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Aurra was an American
1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
group, which, at the time of its biggest success on Salsoul Records, featured Curt Jones (guitar/vocals) and Starleana Young (vocals) and included Steve Washington (bass/guitar/drums), Philip Field (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals) and Tom Lockett (saxophone/percussion).


Career

Aurra started off in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
as an offshoot of the
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
band
Slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. Steve Washington first conceptualized the project, which also initially featured fellow former Slave members Curt Jones, Starleana Young, and Thomas Lockett. By the time they recorded their first LP, the lineup also included Charles Carter and Buddy Hankerson. Aurra initially signed with Dream Records, and then
Salsoul Records Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre (the Cayre brothers). Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/post-disco 12-inch releases, ...
. Composer/keyboardist Philip Field, known for his work as a member of
Mtume Mtume (pronounced ''em-tu-may'') was an American funk and soul group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s and had several R&B hits during its career. Its founder, former percussionist James Mtume, previously played and toured with M ...
, subsequently joined the lineup. During the early 1980s, the group found success with hits such as "Are You Single" (number 16 on the US ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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 ...
chart), "Checkin' You Out", and "Make Up Your Mind", the last of which became the group's biggest US hit under the Aurra moniker - reaching number six on the R&B chart and number 71 on the pop chart. The group continued to release albums up through the 1985 release ''Like I Like It''; this album was released as ''Bedtime Story'' in the U.S. that same year. A revamped version of ''Like I Like It'', featuring an updated cover, was released in Europe in 1986 to include the new single, "You and Me Tonight", along with remixed versions of other tracks from the original album. "You and Me Tonight" reached number 12 on the British charts that year. By the time ''Like I Like It'' was re-released, several group members were at odds with Steve Washington. Legal issues with Washington over the name Aurra led to the duo of principal members Jones and Young breaking away and beginning to record under the name Déjà. In 1987, they released their Virgin Records debut as Déjà, ''Serious'', which was produced in large part by the Time member
Monte Moir Monte Moir (born September 10, 1958) is an American songwriter, producer and musician best known as the keyboardist of Morris Day's band The Time and songwriter of many notable American artists. Biography Monte Moir is the original and current ...
. Featured on this album was "You and Me Tonight," from the group's Aurra days, introducing American audiences to the song for the first time. "You and Me Tonight" charted in the upper reaches of the US ''
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'' R&B
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(peaking at number 2) and crossed over onto the pop charts, where it peaked at number 54, making it the highest-charting single from any Aurra-associated group. Meanwhile, Starleana Young decided to leave to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mysti Day in time to record Déjà's follow-up album. The resulting album, ''Made to Be Together'' was released in 1989, with the
Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. " Tedd ...
- produced title track becoming a minor R&B hit. In 2013, Family Groove Records recovered the lost tapes for the unreleased '5th' Aurra album ''Satisfaction'', originally recorded in
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. The direction of the album was supervised by Steve Washington, Amuka Kelly (also known as Sheila Horne Washington), and Daniel Borine. In 2019, Aurra's second album as Déjà, the long
out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...
''Made to Be Together'' was released to digital and streaming platforms.


Discography


''as Aurra''


Albums


Singles


Compilations

*1991: ''The Best of Aurra'' (Rams Horn Records) *1996: ''Anthology'' (CNR Music) *1999: ''Greatest Hits'' (
Unidisc Music Unidisc Music is a Canadian independent record label. The label is known for releasing rare music, that was made between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Genres include rock, electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, reggae, Latin, disco and a cappel ...
)


''as Déjà''


Albums


Singles


Compilations

*2003: ''Aurra / Déjà - Deja: Definitive Collection of Aurra - Salsoul & Virgin Years''


See also

*
Skyy (band) Skyy (also known as New York Skyy) was an American R&B/ funk/ disco band based in New York City. They are perhaps best known for their 1981 hit, " Call Me", as well as their 1989 "comeback" hits, " Start of a Romance" and " Real Love". Career S ...
*
Slave (band) Slave was an American Ohio-based funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Washington, born in New Jersey, attended East Orange High School, and was one of the first users of the "electric ...
*
Salsoul Records Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre (the Cayre brothers). Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/post-disco 12-inch releases, ...


References


External links

*
Aurra Aurra was an American 1980s in music, 1980s soul music, soul group, which, at the time of its biggest success on Salsoul Records, featured Curt Jones (guitar/vocals) and Starleana Young (vocals) and included Steve Washington (bass/guitar/drums), ...
on
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Aurra
at
Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
. {{Authority control Salsoul Records artists American dance music groups Funk musical groups from Dayton, Ohio American soul musical groups