The Gap Band was an American
R&B 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 mi ...
band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers:
Charlie
Charlie may refer to:
Characters
* "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise
* Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
* ...
, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, and Pine) in the historic
Greenwood neighborhood in the brothers' hometown of
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
.
History
Early years
The band formed in Tulsa in 1967, based around the three Wilson brothers, but often included other musicians as well. The name "Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Band" originally started as a joke, reflecting the band's origins, and was shortened to GAP Band later. The band received its first big break by being the back up band for fellow Oklahoman
Leon Russell
Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...
's ''Stop All That Jazz'' album released in 1974.
Early on, the group took on 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 mi ...
sound typical of the early 1970s. This style failed to catch on, and their first two LP's, 1974's ''
Magicians Holiday'' which was recorded at Leon Russell's historic
The Church Studio and 1977's ''
The Gap Band'' (not to be confused with their
1979 album), failed to chart or produce any charting singles. Afterwards, they were introduced to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
producer
Lonnie Simmons, who signed them to his production company, Total Experience Productions (named after his successful Crenshaw Boulevard nightclub), and managed to secure a record deal with
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
.
Success
On their first album with Simmons, ''
The Gap Band'', they found chart success with songs such as "I'm in Love" and "Shake"; the latter became a Top 10 R&B hit in 1979.
Later that year, the group released "
I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)
"I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)" (re-titled "Oops Up Side Your Head" on the single as well as being known by other titles such as "Oops Upside Your Head") is a 1979 song recorded by the R&B group the Gap Band. Released off the ...
" on their album ''
The Gap Band II''.
Although it did not hit the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...
, it soared to number 4 in 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 adverti ...
''
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 ...
, and the album went
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
. The song, and the band's musical output as a whole, became more
P-Funk
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive f ...
-esque, with expanded use of the synthesizers and spoken monologues within songs (see audio sample). The song "Steppin' (Out)" also reached the top 10 R&B.
[RIAA Certifications a]
RIAA.com
Charlie Wilson provided background vocals on
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...
's 1980 hit "
I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" from Wonder's album ''
Hotter Than July'' (1980).
The band reached a whole new level of fame in 1980 with the release of the number 1 R&B and number 16
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
hit, ''
The Gap Band III
''The Gap Band III'' is the fifth studio album (contrary to the title) by American
R&B band The Gap Band, released in 1980 on Mercury Records. It was produced by Lonnie Simmons. It was their first album to achieve platinum status. The album was ...
''. That album had soul ballads such as the number 5 R&B song "
Yearning for Your Love", and funk songs such as the R&B chart-topper "
Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)
"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" is a song originally performed by The Gap Band in 1980 and written by member Charlie Wilson, Rudy Taylor, and producer Lonnie Simmons.
Background
The song's lyrics refer to abandonment by a lover. The ...
" and "
Humpin'
"Humpin'" is a 1980 song by The Gap Band, from their fifth album '' The Gap Band III'' released as a single in 1981. The original B-side, "No Hiding Place", was originally released on ''The Gap Band II''. The song had mixed chart success, only pe ...
". They repeated this formula on the number 1 R&B album ''
Gap Band IV
''Gap Band IV'' is the sixth album (contrary to the title) by The Gap Band, released in 1982 on Total Experience Records. The album reached #1 on the Black Albums chart and #14 on the Pop Albums chart, achieved platinum status, and is considere ...
'' in 1982 (the first album released on Simmons' newly launched Total Experience Records), which resulted in three hit singles: "
Early in the Morning" (number 1 R&B, number 13 Dance, number 24 Hot 100), "
You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (number 2 R&B, number 31 Hot 100, number 39 Dance), and "
Outstanding" (number 1 R&B, number 24 Dance). It was during this time that former
Brides of Funkenstein singer
Dawn Silva
Dawn Silva is an American funk vocalist.
Silva started her career as a background vocalist for Sly and the Family Stone. She joined Parliament-Funkadelic in 1977. She was the only original Brides of Funkenstein member to continue through the Bri ...
joined them on tour.
Their 1983 album, ''
Gap Band V: Jammin''', went gold, but was not quite as successful as the previous works, peaking at number 2 R&B and number 28 on the Billboard 200. The single "
Party Train" peaked at number 3 R&B, and the song "Jam the Motha'" peaked at number 16 R&B, but neither made it onto the Hot 100. The album's closer "Someday" (a loose cover of
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...
's "
Someday We'll All Be Free
"Someday We'll All Be Free" is a 1973 song by Donny Hathaway from the album '' Extension of a Man''. The song was released as the flipside to the single "Love, Love, Love." Though the song was only released as an uncharted A-side, it is considere ...
") featured
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...
as a guest vocalist.
Their next work, ''
Gap Band VI
''Gap Band VI'' is the eighth album (contrary to the title) by the Gap Band, released in 1984 on Total Experience Records. It was originally intended to be lead singer Charlie Wilson's first solo album, and the first Gap Band album released unde ...
'' brought them back to number 1 R&B in 1985, but the album sold fewer copies and did not go gold. "Beep a Freak" hit number 2 R&B, "I Found My Baby" peaked at number 8 on the R&B charts, and "Disrespect" peaked at number 18. That year, lead singer Charlie Wilson and singer Shirley Murdock provided backing vocals on
Zapp & Roger's number 8 R&B "
Computer Love".
Later years
While their 1986 cover of "
Going in Circles
"Going in Circles" is a song written by Jerry Peters and Anita Poree, and originally performed by The Friends of Distinction on their 1969 album '' Grazin, reaching number 15 on the U.S. Hot 100, and number three on the R&B chart. The song has ...
" went to number 2 on the R&B charts, and the album it was released on, ''
Gap Band VII
''Gap Band VII'' is the ninth album by the Gap Band, released in 1985 on Total Experience Records. The album includes the single from original Jerry Peters's song " Going in Circles". As AllMusic's Amy Hanson said in her review of the album, "T ...
'', hit number 6 R&B, the album almost became their first in years to miss the Billboard 200, peaking at number 159.
While they were beginning to struggle stateside, the group found their greatest success in the
UK when their 1986 single "Big Fun" from ''
Gap Band 8
''Gap Band 8'' is the 10th album (contrary to the title) by American R&B and funk band the Gap Band, released in 1986 on Total Experience Records. It is the first (and only) album in the band's self-titled series to be subtitled with a regular ...
'' reached number 4 in 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 ...
. 1988's ''Straight from the Heart'' was their last studio album with Total Experience.
The Gap Band caught a small break in 1988 with the
Keenen Ivory Wayans film, ''
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka''.
They contributed the non-charting "You're So Cute" and the number 14 R&B title track to the film (The first was not on the soundtrack, but was used in the film). Their first song on their new label, Capitol Records, 1989's "
All of My Love" (from their album ''Round Trip''), is, to date, their last number 1 R&B hit. The album also produced the number 8 R&B "Addicted to Your Love" and the number 18 R&B ""We Can Make it Alright." They left
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
the next year and went on a five-year hiatus from producing new material.
During the 1990s, the band released three non-charting studio albums and two
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
s.
Legacy
In 1992,
Charlie
Charlie may refer to:
Characters
* "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise
* Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
* ...
ventured into a solo career and has had several moderate R&B hits on his own. Wilson's vocals were credited in part for inspiring the vocal style of
new jack swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing wa ...
artists
Guy,
Aaron Hall,
Jodeci,
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including " I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", " I'll Give ...
, and
R. Kelly. The band reunited in 1996, and issued ''The Gap Band: Live and Well'', a live
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
album.
On August 26, 2005, The Gap Band was honored as a
BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI Urban Awards. The honor is given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers". "Outstanding" alone remains one of the most sampled songs in history and has, astonishingly, been used by over 150 artists.
Nirvana drummer
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
credits The Gap Band for inspiring the drum intro on their hit "
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...
."
Robert Wilson died of a heart attack at his home in
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On A ...
on August 15, 2010, at the age of 53.
Ronnie Wilson died following a stroke on November 2, 2021, at age 73.
Sampling
Music
Since the 1990s, many of The Gap Band's hits have been
sampled and/or covered by
R&B and
hip hop artists such as
II D Extreme
II D Extreme was an American new jack swing R&B group from the early 1990s that included D'Extra Wiley, Randy Gill (Johnny Gill's brother) and Jermaine Mickey. They are known for the songs "Cry No More", "Up on the Roof" and their cover of the G ...
,
Brand Nubian,
Tyler, the Creator,
69 Boyz
69 Boyz is an American Miami bass and hip hop duo: Van "Thrill Da Playa" Bryant, from Jacksonville, Florida, and Barry "Fast" Wright, from Orlando, Florida, United States. The group was initiated by Thrill Da Playa with the assistance of produc ...
,
Ashanti,
Big Mello,
Blackstreet,
Mary J. Blige,
Da Brat,
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...
,
Jermaine Dupri,
Mia X,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ...
,
Rob Base
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 hit " It Takes Two", ...
,
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greate ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
,
Soul For Real
Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an African-American R&B group from Wyandanch, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andr ...
,
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
,
Love Tractor
Love Tractor (1980–current) is a band from Athens, Georgia, founded in spring 1980 by guitarists Mark Cline and Mike Richmond, and bassist Armistead Wellford, students at the University of Georgia. Like The B-52's, Pylon and R.E.M., Love Trac ...
and
Vesta. Other musicians inspired by The Gap Band, or who sampled them, include
Guy, Aaron Hall,
Jagged Edge, Bill Heausler,
Mint Condition
Mint condition is an expression used to denote the quality of a pre-owned good as displaying virtually no imperfections and being in pristine condition relative to its original production state. Originally, the phrase related to the way collect ...
,
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
R. Kelly,
Ruff Endz, Keith Sweat, Joe Miller, GRiTT, The Delta Troubadours, and
D'Extra Wiley
II D Extreme was an American new jack swing R&B group from the early 1990s that included D'Extra Wiley, Randy Gill (Johnny Gill's brother) and Jermaine Mickey. They are known for the songs "Cry No More", "Up on the Roof" and their cover of the G ...
.
Producer
Heavy D
Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...
sampled "Outstanding" for "Every Little Thing", a 1995 hit single by his boy band prodigies
Soul for Real
Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an African-American R&B group from Wyandanch, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andr ...
, which reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ten years later, Polish rappers Red and Spinache sampled "Outstanding" for "Wczoraj", from their album ''7 Rano''.
British singer
George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...
incorporated parts of "
Burn Rubber on Me" in his 1997 single "
Star People".
Members
*
Charlie Wilson (born 1953) – Lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, clavinet, organ, drums, percussion
* Ronnie Wilson (1948–2021) – Vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, synthesizer, percussion, songwriter
* Robert Wilson (1956–2010) – Bass, guitar, percussion, vocals
Supporting musicians
*
Lonnie Simmons – Guitar, percussion
* Rudy Taylor – Keyboard, programming, back vocal
* Raymond Calhoun – Percussion, drums, vocals
* Rastine Calhoun – Saxes
* Val Young – Vocals
*
Penny Ford – Vocals
* Billy Young – Keyboard
* Cavin Yarbrough – Keyboard
* Robert "Goodie" Whitfield – Piano, synthesizer, saxophone
* James Gadson – Drums
* James "Jimi" Macon – Guitar (1977–1986)
* Chris Clayton – Saxophone, vocals (1974–1983)
* Alvin Jones – Trombone (1974)
* Tommy Lokey – Trumpet (1974–1983)
* Carl Scoggins – Congas, percussion (1974)
* Roscoe Smith – Drums (1974)
* O'Dell Stokes – Guitar (1974)
* Lawrence "Lukii" Scott – Guitar (1974)
* Tim Fenderson (Rabbit) – Bass
* LaSalle Gabriel – Guitar (1994–1997)
* Malvin "Dino" Vice – Trumpet, vocals, horn and string arrangements
* Oliver Scott – Piano, synthesizer, trombone, vocals
* Ray Hayes – Drums
* Ronnie Smith- Drums
* Fred "Locksmith" Jenkins – Guitar
* Glenn Nightingale – Guitar
* Earl Roberson – Horns, saxophone
* Jimmy Hamilton – Piano, synthesizer
* Maurice Hayes – Guitar
* Ira Ward – Drums, Bass, guitar, piano
* Greg C Jackson — Piano, synthesizer, vocal rhythm arrangements and sequencing
*
Composers
*
Charlie Wilson
*Ronnie Wilson
*Robert Wilson
*Lonnie Simmons
*Oliver Scott
*Jonah Ellis
*Malvin "Dino" Vice
*Raymond Calhoun
*Rudy Taylor
*Greg C Jackson
Discography
* ''
Magicians Holiday'' (1974)
* ''
The Gap Band'' (1977)
* ''
The Gap Band'' (1979)
* ''
The Gap Band II'' (1979)
* ''
The Gap Band III
''The Gap Band III'' is the fifth studio album (contrary to the title) by American
R&B band The Gap Band, released in 1980 on Mercury Records. It was produced by Lonnie Simmons. It was their first album to achieve platinum status. The album was ...
'' (1980)
* ''
Gap Band IV
''Gap Band IV'' is the sixth album (contrary to the title) by The Gap Band, released in 1982 on Total Experience Records. The album reached #1 on the Black Albums chart and #14 on the Pop Albums chart, achieved platinum status, and is considere ...
'' (1982)
* ''
Gap Band V: Jammin''' (1983)
* ''
Gap Band VI
''Gap Band VI'' is the eighth album (contrary to the title) by the Gap Band, released in 1984 on Total Experience Records. It was originally intended to be lead singer Charlie Wilson's first solo album, and the first Gap Band album released unde ...
'' (1984)
* ''
Gap Band VII
''Gap Band VII'' is the ninth album by the Gap Band, released in 1985 on Total Experience Records. The album includes the single from original Jerry Peters's song " Going in Circles". As AllMusic's Amy Hanson said in her review of the album, "T ...
'' (1985)
* ''
Gap Band 8
''Gap Band 8'' is the 10th album (contrary to the title) by American R&B and funk band the Gap Band, released in 1986 on Total Experience Records. It is the first (and only) album in the band's self-titled series to be subtitled with a regular ...
'' (1986)
* ''
Straight From The Heart'' (1988)
* ''
Round Trip'' (1989)
* ''
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.
Etymology
The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness.
...
'' (1994)
* ''
Ain't Nothin' But a Party'' (1995)
* ''
Y2K: Funkin' Till 2000 Comz'' (1999)
References
External links
*
*
*
Myspace PageEncyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Gap BandThe Gap Bandat
WhoSampled
WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, cover songs and remixes.
History
Nadav Poraz founded the site in London, England in 2008, as a way to track musical samples and cover songs. ...
Charlie Wilson in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gap Band, The
1967 establishments in Oklahoma
2010 disestablishments in Oklahoma
African-American musical groups
Family musical groups
American boogie musicians
American electro musicians
American soul musical groups
American funk musical groups
Musical groups from Oklahoma
Musical groups established in 1967
Musical groups disestablished in 2010
Sibling musical trios
Vocal trios