"Shining Star" is a popular song written by the American songwriters and

music producers 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 ...

Leo Graham Leo Graham was a Jamaican singer. He first sang with The Bleechers, then after leaving the group recorded several solo singles in the 1970s including "Perilous Time," "A Win Them" and "Not Giving Up" for Joe Gibbs, and songs including "Big Ton ...

and Paul Richmond. The song was recorded in 1980 by popular American R&B vocal group The Manhattans and released the same year on the album '' After Midnight''. "Shining Star" was released as a single in 1980 and peaked at number 4 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B chart, and number 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was most successful in New Zealand, where it reached position number 2; the same position that it also reached in the Black Oriented Singles of the ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' magazine in the USA. Although it did not reach the number-one on any chart, "Shining Star" was The Manhattans's highest charting hit since the worldwide hit " Kiss and Say Goodbye" released in 1976. It should not be confused with the song " Shining Star" by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which is a different song from 1975.

Grammy Award

"Shining Star" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1980. It was the only Grammy Award received by The Manhattans.

Track listing

*The full length of "Shining Star" on the album '' After Midnight'' is 4:40. The length of 3:45 on the 7" single is an edited version of the song.

B-side

The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the "Shining Star"'s 7" single contains the song "I'll Never Run Away From Love Again", which was also recorded by The Manhattans in 1980 for the album '' After Midnight''. It was written by lead vocalist Gerald Alston and Barbara Morr. The song is the last track on the album and was produced by Norman Harris and The Manhattans.

Charts, certifications, and accolades

Weekly charts

Awards

Year-end charts

End-of-decade charts

Certifications and sales

Personnel

* Written by –

and Paul Richmond * Lead Vocal – Gerald Alston * Backing vocals – Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, Kenneth "Wally" Kelly * Arranged by – James Mack

Credits

* Producer –

* Associate Producer – James Mack * Executive Producer – Mickey Eichner * Coordinator (Production) – Hermi Hanlin * Engineer (Mastering) – Stu Romaine

Companies

* Recorded at – Universal Studios, Chicago * Mastered at – CBS Recording Studios, New York City, NY * Manufactured By –

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

* Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS, Inc. * Copyright – CBS, Inc.

Notes

* ℗ 1980 CBS, Inc. * Taken From The

LP '' After Midnight'' JC 36411

In popular culture

"Shining Star" was performed many times by the Jerry Garcia Band during their 1991 through 1994 tours. It frequently appeared to open or near the beginning of the second set. On October 6, 1993, at

The Warfield Theater The Warfield Theatre, colloquially referred to as The Warfield, is a 2,300-seat music venue located in San Francisco, California. It was built as a vaudeville theater and opened as the '' Loews Warfield'' on May 13, 1922. History In the 1920s, T ...

, the band opened the second set with the song. The audience spontaneously began singing the chorus in unison towards the end of the song and the band quieted and riffed off the audience. This became the standard and the song was always performed with audience participation from then on, extending to a length of up to 25 minutes in some performances. The band was so amused that they opened the second set with "Shining Star" again the following night. The song was used in the 1983 '' Derrick'' episode "Die kleine Ahrens" and the 2006 '' Cold Case'' episode "Baby Blues". From 1999, "Shining Star" began to be interpreted in Brazil by the Brazilian singer Maurício Manieri, in his own Portuguese version "Pensando em Você".

Portuguese version

In 1998, "Shining Star" won a Portuguese version in Brazil, performed by Brazilian singer and musician Maurício Manieri. This version received the title "Pensando em Você", with lyrics in Portuguese written by Manieri himself, and was released on his album ''A Noite Inteira'' in 1998. "Pensando em Você" was released as a single in Brazil and Portugal in 1999, and became a big hit of Maurício Manieri, reaching position number 5 in the national parade of Brazil and position number 49 in Portugal (according to the discography of Manieri in Wikipedia in Portuguese). The credits for "Pensando em Você" ("Shining Star") are by

and Paul Richmond, version Mauricio Manieri.

References

External links

* * "Shining Star" song review Allmusic.com. {{Authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles 1980s ballads The Manhattans songs Rhythm and blues ballads Soul ballads Columbia Records singles Songs written by Leo Graham (songwriter)