Central Line was an R&B and soul band from London, England. They recorded two albums with
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
in the 1980s and had two
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
s in the United States,
as well as one Top 40 hit in their native country.
Career
The band was formed in March 1978, and were signed to Mercury Records early in 1979
by John Stainze. The original founding members were Steve Salvari, Camelle Hinds, Lipson Francis and Henry Defoe. Hinds, Francis and Defoe were previously in a band called TFB (Typical Funk Band), which had contained members that would go on to form
Light of the World. TFB also contained the drummer
Errol Kennedy, who later joined
Imagination
Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...
.
Salvari joined TFB after the departure of Kenny Wellington in late 1976, as their second keyboard player and the band members then stood at Salvari, Hinds, Francis, Defoe and Kennedy. The band gigged for about a year then broke up. Francis and Defoe went to work with a bass player who was in
Boney M.
Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
, and Salvari and Hinds staying together to work on various projects.
In early 1978, four of the TFB members got back together, and expanded the previous format by recruiting
Linton Beckles (born Linton Charles Beckles, 17 December 1955 – 3 April 2015) and Kim "Jake" Le Mesurier (younger son of English actors
John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation co ...
and
Hattie Jacques
Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...
and brother of longtime
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
guitarist Robin Le Mesurier). The band decided they needed a new identity, and Defoe came up with the name Central Line, because the band were now running down a central line of
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
They toured with
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...
,
Grover Washington
Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.
He ...
,
Fat Larry's Band
Fat Larry's Band was an American R&B and funk band from Philadelphia, which enjoyed some commercial success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom.
Career
Formed by drummer and vocalist "Fat" Larry James (August ...
and
the Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to:
Film and television
* The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film
* ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...
.
Central Line released their first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
, "Wot We Got Its Hot" to a good reception, but their second single "Sticks & Stones" did not fare so well. They finished the year appearing on
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
's, ''Linda Lewis' Roadshow''.
Salvari left in early 1980. After working with
Barry White
Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...
,
Robert Palmer and
Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...
,
he continues in the
music industry
The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
as a
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
. Mel Gaynor left after their debut album was released to join Simple Minds, and soon after Henri Defoe enjoyed a writing collaboration with Michael Finbarr Murphy.
Bassist Hinds later formed Hindsight with Defoe, and also played bass in
the Style Council
The Style Council were a British musical ensemble, band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/New wave music, new wave/mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previousl ...
, as well as forming the Walkers with trumpet player Canute Wellington, and releasing "(Whatever Happened to) the Party Groove" / "Sky's the Limit" in 1983.
Despite a club hit with "Walking into Sunshine" which sold well in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and a
UK Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
with "
Nature Boy
"Nature Boy" is a song first recorded by American jazz singer Nat King Cole. It was released on March 29, 1948, as a single by Capitol Records, and later appeared on the album, ''The Nat King Cole Story''. It was written by eden ahbez as a tri ...
", consistent mainstream success eluded them, and they disbanded in August 1984.
Le Mesurier died in Spain in the 1990s from an accidental drug overdose.
Beckles died in London from complications of pneumonia on 3 April 2015. He was 59.
Lipson Francis died on 29 June 2018.
Original members
*Steve Salvari – Vocals, keyboards
*Camelle Hinds – Vocals, bass
*Lipson Francis – Vocals, keyboards
*Henri Defoe – Vocals, guitar
*Jake Le Mesurier – Drums, percussion
*Linton Beckles – Vocals, percussion
*Mel Gaynor – Drums, percussion
*Michael Finbarr Murphy – Guitars, keyboards
*Roy Carter – Keyboards, guitar
*Steve Jeffries – Keyboards
*George Chandler – Backup vocals
*Dee Sealy – Backup vocals
*Jimmy Chambers – Backup vocals
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
*
Central Line at MusicglueCentral Line at WebstartsCentral Line at Facebook
{{Authority control
English boogie musicians
English dance music groups
English pop music groups
British post-disco music groups
British soul musical groups
English funk musical groups