Lipps Inc. ( , a pun on the phrase "

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

") was an American

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and

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 ...

group from

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. The group is best known for the chart-topping 1980 worldwide hit single "

Funkytown "Funkytown" is a song by the American disco/funk band Lipps Inc., released in 1980 as the second single from their 1979 debut album, '' Mouth to Mouth''. It was successful globally, reaching top spots in places such as the United States, West ...

", which hit No. 1 in 28 countries and was certified as double

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

in sales. The group originally consisted of lead vocalist

Cynthia Johnson Cynthia Johnson (born April 22, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Lipps Inc. with the worldwide smash hit "Funkytown". Musical career Beginnings Prior to bec ...

and a changing line-up of

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

s including guitarist David Rivkin, guitarist Tom Riopelle and bassist Terry Grant. Steven Greenberg, the creator of the act,

wrote Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

and produced most of the group's music.

History

Lipps Inc. started as a project of Steven Greenberg, at the time a wedding DJ who wanted to try his hand at writing

songs. He had intended to use the name Lip Sync, but it was already in use by another group, so instead he chose the

homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

Lipps, Inc. Greenberg was the sole member of the group until he met

while auditioning singers for his song "Rock It". Johnson subsequently joined the project and Lipps Inc. became a duo. Lipps Inc.'s first release was a 1979 single, "Rock It", on Greenberg's own Flight imprint. The act released its debut album '' Mouth to Mouth'' in late 1979. The second single from this album, "

", spent four weeks at #1 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

charts in the United States. The 7" single sold over two million copies within a few months and was awarded a

platinum record Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

within the year of its release. It reached #2 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and was a hit throughout the world. Lipps Inc.'s later singles failed to match the band's initial success (the only other Hot 100 entry was "Rock It", which peaked at #64). However, more dance hits were released during the 1980s, including " How Long" in 1981 (originally a hit for

Ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

), which reached #4 on the U.S. dance chart. After the third album ''

Designer Music ''Designer Music'' is the third album by American disco act Lipps, Inc., and the last featuring Cynthia Johnson on lead vocals. It was released in 1981 on Casablanca Records. The tracks "Hold Me Down" along with the title track became a hit in 1 ...

'', Johnson left the band and was replaced by

Margie Cox Margaret Cox is an American singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the Minneapolis sound band Ta Mara and the Seen, and for her work with Prince. Early life and career Cox was born in Kenitra, Morocco and moved to Minneapolis with her fa ...

and Melanie Rosales. Lipps Inc. released its final album, ''4'', in 1983, and disbanded two years later.

Europe

The 'face' of the group in the Netherlands was the British dancer

Doris D Doris D (born Debbie Jenner; 22 February 1959) is a British singer and dancer who spent her career in the Netherlands. Biography Jenner was born in Skegness, England, and settled in the Netherlands at the age of 20 to start a ballet school there ...

(Debbie Jenner), who playbacked the song in

TopPop ''TopPop'' is the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 22 September 1970, to 27 June 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted for its first fift ...

with her dancers. Due to the success of this performance, they were also invited to perform as Lipps Inc. in other European countries, including Germany, Jenner and her dancers then had success as Doris D & The Pins in early 1981.

Awards and recognitions

* Three Billboard Music Awards, 1980 * Platinum and Double-Platinum Status with Funkytown * Inductee into Minnesota Music Hall of Fame

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

Photo gallery of Lipps, Inc.
* * {{Authority control American dance music groups American funk musical groups American disco groups Musical groups from Minnesota Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Casablanca Records artists