Switch (band)
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Switch is an American R&B/
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 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 found fame recording for the
Gordy ''Gordy'' is a 1994 American family comedy-drama film directed by Mark Lewis, about a livestock piglet named Gordy who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to a slaughterhouse in Omaha, Nebraska). He experiences the lives of others ...
label in the late 1970s, releasing hit songs such as "There'll Never Be", "I Call Your Name", and "Love Over & Over Again". Switch influenced bands such as
DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...
, which featured the
siblings A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...
of Switch band members
Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...
and Tommy DeBarge.


Biography


Early years

The group was formed in
Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...
, in December 1976 by Gregory Williams. They recorded a demo tape in Columbus, Ohio with the financial assistance of Bernd Lichters. Switch included Gregory Williams, brothers Tommy DeBarge and
Bobby DeBarge Robert Louis DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995) was an American singer and musician. DeBarge was the lead singer of the Motown R&B/soul vocal group Switch and was noted for his falsetto vocals. Later on, he served as both mentor ...
, all from
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
, along with
Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...
natives
Phillip Ingram Phillip Ingram (born 1958) is an American musician. He is perhaps best known as one of the founding members of the Motown Group "Switch" and is the younger brother of James Ingram. Biography Ingram was raised in Akron, Ohio. He came from a mus ...
(brother of
James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee for Academy Award for Best Original ...
), Eddie Fluellen, and Jody Sims (originally from
Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...
). Williams, Bobby DeBarge, and Sims had been members of White Heat, which released a self-titled album on RCA in 1975, but the band's producer,
Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...
, soon shuttered his Soul Unlimited production company and dropped all the acts on the roster. Williams, then living in Akron, decided to form his own band.


Success years

The new group would become Switch due to their ability to switch to different lead vocalists and instruments during a song. After a demo was recorded by the newly formed, unnamed band, Williams and Sims flew to LA and by sheer coincidence got the attention of
Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...
, former member of
the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
, and Hazel Gordy Jackson (Jermaine's then-wife and daughter of Motown chief
Berry Gordy Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...
), who heard the group's demo tape. Within weeks, the group was signed to the
Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
Gordy subsidiary
label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
. They recorded and released their self titled debut album some 18 months later in 1978, which featured their first Top 10 R&B
hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
, entitled "There'll Never Be". The song also proved to be their biggest success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it was a Top 40 hit (their only one), peaking at #36. Their songs were written by Williams, Bobby DeBarge and Sims, sometimes in collaboration with Jermaine Jackson. Though they never managed to achieve significant crossover success into the pop singles
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 ...
, they were a consistent presence on the R&B charts through the late 1970s with albums such as ''Switch II'' from 1979 (their second release), ''This Is My Dream'' and ''
Reaching For Tomorrow ''Reaching for Tomorrow'' is the third album by R&B/funk band Switch, released in 1980 by Gordy Records. The album reached No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. Overview ''Reaching for Tomorrow'' was recorded at Jennifudy Recordin ...
'' in 1980. Their final release on Gordy was ''Switch V'', released in 1981. Songs such as "I Wanna Be Closer", "We Like to Party", "I Call Your Name", "Best Beat in Town", and "Love Over and Over Again" also became hits for the group.


Later years

Shortly after the DeBarge brothers left Switch to mentor their younger siblings in the group DeBarge, and lead singer Ingram left to pursue a solo career, Switch took on new vocalists and musicians: singer Renard Gallo, Gonzales Ozen, and
bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
Phil Upchurch Jr. This configuration of Switch signed with Total Experience (home of their contemporaries
the Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, and ...
) and recorded a final album ''Am I Still Your Boyfriend'' in 1984, breaking up later that year. In 1985, Switch reformed with Williams and all new members, getting little traction. In 1991, Motown released a greatest hits
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
by the band. A similar version on the 20th Century Masters series released more recently is all that remains in print of this band. Former lead singer Bobby DeBarge died of
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
-related complications in
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
on August 16, 1995, at age 39. Switch has since reunited, featuring original members founder/leader Williams, Fluellen, Ingram, original sessions/on stage guitarist Michael McGloiry, and new lead vocalist Akili Nickson. Former bass guitar player and backup singer Tommy DeBarge died on October 21, 2021, at age 64.


Personnel

*Gregory Williams (1976–present): vocals, keyboards, trumpet *Eddie Fluellen (1977–present): keyboards,
trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...
, vocals *
Phillip Ingram Phillip Ingram (born 1958) is an American musician. He is perhaps best known as one of the founding members of the Motown Group "Switch" and is the younger brother of James Ingram. Biography Ingram was raised in Akron, Ohio. He came from a mus ...
(1976–1982; present): vocals, keyboards, percussion *
Bobby DeBarge Robert Louis DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995) was an American singer and musician. DeBarge was the lead singer of the Motown R&B/soul vocal group Switch and was noted for his falsetto vocals. Later on, he served as both mentor ...
(1977–1981): vocals,
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
/
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
, drums *Tommy DeBarge (1976–1981): vocals,
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
*Jody Sims (1976–1984): vocals, drums *Michael McGloiry (original session guitarist) (1978–present): guitar *Attala Giles (1981–1984): guitar, bass, keyboards *Renard Gallo (1982–1984): vocals,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
*Gonzales Ozen (1982–1984): vocals, percussion *Akili Nickson (2003–present): lead vocals *Christopher Hawkins (1985–1987): lead vocals *Anthony Watters (1985–1987): Guitar, vocals *Howie Carbaugh (1985–1987): Drums *Charles Meyers (1985–1987): Bass, vocals


Discography


Studio albums

* Credited to White Heat. * Credited to Hot-Ice.


Compilations

*''The Best of Switch'' (1991,
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
) *''20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Switch'' (2001, Motown)


Singles


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Switch 1975 establishments in Ohio 1984 disestablishments in Ohio Switch (band) Switch (band) Switch (band) Switch (band) Switch (band) Switch (band) Switch (band) DeBarge family