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Shalamar
Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group active since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic line-up on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, together with dancer Jermaine Stewart. It was originally a disco-driven group created by ''Soul Train'' booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator and producer Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Cornelius. As noted in the ''British Hit Singles & Albums'', they were regarded as fashion icons and trendsetters, and helped to introduce " body-popping" to the United Kingdom. Their name was created by Griffey. Career The first hit credited to Shalamar was " Uptown Festival" (1977), which was recorded at Ike & Tina Turner's studio Bolic Sound in 1976. It was released on Soul Train Records. Its success inspired Griffey and Don Cornelius to replace session singers with popular ''Soul Train'' dancers Jody Watley and Jeffre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and artist,USA Today (February 16, 1996), Best Bets: Albums Jody Watley Greatest Hits, "Few singers fired up the disco like Jody Watley who set trends and standards for fashion and music in the late 80s.." USA Today Life Section whose music crosses genres including pop, R&B, jazz, dance, and electronic soul.Paoletta, Michael (February 22, 2003) "Watley Relaxes In The Setting of The 'Midnight Lounge', Billboard Magazine. During the late 1970s and early 1980s she was a member of the r&b/funk band Shalamar, who scored many hits, notably so in the UK. In 1988, she won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Best New Artist (as a solo artist) and has been nominated for three Grammy awards. In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of ''Vogue Ita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Glen Daniel (born August 24, 1955 ) is an American dancer, singer-songwriter and choreographer, most notable for being a founding member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar. In Nigeria, he is best known as a former ''Idol'' series judge. Career Daniel was born in Los Angeles. During his career he has taught, worked and ranked alongside musicians and dancers such as Shabba Doo, Geron Casper Candidate, Derek Cooley Jackson/Jaxson, Popin' Pete and The Electric Boogaloos. Daniel first performed ''"the backslide"'', a physically complicated dance technique (originally performed by the dance group ''"The Lockers"''), now known as the " moonwalk", on British television during a performance of Shalamar's " A Night to Remember" on ''Top of the Pops''. The song was a hit in 1982, almost a year before Michael Jackson moonwalked on the '' Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' television broadcast; he was a big fan of ''Soul Train'' – on which Jeffrey Daniel had been a back-up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett Jr. (born October 1, 1955) is an American singer–songwriter. Hewett rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the group Shalamar. In 1985, he left the group to pursue his solo career, but he later returned to the group in 2001. He signed with Elektra Records. In 1986, he released his debut solo album '' I Commit to Love''. Hewett and his group Shalamar contributed material to the '' Beverly Hills Cop'' soundtrack. The soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media in 1986. Biography Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles in 1976, where he first met Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley at a club in the LA Crenshaw district. Hewett formed a show group called "Beverly Hills" and toured throughout Europe, the UK, Scandinavia and Asia for all of 1977 till the middle of 1978. After returning from overseas, Hewett started recording for Jeffrey Bowen. In 1978, he got a call from Jeffrey Daniel who was in need of a lead singer and Hewett acce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uptown Festival (song)
"Uptown Festival" is the debut single by the band Shalamar, released on Soul Train Records in 1977. The song is a medley of ten Motown classics sung over a 1970s disco beat. The radio edit, "Uptown Festival (Part 1)", became a hit peaking at No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 10 on the R&B chart and No. 2 on the Dance chart. It also charted internationally. After the success of the single, Dick Griffey, the booking agent for ''Soul Train'', formed a vocal group, resulting in the first incarnation of Shalamar with Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniels and Gary Mumford. Recording and songs The medley "Uptown Festival" was recorded at Ike & Tina Turner's Bolic Sound studio in Inglewood in 1976. It features various session musicians, including Mike Lewis and Laurin Rinder from El Coco, and the Motown musicians, including Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford. List of songs # " Going to a Go-Go" # " I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" # " Uptight (Everything's Alright ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Micki Free
Micki Free (born May 20, 1955) is a guitarist and singer of Native American descent. He won a Grammy Award for his contribution to the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984) movie soundtrack and has won two Native American Music Awards. He is the director of Promotions and Special Events for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, owners of Hard Rock International. Biography Micki Free, a "mixed-blood" Native American, was born in West Texas and moved to Germany soon afterward. He claims Irish, Comanche, and Cherokee descent. His stepfather, a U.S. Army sergeant, was stationed in Germany, and Free was introduced to rock 'n' roll there as a child, when one of his five sisters received tickets to a Jimi Hendrix concert and took him along to the show. "It just blew my mind", Free remembered. His family later moved to Illinois, where Free joined the rock band Smokehouse. When he was 17, he was discovered by Gene Simmons of KISS, during a concert at which Smokehouse was the opening act for KISS, Ted N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carolyn Griffey
Carolyn Griffey is an American female soul vocalist, and member of the soul funk group Shalamar. She is the daughter of Carrie Lucas and SOLAR Records boss Dick Griffey, who worked with Don Cornelius in the television program, ''Soul Train''. Griffey grew up around The Whispers, Shalamar, Midnight Star, Dynasty, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and James Brown, who all appeared on ''Soul Train'' or who were signed to SOLAR Records.. In 1990, she was signed to SOLAR Records as part of the dance-pop duo called Absolute. This group released one album, ''For All Seasons'', in 1990. Their singles included: "Cheap Shot", "Gotta Lambada" and "This Moment In Time" (both from the film soundtrack of ''Lambada''). She has been the lead female vocalist of Shalamar since 2001. She appeared on ITV's '' Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'' in 2005, and has toured the world with Howard Hewett and Jeffrey Daniels. She also sings with Andraé Crouch and his gospel choir, who are known for their work on M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Griffey
Richard Gilbert Griffey (November 16, 1938 – September 24, 2010) was an American record producer and music promoter who founded SOLAR Records, a RAS acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records". The label played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s. As a concert promoter, Griffey arranged bookings for artists such as James Brown, The Sylvers, Aretha Franklin, Jon Gibson, Stevie Wonder and the Jacksons. Personal life and career Richard Gilbert Griffey was born on November 16, 1938. He was raised by his mother, Juanita Hines, and stepfather in the housing projects of Nashville, Tennessee. There he was a drummer in local nightclubs during his teens. After briefly attending Tennessee State University, he enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17. He served as a medic and worked as a private-duty nurse after completing his military service.Hevesi, Dennis"Dick Griffey, Founder of Solar Records, Is Dead at 71 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SOLAR Records
SOLAR (acronym for Sound of Los Angeles Records) was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with ''Soul Train'' television show host and creator Don Cornelius. History SOLAR began in 1975 as Soul Train Records, founded by Dick Griffey and ''Soul Train'' creator Don Cornelius. The first act they signed was an R&B vocal quartet they named The Soul Train Gang (Gerald Brown, Terry Brown, Judy Jones, Patricia Williamson, and later Denise Smith), who performed one of Soul Train's many themes, "Soul Train '75". Their first album was entitled ''Don Cornelius Presents The Soul Train Gang.'' In 1976, their second album, ''The Soul Train Gang,'' produced by Philly's Norman Harris, was released. The Gang broke up in 1977. That same year, Singer/drummer Arnie Oliver, aka Ahaguna G. Sun, and singer/guitarist Werner "Bear" Schuchner comprised Sunbear, a little-known soul/funk vocal duo that reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Train Records
SOLAR (acronym for Sound of Los Angeles Records) was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with ''Soul Train'' television show host and creator Don Cornelius. History SOLAR began in 1975 as Soul Train Records, founded by Dick Griffey and ''Soul Train'' creator Don Cornelius. The first act they signed was an R&B vocal quartet they named The Soul Train Gang (Gerald Brown, Terry Brown, Judy Jones, Patricia Williamson, and later Denise Smith), who performed one of Soul Train's many themes, "Soul Train '75". Their first album was entitled ''Don Cornelius Presents The Soul Train Gang.'' In 1976, their second album, ''The Soul Train Gang,'' produced by Philly's Norman Harris, was released. The Gang broke up in 1977. That same year, Singer/drummer Arnie Oliver, aka Ahaguna G. Sun, and singer/guitarist Werner "Bear" Schuchner comprised Sunbear, a little-known soul/funk vocal duo that rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bolic Sound
Bolic Sound Studios was a recording studio complex in Inglewood, California. It was built by musician Ike Turner in 1970, and remained in operation until it burned down in 1981. History As a young bandleader, Ike Turner had grown skeptical of the music industry beginning when he wasn't credited for " Rocket 88," which is considered by many to be the first rock and roll record. While still in his teens he became a talent scout and session musician for the Bihari brothers at Modern Records. Turner, unaware of songwriter's royalties, also wrote new material which the Bihari brothers paid him to copyright under their own name. Following the success of Ike & Tina Turner, Turner had the finances to create his own recording studio which he called Bolic Sound. The name Bolic derived from the maiden name of his then wife Tina Turner (née Bullock). The studio was previously a furniture store which Turner bought as a shell and had it fully renovated. He also purchased the surrounding proper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Train
''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer. Production was suspended following the 2005–2006 season, with a rerun package under the moniker ''The Best of Soul Train'' airing for two years subsequently. As a nod to ''Soul Train''s longevity, the show's opening sequence during later seasons contained a claim that it was the "longest-running first-run, nationally syndicated program in American television history", with over 1,100 episodes produced from the show's debut through the 2005–2006 season. Despite the production hiatus, ''Soul Train'' held that superlative record until 2016, when ''Entertainment Tonight'' surpassed it in completing its 35th season. Among non-news programs, ''Wheel of F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jermaine Stewart
William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American R&B singer, best known for his 1986 hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off", which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada at number two, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. He is also well known for his 1987 song " Say It Again", which reached number 7 in the UK. Career William Jermaine Stewart was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Ethel and Eugene Stewart. In 1972, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Stewart took his first steps toward a career in entertainment. Eventually, he gained recognition as a dancer on the locally produced television show ''Soul Train''. While working there he befriended two other ''Soul Train'' dancers, fellow Chicagoan Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel. After ''Soul Train'' relocated to Los Angeles, the three friends auditioned to become members of the group Shalamar, which was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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