General Caine

Infobox musical artist
Name = General Caine


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|USA California, USA
Instruments =
Genre = funk, rap, soul, R&B
Formed = mid 70's
Years_active = 1978-1988
Label = Groove Time
Tabu
Capitol
Motown
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =Mitch McDowell (rip), bass, percussion & lead vocals / rap
Wayman Ballinger, lead & background vocals
Kevin Goins, lead & background vocals
Rodney Trotter, lead & background vocals
Daryl Haywood, background vocals
Nelson Hardwick Jr., bass vocals
Trey Stone, lead guitar
Robert Palmer, lead guitar
Rick Hendrix, lead guitar
Jim Morrison, keyboards
Tony Patler, keyboards
Brenda Jackson, keyboards
Dave Dobler,keyboards & synthesizers
Craig Owen, drums, background vocals
Alvino Bennett, drums
Gerry Davis, drums
Marion McQuery, trumpet
Jimmy Carter, saxophone

General Kane (known as General Caine before 1986) was a US music group fronted by Mitch McDowell (b. 1954 in San Bernadino, California, USA; d. January 1992). McDowell took the professional name General Kane in tribute to an officer who had supported his artistic ambitions when he was at military school. After leaving that institution, he formed the group Booty People with several future members of War. They released one album for MCA Records. Malcolm assembled an eight-piece funkgroup and signed with Groove Time Records in 1978, releasing two albums: "Let Me In" (1978) and "Get Down Attack" (1980).

The group then moved to Tabu Records. General Caine's third album entitled "Girls" features the hit song "For Lovers Only". The radio station 93.1 FM WZAK in Cleveland ( Ohio ) penned "For Lovers Only" as a theme song for their late night segment with the same title. Their debut single for the Tabu label and the fourth album "Dangerous" with many song writing chores, were done by Johnny Guitar Carson.

After a brief appearance at Capitol Records with one single released called "Where's The Beef ?" (a popular catch phrase at that time), a slimmed down version of the group with new writers and producers signed a recording contract with Motown Records in the mid-1980s. With a slightly new name (from General Caine to General Kane to reflect the changes in the band's lineup) and sound, they debuted for the new Motown Records label with the album "In Full Chill". "Crack Killed Applejack" was an uncompromising reflection of drug addiction on the inner city streets and reached number 12 in the black music charts despite being barred from airplay. Subsequent releases mellowed General Kane's approach without losing their commitment to the basic rap sound of the late 80s. The group's album "Wide Open" did include a romantic ballad, "Close Your Eyes", which featured vocals from two of the group's less prominent members, Cheryl McDowell and Danny Macon. Mitch McDowell was murdered in January 1992. General Kane's catalogue remained in print through the efforts of their former producer, Grover Wimberly III, who runs his own label, Groove Time Records.

External links

* [http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/General%20Caine.html General Caine @ Soulwalking]
* [http://www.carsonsurfnavigator.com/General%20Caine.htm General Caine @ carsonsurfnavigator.com]
* [http://www.johnnyguitarcarson.com/ Johnny Guitar Carson]

They also hit out on Motown with Girl Pulled a Dog. The Girls LP featured performances by P-Funkers Ray Davis and The Brides of Funkenstein.