The Fatback Band (later, simply Fatback) is an American
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
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 ...
band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The Fatback Band is most known for their
R&B hits, "(Do the) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", "Backstrokin'" and "
I Found Lovin'
"I Found Lovin'" is a song first released by the Fatback Band in 1983 by Master Mix Records and was included on their album ''With Love''. The song reached number 49 on the UK Singles Charts in 1984. The song was re-recorded and released by Impo ...
". Their 1979 single "
King Tim III (Personality Jock)
"King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is a 1979 song by the Fatback Band from the disco album ''XII''. Released on March 25, 1979, a few months before "Rapper's Delight" (which is widely regarded as the first commercially released hip hop song), thi ...
" is generally considered the first commercially released
hip hop single.
History
Formed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1970, the Fatback Band was the concept of Bill Curtis, an experienced
session drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
, inspired to merge the "fatback"
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
beat of
into a
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. In addition to Curtis, the band's initial line-up included guitarist Johnny King, bassist Johnny Flippin, trumpet player George Williams, saxophonist Earl Shelton, flautist George Adams, and keyboardist Gerry Thomas.
The band specialized in playing "street funk". The group also later included conga player Wayne Woolford, vocalists Jayne and Gerry,
Deborah Cooper
Deborah Cooper is an American professional dancer, musician, singer,backup singer, award-winning composer and entertainer, with several number one and top charting dance music and house music hits.
Biography Early career
Cooper started as a f ...
saxophonist Fred Demerey, guitarist Louis Wright and George Victory.
The Fatback Band signed to
Perception Records
Perception Records was an American jazz/R&B record label.
What originally began as a production company in 1967 for pop and progressive rock acts, singer/songwriter/producer Jimmy Curtiss transitioned into Perception Ventures in 1969. Eventually e ...
and had a hit single that summer with "Street Dance". The single reached the top 30 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 ...
''
R&B chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
, but failed to cross over to the
Pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
, a pattern the group would follow for the rest of their career. The band released the albums ''Let's Do It Again'', ''People Music'', and ''Feel My Soul'' before signing to Event Records in 1974.
In the mid-1970s, the band incorporated jazz elements and moved more towards a
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 ...
sound resulting in the singles, "Keep On Steppin'", "Yum, Yum (Give Me Some)", and "(Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop". The singles proved popular in dance clubs, but did not do as well on the R&B chart until the spring of 1976 when "(Do The) Spanish Hustle" came close to the top ten.
Now recording for Spring/Polydor, the group continued with the singles "Party Time", "The Booty", and "Double Dutch". Late 1977 brought a name change to Fatback, and in 1978 they found their first top ten single with "I Like Girls". The song "
King Tim III (Personality Jock)
"King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is a 1979 song by the Fatback Band from the disco album ''XII''. Released on March 25, 1979, a few months before "Rapper's Delight" (which is widely regarded as the first commercially released hip hop song), thi ...
" is often considered to be the first commercially released
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
single, having shipped just a week before
the Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's only ...
's "
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...
" in October 1979.
In 1980, Fatback had a pair of their biggest hits with "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)" and "Backstrokin'". Also finding the charts in the 1980s were "Take It Any Way You Want It", "
I Found Lovin'
"I Found Lovin'" is a song first released by the Fatback Band in 1983 by Master Mix Records and was included on their album ''With Love''. The song reached number 49 on the UK Singles Charts in 1984. The song was re-recorded and released by Impo ...
" and "Spread Love", with singer
Evelyn Thomas
Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (born August 22, 1953) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the Hi-NRG dance hits " High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot".
Thomas has an ...
, in 1985. Whilst American pop success proved elusive, the group made regular appearances on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, including the top ten twice with "(Do The) Spanish Hustle" and "I Found Lovin'";
the latter also covered by British disc jockey
Steve Walsh, reached the top ten at the same time as the original version.
Keyboardist Gerry Thomas was simultaneously a member of
the Jimmy Castor Bunch
James Walter Castor (January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012) was an American funk, R&B, and soul musician. He is credited with vocals, saxophone and composition. He is best known for songs such as "It's Just Begun", "The Bertha Butt Boogie", an ...
, so the band elected to remain close to the New York area instead of extensive touring. They had substantial success in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, especially in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(with "Money" and "Backstrokin'").
As recent as 2019, the Fatback Band performed at multiple concerts and festivals in London and other cities in England. Their 2020 tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have a new album to be released in 2021 and have performances scheduled in July 2021.
Band members
Current
* Bill "Fatback" Curtis – drums/percussions (1970–present)
* Xavier Zack Guinn – bass Guitar, vocals (2015–present)
* Ledjerick Todd Woods – trumpet (2002–present)
* Darryl McAllister – guitar, vocals (2005–present)
* Isabella Dunn Gordon – vocals
* Montreal Parker – drums
* Marell Glenn – keyboards (2018–present)
Past
* Billy Hamilton – organ, keyboard (1970–1972)
* Earl Shelton – saxophone (1970–1979)
* Johnny King – guitar, vocals (1970–1979)
* Johnny Flippin – bass, percussion, vocals (1971–1983)
* Gerry Thomas – keyboard (1971–1985)
* George Adams – flute (1972–1974)
* Skip Walker – drums (1985–1988, 2007)
* Tom Browne – trumpet (1976)
* Najee – saxophone (1983)
* John DeBerry – vocals (1985–1988, 1997)
* Wayne Wilford – percussion (1973)
* Fred Demery – saxophone (1977, 1979–1981)
* Louis Wright – guitar (1976–1977)
* George Victory – guitar (1977, 1979–1981, 1983)
*
Deborah Cooper
Deborah Cooper is an American professional dancer, musician, singer,backup singer, award-winning composer and entertainer, with several number one and top charting dance music and house music hits.
Biography Early career
Cooper started as a f ...
– backing vocals (1977–1979)
* Michael Walker – keyboard, vocals (1981, 1983)
* Robert Damper – keyboard (1983–1987)
* Linda Blakely (d.1994) – vocals (1982–1987)
* Vernon Lloyd – bass guitar, vocals (1983–1990)
* Quenetta "Que" Simpson – vocals (1996–2006)
* Ed Jackson – saxophone
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
The Fatback Band Official SiteBill Curtis Official SiteThe Fatback Band / Bill Curtis 2011 Interview at Soulinterviews.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatback Band
1970 establishments in New York (state)
American dance music groups
American disco groups
American funk musical groups
Musical groups established in 1970
Musical groups from New York (state)
Atco Records artists