solo career.
On his own, Sylvester performed in San Francisco as a solo act. One of his most famed shows, entitled Jungle Sin, reprised Sylvester’s greatest Cockettes solo songs, and took place at the San Francisco supper club, Bimbo’s. The shows were produced by the rock impresario David Ferguson. In 1972, Sylvester performed at The Temple in San Francisco with the then-unknown Pointer Sisters, who were also produced by Ferguson. A decade after Stonewall, Sylvester was visible, defiant, proud, and unapologetically gay. He was often described by reviewers as a drag queen, although he repeatedly rejected the description.
The Cockettes
Sylvester signed a solo deal with Fantasy Records in 1977, working with the production talents of Motown producer Harvey Fuqua, who produced his first five albums. Sylvester also met his frequent collaborator, Patrick Cowley, whose synthesizer teamed with Sylvester’s voice proved to be a magical combination, and pushed Sylvester’s sound in an increasingly dance-oriented direction. Sylvester’s second solo album, “Step II” (1978), unleashed two disco classics: “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” and “Dance (Disco Heat).” The two songs quickly climbed the American dance chart, and spent six weeks at #1 in August and September of 1978. By that time, both Sylvester’s live shows and recordings featured the backup vocals of Two Tons O’ Fun, comprised of Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes, the future Weather Girls. Later on, Sylvester added the voice of Jeanie Tracy, who stayed and sang with him after Wash and Rhodes left to go on their own. The year 1979 brought three Billboard Awards, and an appearance in the Bette Midler movie, “The Rose.” Sylvester performed “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” live for The Castro Street Fair, thanks to openly gay San Francisco Supervisor, Harvey Milk.
DETROIT (AP) — Singer, songwriter and record producer Harvey Fuqua, an early mentor of Marvin Gaye, has died. Fuqua was 80.
Ron Brewington of the Motown Alumni Association says Fuqua died of a heart attack Tuesday at a Detroit hospital.
The Louisville, Ky., native founded the R&B-doo-wop group the Moonglows, which signed with DJ Alan Freed. The group's first single was the 1954 hit "Sincerely."
Fuqua added Gaye and others in 1958 to a reconstituted group Fuqua called Harvey and the Moonglows. It had the 1958 hit "Ten Commandments of Love."
He started Tri-Phi and Harvey Records in 1961, recording the Spinners, Junior Walker & the All Stars, and Shorty Long.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy later hired Fuqua to develop recording talent.
Moving to Megatone Records in 1982, Sylvester quickly recorded a classic with “Do Ya Wanna Funk,” which was featured in the 1983 film, “Trading Places.” Sylvester became very close to Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash, and recorded background vocals for LaBelle’s dance hit, “Lucky Tonight.” His record label saw greater popularity for Sylvester’s stunning vocal skills, and pressured him to “butch up” his image. Defiantly, he attended meetings with executives in full-on drag. A drag photo shoot, which he staged and presented to label heads as a gag (calling it his “new album cover”), would later grace the cover of “Immortal” after Sylvester died. It was the label’s way of paying tribute to his indomitable spirit.
In 1985, one of Sylvester’s dreams came true when he was asked to sing backup for Aretha Franklin on her “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” comeback album. His sole Warner Bros. Records disc was “Mutual Attraction” in 1986. The title track from the album “Someone Like You” became Sylvester’s third #1 hit on the dance chart, and featured original cover art by artist Keith Haring.
Sylvester’s partner, Rick Cranmer, became aware that he was infected with HIV in 1986. With no known medical cure, his health deteriorated rapidly, and he died in September of 1987, leaving Sylvester devastated. Although recognizing that he too was probably infected, Sylvester refused to have his blood tested, only noticing the virus’ first symptoms when he developed a persistent cough. Beginning work on an album that would remain unfinished, he moved into a new apartment on Collingwood Street in San Francisco’s Castro District, and tried his best to continue performing, even though he became too sick to undertake a full tour. Hospitalized for sinus surgery in late 1987, Sylvester returned to his home and was cared for by his mother and close friend, Jean Tracy. While other friends came to visit him, he would proceed to give away many of his treasured items to his friends, and wrote his will.
Aretha Franklin
Sylvester lost a lot of weight and was unable to walk very far. He was pushed along in a wheelchair at the 1988 Gay Freedom Parade in the Castro, just in front of the People with AIDS contingent. Along Market Street, assembled crowds shouted out his name as he passed. The subsequent 1988 Castro Street Fair was named A Tribute to Sylvester, and although he was too ill to attend, crowds chanted his name to such an extent that he was able to hear them from his bedroom. Sylvester continued to give interviews and took part in AIDS activism, in particular highlighting the impact it was having on the African American community. He stated in an interview, “I don’t believe that AIDS is the wrath of God. People have a tendency to blame everything on God.”
For Thanksgiving 1988, family came over to spend the holiday with Sylvester, who had become increasingly reliant on morphine to ease his pain. Sylvester died in his bed on December 16, 1988, at the age of 41. He had already planned his own funeral, insisting that he be dressed in a red kimono and placed in an open-top coffin, with his friend, Yvette Flunder, doing his makeup. Sylvester also wanted Jean Tracy to sing at his services, accompanied by choirs and many flowers. The whole affair took place in his church, the Love Center, with a sermon provided by Reverend Walter Hawkins. The event was packed, with standing room only, and Sylvester was buried at his family plot in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
1978 San Francisco Gay Day Parade photograph: Spectators and marchers with drums and dancing, man with cape on roller skates - shot 2
Publisher:
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society -
Creator:
Ueda, Marie
Overview
The San Francisco pride parade grew out of decades of work to mobilize for LGBT rights. In the 1950s, people throughout the country hid their LGBT identities for fear of being fired from jobs, disowned by their families, or arrested. While early "homophile" organizations advocated for gay and lesbian rights, they did so quietly.
In the 1960s, the advances of the black civil rights movement encouraged racial minorities, women, and LGBT people to create more visible, powerful movements for equality. On June 28, 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn--an LGBT bar in New York City--rioted for several days following a police raid. Homophile organizers in New York seized on this activity by planning nationally coordinated parades to commemorate the riot and advance a more visible LGBT rights movement.
Influenced by the women's movement maxim that “the personal is political,” LGBT activists increasingly argued that “coming out of the closet” by publicly declaring one’s sexual or gender identity was an important political act. Pride parades, in which participants took to the streets as a politicized LGBT community, were visual representations of this new political consciousness. Many cities in California and across the nation organized their own parades. For example...
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People march during the Pride Parade in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, June 25, 2017. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle 2017
In his will, Sylvester had declared that royalties from the future sale of his music be contributed to two HIV/AIDS charities, Project Open Hand, and the AIDS Emergency Fund. In 2005, Sylvester was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, and a biography, “The Fabulous Sylvester,” was published. In 2011, the TV series “Unsung” aired an episode on Sylvester, and three years later, the much-anticipated off-Broadway musical, “Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical,” opened at the Theatre at St. Clements. With Anthony Wayne center stage as Sylvester, the production was performed again at the Gramercy Theatre in May 2017.
We remember Sylvester in appreciation for his indomitable spirit, his supreme artistry, his advocacy for those fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis, and his many contributions to our community.
Patrick Cowley - Invasion ( Laurens Mix )
Patrick Cowley - Invasion ( Laurens Mix )
Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19th, 1950 – November 12th, 1982) was an American disco and Hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist. Besides Giorgio Moroder, he often is credited as a pioneer of electronic dance music. Patrick Cowley was born October 19, 1950 in Buffalo, New York to Ellen and Kenneth Cowley. The family originated in the Horseheads and Corning areas of New York and lived in Rochester, New York. During his teenage years, Cowley became a successful drummer with local amateur bands before attending Niagara University and later the University at Buffalo to study English. In 1971, at the age of 21, Cowley moved to San Francisco to attend the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) where he studied music, specifically the use of synthesizers.
Buffalo, New York
Cowley met San Francisco-based musician Sylvester in 1978. Sylvester had asked Cowley to join his studio band after hearing some of his early synthesizer recordings. He played synthesizer on Sylvester's 1978 album Step II which included the hits "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real" and Dance (Disco Heat)". In addition he wrote "Stars" and "I Need Somebody to Love Tonight" from his 1979 album Stars. Cowley also joined Sylvester's live band and joined him on several world tours. Cowley's own hits included "Menergy" in 1981, a frank celebration of the gay club scene, and "Megatron Man", which hit #1 and #2 respectively on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1981. That same year, Patrick Cowley was celebrated at the Menergy parties at The EndUp in San Francisco. He also wrote and produced the dance single "Right on Target" for San Francisco artist Paul Parker, which reached #1 on the Billboard dance chart in 1982. "Do Ya Wanna Funk", a collaboration with Sylvester, made #4 on the Billboard dance chart that same year. Cowley also did a 15'45" long remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", which is now a collector's item. Mind Warp, his final album, was composed as he felt the increasing effects of HIV infection, and its songs reflect his increasing detachment from conventional reality as the disease progressed.
The EndUp in San Francisco - Opened in 1973, the club is located at 6th Street and Harrison in the South of Market District. Known for its status as an afterhours club, the venue has hosted a variety of benefits and events during its time as part of San Francisco's nightlife community.
During a world tour with Sylvester in late 1981, Cowley complained of feeling increasingly unwell. Upon returning to the United States, he visited a doctor who diagnosed food poisoning. Weeks later, with his condition only worsening, doctors again failed to identify what was wrong with him. At this early stage in the history of the HIV and AIDS, misdiagnosis was common and so Cowley, who was gay, was discharged from the hospital (in 1982) after doctors could do nothing more for him. Cowley died at his home in the Castro District neighbourhood in San Francisco on November 12, 1982. He was 32 years old, an early victim of AIDS. A couple of tracks were completed for a planned Sarah Dash album that year, which was cut short by Cowley's death.
Sarah Dash (born August 18th, 1945) is an American singer and actress. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash has worked as a singer, songwriter, session musician, and sideman for bands that include LaBelle, The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards.
Sarah Dash
Despite remaining largely unknown, Cowley is regarded as a pioneer of early electronic music and the creator of hi-NRG, an uptempo strain of disco. His influence as a producer was cited by New Romantic acts such as Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Cowley has been described as "a musical pioneer whose achievements rippled throughout queer culture and beyond into the disco mainstream". Since the 2010s, Cowley's profile has risen as "listeners and scholars excavate disco's intersection with gay liberation. Amid the accompanying emergence of nu-disco in the late 2000s and early 2010s, profiles of Cowley in Gawker and other high-profile outlets have contributed to a resurgence of interest in his work. 2009 saw the release of Catholic, a compilation of post-punk flavored collaborations with writer/singer Jorge Socarras from 1976 to 1979.
Shalamar - A Night To Remember (M&M Remix)
Shalamar - A Night To Remember (Video Remix) (M&M Remix L-Edit)
By Nick Castro
Shalamar were one of the top soul groups of the late 70 and early 80's and are probably most famous for being the launching pad of singer Jody Watley. The group was created by Soul Train talent buyer, Dick Griffey, who had a vision for a band and actually originally formed them with session musicians before hiring Watley, Jeffery Daniels and Gerald Brown. Even the Soul Train host, Don Cornelius, helped to promote and sculpt the group, when he saw their potential as dancers. They began to get styled in the latest fashions and were soon seen as fashion forward innovators. The first hit for Shalamar was the song, "Uptown Festival", which was actually recorded without Watley, Daniels or Howard Hewett, who would later replace Brown. Shalamar was aiming to capitalize on the new disco dance craze and released the album Uptown Festival (1977 - Soul Train) to commercial acclaim. Many soul fans would criticize the band because the song, "Uptown Festival" was a medley of old Motown songs, performed on top of a repetitive disco beat. Although the record was considered a great party record for its time, it can now sound rather dated and therefore does not receive as much attention as subsequent Shalamar efforts. The album did go to number 22 on the r&b charts and number 48 on the national charts.
Actor Sinqua Walls (left) plays "Soul Train" host and executive producer Don Cornelius (right, in 1973) in the new BET series "American Soul."Jace Downs/BET; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The second record by Shalamar, Disco Gardens (1978 - RCA) more than made up for the shallowness of their previous effort in the eyes of the music critics. They released the single, "Take That to the Bank", in support of the album and the single went up to number 11 on the r&b charts. Meanwhile, Disco Gardens had a fresh sound and was turning many heads in their direction. This was the last record recorded with Brown as a vocalist. Although the album did well for the band, once Hewett arrived on the scene the band would be catapulted into stardom. Soon, Shalamar began to work with producer Leon Sylvers III, of the group The Sylvers and who was also known for his work with The Whispers and The Brothers Johnson. Sylvers would hone the band's sound into a hit making machine that began with the single "Second Time Around", from their third album, Big Fun (1979 - Solar). The single went to number 1 on the r&b charts and to number 8 on the national charts. By this time Hewett had joined the group and was quickly dominating the attention for his suave demeanor and smooth voice. The band also began to cultivate a large following in the UK during this time, which culminated with an appearance on the Top of the Pops show. Amongst fans of Shalamar's music, this album is often cited as the highlight of their career.
Shalamar - Full of Fire (Official Music Video)
Shalamar - Full of Fire (Official Music Video)
"Full Of Fire"
You came into my life
When I was lost and all alone
With no one to call my own
You made me feel alive again
I've been in love before
And you're more than just a friend
I never thought that I would love again
But my heart is burnin' for you
Your love is full of fire
Burnin', only you I desire
Your love is full of fire
Can't stop this raging fire, hot
Filled with so much love
And lots of understanding
Oh, this passion is everlasting
Without you there could be no me
The warmth of your embrace
It really set my soul aflame
Girl, we're passed the point of playin' games
It's just a spark that will burn forever
Your love is full of fire, got me burnin'
Burnin', only you I desire
Your love is full of fire
Can't stop this raging fire
You got me wanting, got me wanting
Got me wanting you, baby
You got me wanting, got me wanting you, forever
You got me wanting, got me wanting
Got me wanting you, baby
You got me wanting, you got me, got me
Got me full of fire
Got me full of fire
Got me full of fire
Got me full of fire
Baby, your love is full of fire
My love is burnin', burnin'
Burnin' only you I desire
Your love is full of fire
You know I can't stop
Can't stop this raging fire
Your love is what it takes
To make me forget past mistakes
If I had known that you'd be comin' my way
You would have spared me so much heartache
Girl, I'm glad you realize
That from now until the end of time
I'm gonna claim you to be mine
We got a love that lasts forever, you and I together, baby
Your love is full of fire, got me burnin'
Burnin', only you I desire
Your love is full of fire
Can't stop this raging fire
You got me wanting, got me wanting
Got me wanting you, baby
You got me wanting, got me wanting you, forever
You got me wanting, got me wanting
Got me wanting you, baby
You got me wanting, got me
Got me burnin' with desire, full of fire
Boy, you're full of fire, fire
Got me, temperature is higher, full of fire
Can't stop this raging fire
Your love is full of fire, got me burnin'
Burnin', only you I desire
Your love is full of fire
I can't stop
No need in denyin'
Ain't no way of hidin'
Your love, your love
Burnin' with desire
Love is full of fire
Our love, our love
Your love is full of fire
Burnin'
Your love is full of fire
Can't stop
Got me full of fire
Got me full of fire
Your love is full of fire
Burnin'
Your love is full of fire
Can't stop
By 1981, Shalamar were international stars and were now becoming famous for their body popping dance, which they demonstrated on television in England, solidifying their place there as taste makers and trend setters. Their first album of the year was Three for Love (1981 - Solar). the album was a big success for the band, reaching the top ten on the r&b charts. Sylvers III was still in control and was bringing many funk elements into the music. They released the singles, "Full of Fire" and "Make that Move", both of which did pretty well on the r&b circuit. Alongside Big Fun, this is often considered one of their strongest records made. Before the year was out, they released the album, Go For It (1981 - Solar) to further critical acclaim, but although the album did very well, reaching number 18, was not the top ten success of their previous efforts. The band would begin to suffer from interpersonal conflicts and artistic differences and soon Watley and Daniels would leave the group, but not before releasing the album, Friends (1982 - Solar). Friends was a number one hit on the r&b charts for the band and they had a huge hit with the song, "A Night to Remember", which featured a popular video on television, which featured Daniel and Hewett in competition over Watley. The band had adapted to the changing styles of soul music and were now pioneering the new slick new wave styled funk which was taking over after disco died out. Sylvers III was able to guide the band through several hit records and Friends serves as further proof of that.
Waltey and Daniel's final album for Solar and Shalamar was The Look (1983 - Solar). by this time the band very much performing material in the vein of the burgeoning new wave scene. the album did well but Shalamar were beginning to lose many of their soul fans who felt that they were straying too far from their r&b leanings of previous efforts. The record label struggled to find a new lineup to replace Watley and Hewett bt found Delisa Davis and Micki Free to occupy the empty seats. Shalamar would go on the find continued success with the song "Dancing in the Sheets", which was featured in the film Footloose. They released the album Heartbreak (1984 - Solar) with the new lineup, which seemed to not suffer from the loss of two of their core members. Hewett's charisma was able to carry the band, along with the supporting members and they did well with their latest release. The band continued to delve into rock and new wave territories. the album went to number 32 on the r&b charts. It would also be the last to feature Hewett on vocals, who left to pursue his solo career.
The band tried to continue for a while without any of the original members, but the fans seemed to be dissapointed with their latest efforts and they were failing to garner new fans in the face of changing musical tastes in the country. Watley went on to have a very successful solo career for herself. Shalamar had a brief reunion in 2005, in the UK, where they had at least half of their overall success. Shalamar is largely forgotten by many of today's younger soul fans, but they are forever etched in the minds of those who were there.
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good (Dj ''S'' Rework) (Video By Vj Partyman Croatia)
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good (Dj ''S'' Remix) (Video By Vj Partyman Croatia)
Change - Lets Go Together (12" Nuovi Fratelli Dance Mix)
Change - Lets Go Together (12" Nuovi Fratelli Dance Mix)
Lovin' you is like rhythm is to music
Suddenly you can't let go
Never lose a beat, your heart and use it
Suddenly you should know
You're like melody is to sound
We're dancing above the ground
You're really the best in town
We gotta keep movin'
Oooh, oooh, out of the night time
Oooh, oooh, having a good time
Oooh, oooh, look at your love shine
Oooh, oooh, you're gonna be my
Sweet love together
It's a one in a million chance, it came along
(Deep loving together)
I feel a wonderful feeling coming on so strong
Time for movin'
To a life, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Alright, let's go together
Loving you like finding out a secret
Suddenly you should know
Never lose this feeling, you gotta keep it
Baby, you can't let go
You're like moving along before
Keep giving me more and more
Come on and show me how
You gotta keep moving
Oooh, oooh, out of the night time
Oooh, oooh, having a good time
Oooh, oooh, look at your love shine
Oooh, oooh, you're gonna be my
Sweet love together
It's a one in a million chance, it came along
(Deep loving together)
I feel a wonderful feeling coming on so strong
Time for movin'
To a life, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Alright, let's go together
Sweet love together
It's a one in a million chance, it came along
(Deep loving together)
I feel a wonderful feeling coming on so strong
Time for movin'
So alright, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Alright, let's go together
Sweet love together
It's a one in a million chance, it came along
(Deep loving together)
I feel a wonderful feeling coming on so strong
Time for movin'
So alright, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Alright, let's go together
Together
Together
So alright, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Alright, let's go together
So alright, let's go dancin' the way you know
All night with you, lovin' the way you move
All night with you, all that I wanna do
Change is an Italian-American post-disco group formed in Bologna, Italy in 1979 by businessman and executive producer Jacques Fred Petrus (1949-1987) and Mauro Malavasi (born 1957). They were heavily influenced by the disco band Chic. The current incarnation of the group reformed in 2018. Change was initially formed in early 1979 as a studio-band with a revolving cast of musicians, led by businessman and executive producer Jacques Fred Petrus, with the majority of song-writing and production carried out by Mauro Malavasi and Davide Romani. The band's dual Italian and American identity was a result of a production system in which the music, excepting the vocals, were written and recorded by Italian collaborators in studios such as Fonoprint Studios, Bologna, Italy. The backing tracks were then taken to the USA where vocals were added by American performers, before being mixed into finalised versions in major studios such as the Power Station in New York City.
Tanya Michelle Smith. Photo source: Youtube
After the release of The Glow of Love and Miracles, Petrus sought to give the group more of an image and put together a group for promotion and live performances. This second line up was relatively stable and contributed to the group's subsequent four albums. Since their final album, there has been tours and shows featuring a revolving number of musicians and singers carrying on the Change name. The discography of Change includes eight studio albums, nine compilations and twenty-five singles.
Luther Vandross
Chic
The band's debut album, The Glow of Love, was released on Ray Caviano's label, Warner/RFC Records in 1980. It was composed by a small team of writers made up of Romani, Malavasi, Paolo Gianolio (lead guitarist), Tanyayette Willoughby, Paul Slade and Wayne Garfield. The first single was the million seller "A Lover's Holiday" featuring the ad lib stylings of Zachary Sanders, known then for his work on Schoolhouse Rock. The follow-up hits from the album, "Searching" and the title song, feature lead vocals by Luther Vandross who had yet to come to prominence. The three songs combined set the all-time record, spending nine (9) weeks at #1 on Billboard's Club Play Singles Chart, enough to make it the #1 Disco recording of the year and a strong seller in the U.S. It also made the Pop Top 40 that summer. The success of "Searching" and "The Glow of Love" exposed Luther's voice to mainstream and eventually led to a successful solo career soon afterward. At the time The Glow of Love was released, the group also drew comparisons to another Disco act at the time, Chic, who not only were Change's label mates at Atlantic Records, but also shared the backing vocalists as well.
During the recording and touring of their fourth album, This is Your Time (1983) Change's relatively stable line-up of performers, writers and producers as well as their commercial success faltered. The album failed to chart a major hit, with the title track flopping in comparison to previous lead singles. After the album's release Rick Brennan stepped into the place of Robinson who left to pursue a solo career, while producers Davide Romani and Mauro Malavasi departed for other projects. At the same time of these important departures, Change was bolstered by the contributions of bassist and songwriter Timmy Allen and returning vocalist Deborah Cooper now promoted to lead, both of whom remained in the band until its demise. After Change, Cooper worked with the C+C Music Factory in the 1990s. The failure of the 1983 album left future of Change in jeopardy. Petrus wisely hired recently sacked Time members Jimmy Jam amd Terry Lewis to write and produce what would become Change Of Heart in 1984.
The album did well internationally, returning the group to the charts in Europe and the USA. The title track became Change's first top ten R&B hit in three years. Unlike former Change albums which had a large number of songwriters, Change of Heart was written by just three writers, four tracks were by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' partnership while the remaining four were the work of Timmy Allen. Nevertheless, Allen was given the opportunity by Petrus to write and produce the majority of what became Change's final album in 1985, Turn on Your Radio. This album bore little of the polished dance and R&B sound that the group had always emphasised, and was less successful even than This Is Your Time, though Europe remained receptive to the group. The band's final US hit "Let's Go Together" was notable as it was co-written by Petrus with returning collaborators Davide Romani and Paul Slade. Turn on Your Radio was the band's commercial low point, but had not been intended as the act's final release. The formal end came after the death of Petrus in 1987.
Jacques Fred Petrus
Mauro Malavasi
Jacques Fred Petrus is one of the greatest and maybe also one of the more ruthless business forces in the late 70s and early 80s dance music. From just being an ordinary record collector at first he became a self learned and skillful executive producer with an own musical empire under his sleeve that he maneuvered in a very clever, firm and determent way from 1978 to 1987. For this achievement and the amazing music that came out from his Goody music/Little macho production companies he has to be admired. Petrus had also an impressive hit feeling mixed with fundamental knowledge about trends in dance music, a knowledge that he had earned during his many years as a DJ and record dealer in the 70s. All this combined spiced up with good timing and a bit of luck made it possible for him to achieve a great amount of musical and commercial worldwide recognition and success. Petrus was also a highly controversial person that from time to time showed a very dark and grim side as a part of his mysterious double nature. His way of handling things, especially during the last years of life even made people hate him and see nothing else than evil in his mind.
Even though Petrus was the main figure of Goody music/Little macho it's very important to understand that Petrus was not a one-man-circus. With just a few exceptions he never composed, arranged or produced the music himself at all, even though he wrongly did take credits for that on the albums. He did however set up the musical guidelines for the music and had always the ability to approve or disapprove what he heard. In that respect Petrus was the creator of the music, but hardly more than that. It was his close Italian co-workers of Mauro Malavasi, Davide Romani, Paolo Gianolio and a few others that took care of that process and were the real forces behind the musical achievements. Without them and the highly talented and regarded hired personnel of musicians, vocalists and lyric writers together with skillful and accomplished studio personnel he would just have been a man with a great hit feeling but just with big dreams!
![The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra (Finest Rework S. Nolla Edit) [1982 HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/p8lAxFBU2JU/sddefault.jpg)
The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra (Finest Rework S. Nolla Edit) [1982 HQ]
The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra (Finest Rework S. Nolla Edit) [1982 HQ]
Steve Miller Band, San Francisco, CA, 1968 - "Victor Moscoso designed the cover, and I made the images for Steve Miller's first album Children of the Future. This picture was used with others that were sandwiched together so the band would appear animated when red and blue or green blinking lights illuminated the picture. This album was a unique and important '60s design, memorable!" -- Elaine Mayes
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band’s contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, and more. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Image Above - Alan Livingston with the Beatles - In late 1963, Alan Livingston, then president of Capitol Records, took a phone call from an irate artist manager. It may have been the best investment of time in the history of the music business. The call was from the manager of a group that had been storming the UK charts, but had been turned down repeatedly by Capitol (which had right of first refusal on their recordings in the United States).
"I am the personal manager of the Beatles and I don't understand why you won't release them," Brian Epstein is purported to have argued. "Well, frankly, Mr. Epstein, I haven't heard them," Livingston is said to have replied. Livingston took a listen, overruled his A&R executive and signed the band. He even approved a $40,000 promotional campaign for the group's debut Capitol single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand." That was a lot of money in those days, but it was probably recouped by the time the Fab Four set foot on U.S. soil.
Livingston had joined Capitol as a writer/producer in 1946, four years after the label was founded. He started a children's music division, which targeted the first wave of baby boomers. Livingston came up with the idea of "record readers," a book-and-album combination, which has since become a children's industry staple. Livingston also created the Bozo the Clown character, and created a best-seller for Hopalong Cassidy. The headline on a Saturday Evening Post profile of Livingston was apt: "He Tickles The Tykes."
In 1953 the Capitol brass wondered what Livingston could do with adult music and appointed him vice president of creative operations. Livingston signed Frank Sinatra and paired him with Nelson Riddle, who arranged such hits as "I've Got The World On A String" and "Young At Heart." The hits pointed Sinatra in a new direction, which brought him to his creative peak.
Livingston, who was the younger brother of Oscar-winning songwriter Jay Livingston, left Capitol in 1956 for a five-year stint at NBC. As vice president in charge of programming, he helped launch the top-rated "Bonanza."
Livingston returned to Capitol in 1961. Over the course of the next eight years, he helped the label become a force in rock with the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, and the Band.
In 1969 he left the label to form Mediarts Records with former Capitol producer Nik Venet. The label's chief discovery was Don McLean. Livingston sold the label to United Artists in 1971, shortly before the release of McLean's second album, American Pie. In 1976 Livingston joined Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp where he oversaw the record and publishing divisions. He died in 2009 at age 91.
(Paul Grein writes the Chart Watch blog for Yahoo Music. In 1992, he wrote a book commemorating Capitol Records' 50th anniversary.)
Chuck Berry
In 1965, after moving to Chicago to play the blues, Steve Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg founded the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band along with bassist Roy Ruby, rhythm guitarist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Maurice McKinley. The band contracted to Epic Records and recorded a single, "The Mother Song", which they performed on Hullabaloo, before Miller left the group to go to San Francisco. Miller then formed The Steve Miller Blues Band. Harvey Kornspan, managing partner, wrote and negotiated the band's contract ($860,000 over five years as well as $25,000 of promotion money that was to be spent at the band's discretion) with Capitol/EMI Records then-president Alan Livingston in 1967. Shortly after, the band's name was shortened to The Steve Miller Band in order to broaden its appeal. The band, consisting of Miller, guitarist James Cooke, bassist Lonnie Turner, drummer Tin Davis (who replaced the departing Lance Haas on drums) and Jim Peterman on Hammond B3 organ, backed Chuck Berry at a gig at the Fillmore West that was released as the live album, Live at Fillmore Auditorium. Guitarist Boz Scaggs joined the band soon after and the group performed at the Magic Mountain Festival (festival was held June 10/11, 1967) and the following week at the Monterey Pop Festival (festival was held June 16/17/18, 1967).
Classic-rock group Steve Miller Band is set to take its 2016 North American summer tour to the Don Haskins Center on the University of Texas at El Paso campus on July 29, officials announced Monday.
In February 1968, while in England, the band recorded their debut album, Children of the Future, at Olympic studios with Glyn Johns as engineer/producer. The album did not score among the Top 100 album chart. The second album Sailor appeared in October 1968 and climbed the Billboard chart to No. 24. Successes included the single "Living in the USA."Brave New World" (No. 22, 1969) featured the songs "Space Cowboy" and "My Dark Hour". Paul McCartney, credited as "Paul Ramon", played drums, bass and sang backing vocals on "My Dark Hour". This was followed by Your Saving Grace (No. 38, 1969) and Number 5 (No. 23, 1970). In 1971, Miller broke his neck in a car accident. Capitol Records released the album Rock Live, featuring unreleased live performances and studio material. This is one of two Steve Miller Band albums not to be released on CD, the other being Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden. In 1972, the double album compilation Anthology was released, containing 16 songs from the band's first six of seven albums.
The style and personnel of the band changed radically with The Joker (No. 1, 1973), concentrating on straightforward rock and leaving the psychedelic blues side of the band behind. The title track "The Joker", became a No. 1 single and was certified platinum, reaching over one million sales. It was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on January 11, 1974. Three years later, the band returned with the album Fly Like an Eagle, which charted at No. 3. Three singles were released from the album: "Take the Money and Run" )No. 11), "Fly Like an Eagle" (No. 2) and their second No. 1 success, "Rock'n Me". Miller credits the guitar introduction to "Rock'n Me" as a tribute to the Free song, "All Right Now".
Steve Miller Band 03 Daybreak
Steve Miller Band 03 Daybreak
Book of Dreams (No. 2, 1977) also included three successes: "Jet Airliner" (No. 8), "Jungle Love" (No. 23) (later becoming the song played over the opening credits of the 8th season of the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond), and "Swingtown" (No. 17). 1982's Abracadabra album gave Steve Miller his third No. 1 success with the title track. Miller's hit pushed Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" out of the No. 1 spot, just as his "Rock'n Me" had knocked Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" out of the No. 1 spot in 1976. Released in 1978, The Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974–78 has sold over 13 million copies. Bingo!, an album of blues and R&B covers, was released on June 15th, 2010. Let Your Hair Down, a companion release to Bingo!, was released 10 months later, on April 18, 2011.
Everybody Loves Raymond
The show is centered on the life of an Italian-American everyman named Raymond Barone, a sportswriter for Newsday living with his family on Long Island. Beleaguered, diffident and dryly sarcastic, Raymond takes few things seriously, making jokes in nearly every situation, no matter how troubling or serious. He often avoids responsibilities around the house and with his kids, leaving this to his wife, Debra. Raymond and Debra have a daughter Ally (Alexandra) and twin sons Michael and Geoffrey (originally Matthew and Gregory in the pilot). The Barone children are regular characters but not a major focus. Raymond's parents, Marie and Frank, live across the street with older son Robert (who, later in the series, has his own apartment). All Barone relatives frequently make their presence known to the annoyance of Raymond and Debra; Debra's justifiable complaints about Raymond's overbearing family serve as one of the show's comedic elements. Out of the three unwanted visitors, Debra is particularly intimidated by Marie, an insulting, controlling, manipulative (though ultimately caring) woman who criticizes Debra passive-aggressively and praises Ray, clearly favoring him over other son "Robbie," whose birth necessitated her marriage (a fact revealed in the episode "Good Girls").
Raymond typically falls in the middle of family arguments, incapable of taking any decisive stand, especially if it might invoke his mother's disapproval. Robert, a miserable gentle giant, jealous of his younger sibling's position as favorite son and also of the success his brother has achieved both professionally and personally, is Ray's biggest rival. Robert and Raymond frequently argue like overgrown children, focusing much of their energy on picking on or one upping each other, although deep down they love each other dearly.
Frank Barone is a fiery retiree prone to directing insults and merciless put-downs at any and all targets. Largely an absentee father when the boys were growing up, Frank buries his feelings and rarely yields to sentiment. As the series progresses, however, several episodes demonstrate that the senior Barone loves his family immensely. Unlike everyone else, Frank has no problem comically criticizing Marie and often comes to Debra's defense whenever Marie comments disparagingly about their daughter-in-law. Raymond and Debra's marriage is fraught with conflicts. Raymond prefers sports television over discussions with Debra on marital matters. Like his father, Raymond works full-time, leaving most child-rearing responsibilities to his wife; and he is often forced to help around the house. One of the show's recurring elements finds the couple having a long discussion in bed each night before going to sleep.
Artwork of the Steve Miller Band was produced live at the 1998 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Painting by Frenchy.
Founding member Tim Davis died from complications due to diabetes on September 20th, 1988, at the age of 44. Long-time band member Norton Buffalo died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009. John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout with kidney cancer on October 26, 2010. James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011. Blues guitarist Jacob Peterson officially joined the band before the Spring 2011 tour. Following Petersen joining the band, longtime guitarist Kenny Lee Lewis switched instruments to become the band's full-time bassist. In 2014, Steve Miller Band toured with fellow San Francisco rock band Journey.
Current Members
Steve Miller - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards (1966–present)
Kenny Lee Lewis – guitar, bass, backing vocals (1982–1987, 1993–present)
Gordy Knudtson – drums (1987–present)
Joseph Wooten – keyboards, backing vocals (1993–present)
Jacob Peterson – guitar (2011–present)