- Dazz Band
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The Dazz Band is an American funk music band that was most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include the Grammy Award-winning "Let It Whip" (1982), "Joystick" (1983), and "Let It All Blow" (1984). The name of the band is a portmanteau of the description "danceable jazz".
Contents
History
The Dazz Band, formed in 1976, grew out of the Cleveland, Ohio, jazz fusion band Bell Telefunk, composed of Bobby Harris (founder)lead guitarist/songwriter Mike Calhoun, percussionist Kenny Pettus, drummer Isaac "Ike" Wiley, Jr., and his brother bassist Michael Wiley, and the band Mother BraintreeThe group became known as Kinsman Dazz, named after both the street and the lounge where they worked as the house band: Sonny Jones' Kinsman Grill Lounge. The group adopted its name before the song "Dazz" became an R&B hit for Atlanta's Brick in 1976.
Kinsman Dazz was signed to 20th Century Records by Joe Lewis in 1978. The group went to Los Angeles to record for producer Marvin Gaye. Owing to illness, Gaye had to back out of the duties. Harris requested and got Philip Bailey, the vocalist of Earth, Wind & Fire, to produce the group's first album, Kinsman Dazz. Bailey would co-produce the second album, Dazz, and had a major input into the group's vocal arrangements. They released their first single, "I Might as Well Forget About Loving You", in late 1978. "Catchin' Up on You" followed in 1979.
The Kinsman Dazz became the Dazz Band in 1980. Separately, the 20th Century Records label was closed, and the Dazz Band was signed to Motown Records. The group expanded from the original quintet — Harris, Pettus, and the Wiley brothers — with newcomers Kevin Kendrick, Steve Cox, Eric Fearman, Pierre DeMudd, Sennie "Skip" Martin,They had their first hit with "Shake It Up" in 1980.
Dazz's first album for Motown was Invitation to Love (1980), a self-produced set, whose title track, the ballad "Invitation to Love", began a string of hits for the band starting in March 1981. The group's next album, Let The Music Play (1981), featured the minor hit single "Knock! Knock!", reaching the Top 50. The group's biggest breakthrough came with the album Keep It Live (1982), containing the hit "Let It Whip" — which reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. They would go on to score R&B hits with the songs "Party Right Here" (1983), "Joystick" (1984), and "Let It All Blow" (which was also their biggest UK hit single, peaking at #12) (1984).[1]
After Keep It Live, the band recorded the albums On the One, Joystick, Jukebox and Hot Spot, all for Motown. The band was known for its live performances, often proving more popular than the headlining act. In 1985, Fearman left the group and were replaced by Marlon McClain and Keith Harrison. In 1986, Dazz Band recorded Wild & Free for Geffen Records, and moved to RCA Records.
1990s revival
The popularity of classic funk/R&B/soul acts performing in the US and abroad started to expand in the mid-1990s on events like the awarded Sinbad's Summer Jam: '70s Soul Music Festival. Bobby Harris decided to form a tribute band with members from the Bar-Kays, Con Funk Shun, the Gap Band and the SOS Band, called the United We Funk All-Stars. A studio album followed, including a tribute to the late Roger Troutman, who performs on the album as well. Other artists from the genre who contributed to the album were the late Rick James and The System. The concept was a great success, and was captured on a live CD, presented and promoted by radio jockey Tom Joyner, who made the announcements on the UWF-All Stars shows.
Members
Current members
- Bobby Harris - saxophone, clarinet, background vocals
- Sennie Skip Martin - trumpet, vocals
- Marlon McClain - vocals and guitar
Past members
- Jerry Bell (lead singer, background vocals)
- Juan Lively
- Michael Calhoun
- Steve Cox - keyboards
- Pierre DeMudd - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Eric Fearman - lead guitar, songwriter
- Keith Harrison - keyboards
- Kenny Pettus - percussion, vocals
- Terry Stanton - lead vocals (deceased)
- Michael Wiley - bass (deceased)
- Isaac Wiley, Jr. - drums, percussion, background vocals
Fredrick Monk - vocals ( Japan)
Discography
Albums
Year Title Peak chart positions Label US 200 US R&B 1980 Invitation to Love - - Motown 1981 Let the Music Play 154 36 Motown 1982 Keep It Live 14 1 Motown 1983 Joystick 73 12 Motown 1982 On the One 59 12 Motown 1984 Jukebox 84 18 Motown 1984 Greatest Hits - - Motown 1985 Hot Spot 114 24 Motown 1986 Wild & Free 178 37 Geffen 1988 Rock the Room - 91 RCA 1996 Under the Streetlights - 42 LKY 1997 Double Exposure - - Intersound 1998 Here We Go Again - 99 Intersound 2001 Time Traveler - - Eagle Music Group Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album US Hot 100 US R&B US Dance 1980 "Shake It Up" - 65 75 Invitation to Love 1981 "Invitation to Love" 109 51 - Invitation to Love 1981 "Knock Knock" - 44 - Let the Music Play 1982 "Let It Whip" 5 1 2 Keep It Live 1982 "Keep It Live (On the K.I.L)" - 20 - Keep It Live 1983 "On The One For Fun" - 9 52 On the One 1983 "Cheek To Cheek" - 76 - On the One 1983 "Party Right Here" - 63 - On the One 1983 "Joystick" 61 9 - Joystick 1984 "Swoop (I'm Yours)" - 12 - Joystick 1984 "Let It all Blow" 84 9 3 Jukebox 1985 "Heartbeat" 110 12 - Jukebox 1985 "Hot Spot" - 21 33 Hot Spot 1986 "L.O.V.E. M.I.A." - 48 - Wild & Free 1986 "Wild and Free" - 44 - Wild & Free 1988 "Anticipation" - 38 - Rock the Room 1988 "Single Girls" - 19 38 Rock the Room 1988 "Open Sesame" - 83 - Rock the Room 1998 "Ain't Nothin' but a Jam Y'all" - 58 - 1998 "Girl Got Body" - 81 - Here We Go Again References
- Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books, pp. 243–245. ISBN 0879306297
External links
Categories:- American rhythm and blues musical groups
- American funk musical groups
- American dance music groups
- Motown artists
- Musical groups from Cleveland, Ohio
- Grammy Award winners
- American soul musical groups
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