Atlantic Starr
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Atlantic Starr is an American band based in
White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...
. They are best known for the hits "
Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...
", "
Secret Lovers "Secret Lovers", released in 1985, was the third single from '' As the Band Turns'', the sixth album from American group Atlantic Starr. "Secret Lovers" was Atlantic Starr's true breakthrough hit on the pop charts in both the US and UK, though th ...
", "Send for Me", "
Circles A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...
", "Silver Shadow" and " Masterpiece".


History

Atlantic Starr began in
Greenburgh, New York Greenburgh is a town in western Westchester County, New York. The population was 95,397 at the time of the 2020 census. History Greenburgh developed along the Hudson River, long the main transportation route. It was settled by northern Europeans ...
with
trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...
Duke Jones (who left the band prior to their first recordings), drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer,
percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
and flautist Joseph Phillips, Sheldon Tucker (
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
; parted ways with the band before the first recordings), and three brothers: David Lewis (
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
/guitar), Wayne Lewis (
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and
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
), and Jonathan Lewis (
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
and
trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
). The band's membership eventually stabilized around Carroll, Archer, Phillips, the three Lewis brothers, lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers),
trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...
William Sudderth III, and
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...
Damon Rentie (who was later replaced by Koran Daniels). In 1977, the band came to Westwood, California, and performed on the nightclub scene under the name "Newban," which they agreed to change at the request of
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
executive
Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...
when they were signed. Having already agreed to keep the Starr part of an early idea for a new band name, the members decided to add the word Atlantic, because of their East Coast roots. The nine-member band were now A&M employees. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Atlantic Starr scored several hits on the
R&B charts The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
. However, significant crossover success (onto the pop charts) did not come until halfway into the 1980s, with the release of their album ''
As the Band Turns ''As the Band Turns'' is the sixth album by R&B band Atlantic Starr, released in 1985. Following the departure of initial lead singer Sharon Bryant, ''As The Band'' sees the introduction of new vocalist Barbara Weathers. This proved to be one ...
'' (their last on A&M Records), and the single "Secret Lovers". By this time, the band had pared itself down to a quintet, consisting of the three Lewis brothers, Phillips, and Weathers. In 1987 (after signing to
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
), the band solidified their pop success by scoring a No. 1 pop (and R&B) hit with "Always", a love ballad off their album '' All in the Name of Love''. Following this success, Weathers left for a solo career, and she was replaced by Porscha Martin for the band's next album, 1989's '' We're Movin' Up''. Although this album was not quite as successful as its predecessors, it did produce another No. 1 R&B hit with " My First Love." The band continued to score hits on both the R&B and Pop charts into the early 1990s. 1991 saw the introduction of yet another new female lead singer, when Martin was replaced by
Miss Black America The Miss Black America beauty contest is a competition for young African-American women. The pageant has garnered the support of artists, activists and performers including Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Oprah Winfrey. After 40 years, in 200 ...
1986, Rachel Oliver, for the album, '' Love Crazy''. This album featured the band's biggest hit of the 1990s, with " Masterpiece" reaching No. 3 on both the pop and R&B charts in early 1992. The group toured to Japan in 1992 with yet another female vocalist at the helm, Crystal Blake, a studio vocalist for Stevie Wonder who had also sung the female lead parts on the minor hit title track for Eddie Murphy's '' How Could It Be'' album and
Young MC Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is a British-born American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album '' Stone Cold Rhymin found international accl ...
's " Bust a Move." Following the release of ''Love Crazy'', Atlantic Starr's relationship with
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
dissolved, and in 1994, the band recorded one album for Arista: ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
''. That album was a commercial disappointment and the single "I'll Remember You" only made it to the fifties on Billboard's R&B and pop singles charts. ''Time'' (which was David Lewis' last album with the band) found a fifth female singer, Aisha Tanner, replacing Oliver. And when 1999's ''Legacy'' was distributed by the small, independent Street Solid label, Atlantic Starr unveiled yet another lineup—one that consisted of two Lewis Brothers (Wayne and Jonathan) as well as Oliver (who had returned and replaced Tanner) and a new male singer named
DeWayne Woods DeWayne Lamont Woods (born November 9, 1975) is an American gospel musician. He started his music career, in 2003, with the release of, ''The Poets, The Psalms, and the Psalmists'', that was self-released. His second album, ''Introducing DeWayne ...
. Although ''Legacy'' received little attention, Atlantic Starr still continues to perform today and released their 14th album, ''Metamorphosis'' in 2017, featuring L'john Epps and Melessa Pierce.


Original members

After leaving Atlantic Starr, original drummer and founding bandmember Porter Carroll, Jr. released a self-titled solo album (''Porter Carroll II'') in 1986. This album featured contributions from several prominent musicians, including Marcus Miller,
David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...
, and former Starr bandmate Sharon Bryant. He has continued to do session work since that time, and is currently playing
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
in
Daryl Hall Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known professionally as Daryl Hall, is an American rock music, rock, rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul singer and musician, best known as the co-founder and principal lead vocalist of Daryl ...
's live band. Following her exit from Atlantic Starr, singer Bryant embarked on a solo career and released an album in 1989, scoring several big hits on the
R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
s, as well as a minor Pop hit from the project. Original
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...
Damon Rentie went on to a solo career of his own, releasing his first solo album, ''Designated Hitter'' in 1985. His second and third solo albums followed in each successive year (1986 and 1987, respectively). He had also previously done session work with
DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...
. Original
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
er William Sudderth continues to follow an active schedule in the music business, performing in many diverse settings and having become one of the most sought-after horn players in the industry.


Cameos

In April 1992, Atlantic Starr appeared as themselves on an episode of the daytime soap opera '' Another World''. They sang at local nightspot Sassy's during the episode.


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums

*''Secret Lovers: The Best of Atlantic Starr'' (1986, A&M) *''Classics, Vol. 10'' (1987, A&M) *''Always - The Very Best Of'' (1993, Tusk Music Co. (Pty) Ltd.) *''Greatest Hits'' (1997, Dominion) *''Ultimate Collection'' (2000,
Hip-O Hip-O Records is a record label that specializes in reissues and compilations. It is part of Universal Music Group. Established in 1996, the label has distributed releases from 'out of style' genres such as disco and early hip-hop music as wel ...
) *''20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection - The Best of Atlantic Starr'' (2001, A&M) *''Secret Lovers'' (2006, KRB Music Companies) *''Newban and Newban 2'' (2012
BBE Records Barely Breaking Even (BBE) is a British record label started by two DJs, Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly. The name BBE comes from The Universal Robot Band's 1982 track "Barely Breaking Even". It has two sublabels: Deep Funk, and Urban Theory. ...
) *''The Best of Atlantic Starr'' (2015, MMT)


Singles


References


External links


Atlantic Starr Bio
* {{Authority control African-American musical groups American boogie musicians American soul musical groups A&M Records artists Warner Records artists Reprise Records artists Arista Records artists Musical groups established in 1976 1976 establishments in New York (state)