Brass Construction | |
---|---|
Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
Genres | Funk, disco |
Years active | 1968–1985 |
Labels | United Artists Records, Capitol Records, Epic Records |
Past members | Wade Williamston Sandy Billups Morris Price Larry Payton (deceased) Jesse Ward Jr. (deceased) Michael "Micky" Grudge Wayne Parris Alvin Haskin Duane Cahill Joseph Arthur-Wong (deceased) Randy Muller |
Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, [1] and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through 1985.
Signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former United Artists Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two US Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976, the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. They had much more success on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'", which reached #1. Singer, pianist, flautist and arranger Randy Muller went on to score a number of R&B hits with Skyy and B. T. Express. [2]
Over the years, Brass Construction members have included Wade Williamston (bass), Sandy Billups (percussion), Morris Price (trumpet), Larry Payton (drums), Jesse Ward Jr. (saxophone), Michael "Micky" Grudge (saxophone), Wayne Parris (trumpet), Alvin Haskin (original trombone player on "Movin'"), Duane Cahill (trombone), Joseph Arthur-Wong (guitar), and Randy Muller (lead vocals), [3] later joined by Lee Evans on keyboards.
Brass Construction reunited for a concert on November 28, 2005, at the Bataclan Arena in Paris, France. [3]
Joseph Arthur-Wong died in 1998. Jesse Ward Jr. died in 2016. [4] Drummer Larry Payton died on March 21, 2016. [5] [6]
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [7] | US R&B [7] | CAN [8] | UK [9] | |||||||||||
1975 | Brass Construction | 10 | 1 | 55 | 9 | United Artists | ||||||||
1976 | Brass Construction II | 26 | 3 | — | — | |||||||||
1977 | Brass Construction III | 66 | 16 | — | — | |||||||||
1978 | Brass Construction IV | 174 | 24 | — | — | |||||||||
1979 | Brass Construction 5 | 89 | 18 | — | — | |||||||||
1980 | Brass Construction 6 | 121 | 32 | — | — | |||||||||
1982 | Attitudes | 114 | 21 | — | — | Liberty | ||||||||
1983 | Conversations | 176 | 29 | — | — | Capitol | ||||||||
1984 | Renegades | — | 31 | — | 94 | |||||||||
1985 | Conquest | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [7] | US R&B [7] | US Dan [7] | BEL [12] | CAN [8] | NLD [13] | NZ [14] | UK [9] | |||||||
1970 | "Two Timin' Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
1976 | "Movin' " | 14 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 47 | 10 | — | 23 | |||||
"Changin'" | — | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)" | 51 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 37 | ||||||
1977 | "The Message (Inspirational)" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"What's on Your Mind (Expression)" | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"We" / "Celebrate" | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
1978 | "L-O-V-E-U" | 104 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Celebrate" | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Help Yourself" | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Get Up" | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
1979 | "Right Place" | — | 41 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
1980 | "Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | |||||
"I'm Not Gonna Stop" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"How Do You Do (What You Do to Me)" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
1982 | "Can You See the Light" | — | 23 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Attitude" | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
1983 | "Walkin' the Line" | — | 28 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 47 | |||||
"We Can Work It Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
1984 | "Never Had a Girl" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Partyline" | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | ||||||
"International" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
1985 | "Give and Take" | — | 76 | 28 | — | — | — | — | 62 | |||||
1988 | "Movin' 1988" | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | 41 | 24 | |||||
"Ha Cha Cha" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | ||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a wide range of musical styles. Their sound has merged rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band jazz.
Rock Swings is an album by Paul Anka. Recorded in November 2004 and released on May 31, 2005 in Canada and June 7, 2005 in the United States, it contains swing jazz covers of popular rock and pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s.
"The Morning Papers" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide single from the album in March 1993; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls. The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol.
Thighs and Whispers is the fifth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. Released in 1979, the album reached No. 65 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
Please Yourself is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward continuing after the departure of Jacquie O'Sullivan in 1991. Please Yourself also reunites Bananarama with two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman production team. Musician Gary Miller was brought in to do keyboards and guitar and would be Bananarama's next collaborator on their following album Ultra Violet. The concept of the album was first suggested by Pete Waterman as 'ABBA-Banana', a record that would feature pop songs in the style of ABBA, but updated for the 1990s. Ultimately, however, much of the album ended up incorporating a ‘90s Euro-disco sound with only “Movin’ On” and “Last Thing On My Mind” utilising an ABBA-esque influence.
Matrix is a jazz fusion group from Appleton, Wisconsin, that started in 1974, noted for tight brass ensemble lines and complex musical themes inspired by literary works, the American Indian, and other significant programmatic themes. Matrix made its biggest impact on the music scene in the 1970s, including appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1976 and 1977 and the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977.
All Systems Go is the thirteenth studio album by Donna Summer. It was released on September 15, 1987; it would be her final release on Geffen Records, which had been Summer's label since 1980. There were two singles released in the US, "Dinner with Gershwin" and "Only the Fool Survives", although both failed to reach the top 40 of the Hot 100. The title cut, "All Systems Go" was released as single in the UK. The album peaked at number 122 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her lowest charting studio album to date.
"Movin'" is a song written by Randy Muller and Wade Williamston, and performed by R&B/disco band Brass Construction.
Carnaval is the fourth album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1980. It was given gold record status on June 1, 1987.
When It All Goes South is the nineteenth studio album by American country music band Alabama, released in 2001. It produced the singles "When It All Goes South", "Will You Marry Me" and "The Woman He Loves". This became Alabama's final studio album of original materials until 2015's Southern Drawl. It ranked at No. 37 in Billboard Album Charts and No. 4 on Country Album Chart.
Chaka is the debut solo album by singer Chaka Khan. It was released on October 12, 1978 through Warner Bros Record label.
Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models featured in Playboy.
Brass Construction is the self-titled debut album by the American funk band Brass Construction, released in autumn 1975 by United Artists Records. Recorded with producer Jeff Lane, the album weaves different influences, including Latin music and jazz, into the band's rhythmic funk style, and emphasises the group's brass section. The album's songs, all of which are named using a single verb, feature simplistic, repetitive lyrics, reflecting the group's desire for audiences to interpret the songs as they wish. Critics noted themes of social awareness in the lyrics.
Natalie Cole en Español is a final studio album by Natalie Cole, released on June 25, 2013 through Verve Records. Produced by the Cuban American composer Rudy Pérez, it is her first and only Spanish album and her first record released following her kidney transplant in 2009. The album is a follow-up to her third Christmas album Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole.Natalie Cole en Español consists of twelve tracks, which are cover versions of Spanish standards. The album features duets with Juan Luis Guerra, Chris Botti, Arthur Hanlon, Andrea Bocelli and a posthumous duet with her father Nat King Cole.
Twistin' the Night Away is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, the album was released in April 1962 in the United States by RCA Victor. Twistin' the Night Away primarily capitalizes on the twist phenomenon and as a result became one of Cooke's most successful LPs, becoming his second to chart and creating a string of chart successes.
Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch is a 2014 album and the final studio album released by American musician Dr. John during his lifetime, and his penultimate studio album in total. Produced by Dr. John and Sarah Morrow, it was released in August 2014. It contains songs from the repertoire of Louis Armstrong ("Satch") and features many guest musicians, such as The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bonnie Raitt.
Damn! is a 1996 album by the American jazz organist Jimmy Smith. The album was Smith's first album for Verve Records for over twenty years.
Before This World is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released on June 15, 2015, it was Taylor's first new studio album of original material since October Road (2002) and first studio album of any kind since Covers in 2008. He recorded the album in a barn on his property in western Massachusetts with Steve Gadd on drums and Jimmy Johnson on bass. In April 2015, he announced a short U.S. tour running from July 2 to August 6 to promote the album, which then continued into 2016 and 2017.
Brass Construction II is the second album by American funk-disco band Brass Construction, released in October 1976 by United Artists Records. Recorded with producer Jeff Lane, it followed the success of the group's self-titled 1975 album. Band leader Randy Muller sought to diversify the group's sound, aiming for a "multi-dimensional" approach with disparate musical influences, including styles of Latin, reggae and Afro-Cuban music, and more specific lyrical topics, with each of the songs featuring a subtitle that Muller said defined each track.
Stars is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, and the first of her seven for Columbia Records. Ian had previously had a three-year hiatus from the music industry since her 1971 album Present Company. In two years away from the music business, Ian wrote over 100 songs after moving to Los Angeles. She returned to play at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on August 17, 1973, and was signed by Columbia Records after several other companies rejected the songs she had written.