Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

- and swing-influenced disco

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

that was formed in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit "

Cherchez La Femme ''Cherchez la femme'' () is a French phrase which literally means 'look for the woman'. It is a cliche in detective fiction, used to suggest that a mystery can be resolved by identifying a femme fatale or female love interest. Origin of the ph ...

C'est si bon "" (; ) is a French popular song composed in 1947 by Henri Betti with the lyrics by André Hornez. The English lyrics were written in 1949 by Jerry Seelen. The song has been adapted in several languages. History In July 1947, Henri Bet ...

," from its self-titled debut album.

History

The band was conceived by brothers Stony Browder Jr. (February 7, 1949 – October 6, 2001) and Thomas Browder (also known as

August Darnell Thomas August Darnell Browder (born August 12, 1950), known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently ...

, born August 12, 1950), with the former writing music and the latter lyrics. They started the band in 1974 with singer Cory Daye (born April 25, 1952), drummer Mickey Sevilla, and percussionist Andy Hernandez ( Coati Mundi). They released three albums between 1976 and 1979. Their music blended disco beats with rhythms from genres including calypso, rhumba, cha-cha-chá, and compas. The Browders, who were both multiracial, wrote songs embracing

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

over stories about

tragic mulatto The tragic mulatto is a stereotypical fictional character that appeared in American literature during the 19th and 20th centuries, starting in 1837. The "tragic mulatto" is a stereotypical mixed-race person (a "mulatto"), who is assumed to be dep ...

es. A smaller lineup known as Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band (omitting the word "original") also released a fourth album in 1984. They were frequent performers at Studio 54. Darnell and Hernandez went on to form

Kid Creole and the Coconuts Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean ...

and

Elbow Bones and the Racketeers Elbow Bones and the Racketeers was an American big band-era styled male/female vocal group, created by August Darnell, and best known for their hit single "A Night in New York", written by Ron Rogers and Deborah Clarkin, and released on the EMI l ...

. Cory Daye also pursued a successful solo career. In 1979, she released the album ''Cory and Me''. The album produced a single, "Pow Wow" b/w Green Light", which peaked on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #76 later that year. The track "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" became a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands. Stony Browder Jr. died in 2001.

Members

*Stony Browder Jr. - music, piano, vocals (1976–79, 1984) * Thomas Browder - lyrics, bass, vocals (1976–79) *Cory Daye - vocals (1976–79, 1984) *Mickey Sevilla - drums (1976–79, 1984) * Andy Hernandez - percussion (1976–79)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

* '' The Very Best of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band'' (1996,

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

) * ''The Disco Kids'' (2005, Sony BMG)

Singles

Copyright lawsuit

In 2022, songwriters L. Russell Brown and

Sandy Linzer Sandy Linzer (born 1941) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let ...

filed a copyright lawsuit against Dua Lipa claiming that her song " Levitating" infringed on their 1979 song "Wiggle and Giggle All Night".

References

Notes

External links

"Savannah Band Is Waiting for You, American"
by Kevin McMahon
The band's MySpace page

Coati Mundi's MySpace page

August Darnell interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Buzzard's Original Savannah Band American disco groups American dance music groups