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Sylvers
The Sylvers were an American R&B family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. The Sylvers were a popular act during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", "Boogie Fever", and "Hot Line". Prior to becoming the Sylvers, the four eldest members (Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, and James) recorded as the Little Angels, appearing on shows such as ''You Bet Your Life'' and ''Make Room for Daddy'', and opening for such acts as Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles. During this time, they released two singles: "Santa Claus Parade" b/w "I'll Be a Little Angel" on Warwick Records and "Says You" b/w "Olympia" on Capitol Records. Background Members The Sylvers family consisted of ten siblings, nine of whom performed in the band at one point or another: * Olympia Ann "Olan" Sylvers (born October 13, 1951) — vocals * Leon Frank Sylvers III (born March 7, 1953) — bass, vocals * Charmaine Elaine Sylvers (born March 9, 1954) — vocals * James Jonathan Sylvers (born June 8, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Sylvers III
Leon Frank Sylvers III (born March 7, 1953, Memphis, Tennessee) is an American singer, songwriter, disc-jockey, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid-1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR Records. Artists such as J Dilla, Dr. Dre, and Madlib have sampled songs written and produced by him. Biography Beginnings Leon Sylvers and his family moved from Memphis to Los Angeles, "near Adams and Crenshaw," in 1956. He first rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of The Little Angels harmony vocal group featuring his siblings (Olympia, Charmaine, and James). After hearing them perform in Las Vegas in 1959, Ed Sullivan predicted they would become famous. During this time they appeared on variety shows such as ''Make Room for Daddy'', ''You Bet Your Life'', and ''The Spike Jones Show''. They also toured the United St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foster Sylvers
Foster Emerson Sylvers (born February 25, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being a member of the family act The Sylvers and his hit single "Misdemeanor". Biography Foster Sylvers released his first album, ''Foster Sylvers'', in June 1973. His first single, "Misdemeanor", written by his brother Leon Sylvers III, became a hit that summer, reaching number 7 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. "Misdemeanor"'s follow-up was a cover of Dee Clark's 1959 hit "Hey Little Girl", and charted at number 63 R&B in fall 1973. The popularity of these records led to Foster to appear on such TV shows as '' American Bandstand'' and '' Soul Train''. In 1974 he released his second album, ''Foster Sylvers Featuring Pat & Angie Sylvers''. By 1975 he joined his brothers and sisters in The Sylvers just in time for the ''Showcase'' album. He co-sang lead with his brother Edmund on the number one 1976 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edmund Sylvers
Edmund Theodore Sylvers (January 25, 1957 — March 11, 2004) was an American singer–songwriter, actor and musician. Sylvers was best known as the lead singer of the American family disco/soul music vocal group The Sylvers, which had popular success with songs such as "Boogie Fever" during the mid- to late-1970s. Biography Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Los Angeles, California, Sylvers was the fifth child born to Shirley Mae (née Wyble) (1932 — 2014) and Leon Frank Sylvers, Jr. (1932 — 2005). At the age of 14, he began his entertainment career as a voice actor playing the role of Marlon Jackson on the ABC–TV cartoon series '' The Jackson 5ive''. After the series ended when he was 15, Sylvers joined his family-based group as the lead singer, and he was 18 in 1975 when he sang lead on the group's biggest hit, "Boogie Fever". After the group's success passed, Sylvers embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut ''Have You Heard'' in 1980. Personal life and deat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dynasty (band)
Dynasty was an American band, based in Los Angeles, California, created by producer and SOLAR Records label head Dick Griffey, and record producer Leon Sylvers III. The band was known for their dance/pop numbers during the late 1970s and 1980s. Keyboardist Kevin Spencer and vocalists Nidra Beard and Linda Carriere originally comprised the group. History and overview Dynasty was essentially the brainchild of Griffey and producer Sylvers, a former member of the Sylvers family group, who had achieved much popularity in the early to mid-1970s. A principal architect of the SOLAR sound, Sylvers had become the in-house producer in 1978 for the label (whose name stood for "Sound of Los Angeles Records"), and it was in this capacity that he brought the members of Dynasty together. The group consisted of three young performers: vocalists Nidra Beard and Linda Carriere and vocalist-keyboardist Kevin Spencer. After graduating from college in New Orleans, Carriere became friends with Bear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boogie Fever
"Boogie Fever" is a song recorded by Los Angeles, California-based R&B group the Sylvers, from their 1975 album ''Showcase''. Their most lucrative single, it reached No. 1 in the US on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts as well as reaching No. 1 in Canada on the ''RPM'' national singles chart in 1976. It was their third of nine Top 20 R&B hits and first top 40 pop single. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1976. "Boogie Fever" is one of two gold records by the Sylvers, the other being "Hot Line". Content The narrator of the song notes a change that seems to have come over his girlfriend. At the drive-in movie, she turns down the speaker volume and turns up the radio to hear her favorite disco songs. Then, at the pizza parlor, she "boogies" to the disco beat while eating her meal. He concludes that his girl must have caught the "boogie fever" which seems to be "goin' around." In the final verse, he consults his doctor and realizes that he himsel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hot Line (song)
"Hot Line" is a song recorded by American family group the Sylvers, from their 1976 album '' Something Special''. It was written by Freddie Perren and Kenneth St. Lewis. It became an international Top 10 hit, and is a gold record. The song tells the story of a lovelorn young man who anticipates getting in touch with his beloved over the phone. He requests that the telephone operator connect the call, but not to listen in. He also says that he's willing to get in touch with the FBI and the CIA in order to locate the girl he's interested in speaking to. "Hot Line" was the Sylvers' second biggest hit, peaking in early 1977 at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, number 4 on the ''Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...'' chart, and number 3 on the R&B ... [...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 recor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently focuses on dance and electronic music under the direction of Brett Alperowitz. Biography Casablanca was founded in 1973 by former Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart, who named the label in homage to the 1942 film ''Casablanca''. He partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris and Buck Reingold in 1973, and was based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after they left Buddah and secured financing from Warner Bros. Records to start the venture. Casablanca became one of the most successful American labels of the 1970s, signing and releasing albums by such acts as Kiss, Donna Summer, Village People, Cher, Lipps Inc. (with lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson), and Parliament (featuring George Clinton). In 1976, the label merged with indie-film c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Jef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the 1970s. The company also released soundtrack albums of the music for some of their non-musical films as well, and on rare occasions, cast albums of off-Broadway musicals such as ''The Fantasticks'' and the 1954 revival of ''The Threepenny Opera''. In one instance, MGM Records released the highly successful soundtrack album of a film made by another studio, Columbia Pictures's ''Born Free'' (1966). Background There was also a short-lived Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Records of 1928, which produced recordings of music featured in MGM movies, not sold to the general public but made to be played in movie theater lobbies. These Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer records were manufactured under contract with the studio by Columbia Records. History Soundtrack albu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Watts, Los Angeles
Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood, Huntington Park and South Gate to the east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated community of Willowbrook to the south. Founded in the late nineteenth century as a ranching community, the arrival of the railroads and the construction of Watts Station saw the rapid development of Watts as an independent city, but in 1926 it was consolidated with Los Angeles. By the 1940s, Watts transformed into a primarily working class African-American neighborhood, but from the 1960s developed a reputation as a low-income, high-crime area, following the Watts riots and the increasing influence of street gangs. Watts has become a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with a significant African American minority, and remains one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Los Angeles despite falling crime rates since the 1990s. Notable civic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Make Room For Daddy
''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show focused on his relationship with his family, yet went through a number of significant changes in cast and characters during the course of its run. Episodes regularly featured music by Thomas, guest stars and occasionally other cast members as part of the plot. In March 1953, Thomas first signed the contract for the show with ABC and chose Desilu Studios to film it using its three-camera method.''The I Love Lucy Book'' by Bart Andrews (revised and updated Broadway Books trade paperback edition, 2001), , p. 116 Two proposed titles during pre-production were ''The Children's Hour'' and ''Here Comes Daddy''. Synopsis Thomas played the role of Danny Williams, a successful comedian and nightclub entertainer at the Copa Club, based on the iconic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
