Cameo (band)

Last updated

Cameo
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres Funk, soul, R&B, funk rock
Years active1974–2001, 2016–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • Tomi Jenkins
  • Nathan Leftenant
  • Jeryl Bright
  • Gregory B. Johnson
  • Arnett Leftenant
  • Charlie Singleton
  • Robert Branch
  • Kenni Hairston
  • Michael Burnett
  • Thomas Campbell
  • Wayne Cooper (deceased)
  • Merve de Peyer
  • Gary Dow
  • Eric Durham
  • Gregory Johnson
  • Kurt Jeter
  • John Kellogg
  • Kevin Kendrick
  • Damon Mendes
  • Stephen Moore
  • William Morris
  • Eric Nelson
  • William Revis
  • Charles Sampson
  • Robert L. Smith
  • Melvin Wells
  • Paul Andrews
  • Azza Meah
  • Arnold Ramsey
  • Dominic Christie
  • Harold Gander
  • Pat Buchanan
Website cameonation.com

Cameo is an American funk band that formed in 1974. [1] Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players; [1] this name was later changed to Cameo.

Contents

As of the first half of 2009, some of the original members continued to perform together. Two other original members were hired by the hip hop group Outkast. [2] In 2015, Cameo announced a new residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, opening in March 2016. [3] On February 20, 2019, Larry Blackmon of Cameo announced "El Passo", the first new single from the band in 19 years. [4] [5] [6]

Background

1974–1979: Formation and early years

Formed by Larry Blackmon in 1974 as the New York City Players [1] the band was signed by Casablanca Records to its Chocolate City imprint in 1975 as “The Players”. However, according to original band member Nathan Leftenant, the group soon changed its name after the threat of legal action by Mercury Records due to the name “The Players” being too similar to Ohio Players, who recorded for Mercury at the time. The name Cameo was derived from a brand of cigarettes sold in Canada that the band saw during a visit to that country. Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and the late Gwen Guthrie formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Haras Fyre (also known as Pat Grant) on trombone. They released one self-titled album in 1973 on the independent label Encounter.

Cameo started with a deep, funk sound, but it was obvious from the start their sights were set on the dance floor. Their first album was Cardiac Arrest which featured its first hit single, "Rigor Mortis". Follow up albums We All Know Who We Are , Ugly Ego , and Secret Omen contained dance floor songs such as "I Just Want To Be" and “It’s Serious”, the latter of which was used for a dance contest scene in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday . The band's debut single "Find My Way" was a disco song that was also used in the film, and was included on the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack. ("Find My Way" was their cover of a 1972 Three Degrees and a 1969 Tymes tune.)

Bassist Aaron Mills joined the band in 1978, after a stint in Donald Byrd's jazz-funk collective N.C.C.U., which toured with Cameo. Mills impressed Blackmon with his bass playing, and Blackmon invited him to join Cameo. [7]

1979–1992: Mainstream breakthrough

The 1979 single “I Just Want To Be” was Cameo's breakthrough hit. It reached number 3 on the Billboard magazine R&B Chart, and along with the follow-up single, the Top 10 R&B ballad “Sparkle”, pushed the album Secret Omen to Gold status with sales of over 500,000 copies, the band's first album to achieve this status. Their next album, Cameosis , came out in 1980 and also achieved Gold status thanks in large part to the funk classic “Shake Your Pants”, the mid-tempo single “We’re Goin’ Out Tonight”, and the ballad “Why Have I Lost You” (a re-recording of a song from their 1978 album We All Know Who We Are). It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart, their highest positions yet. Their second album of 1980, Feel Me , 1981's Knights of the Sound Table , and 1982's Alligator Woman also went Gold and saw the band playing up their eclectic style. Bandmembers Aaron Mills, Thomas "TC" Campbell and Jeryl Bright briefly left the band in 1983 to form a spinoff group called MCB. [7] The band released She's Strange in 1984, which performed well and hit number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and 26 on the Billboard 200. The album's title track, eponymous single became the band's first number 1 R&B hit, as well as their first charting pop single; reaching number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1985's album Single Life , featuring the title track and "Attack Me with Your Love", hit number 2 on the Top R&B chart and continued the band's momentum, paving the way for what was to come the following year. The single "Word Up!" was released in 1986 and reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, plus number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's biggest single on the pop chart. The follow-up single “Candy” reached number 1 R&B and 21 pop, while their next release, “Back and Forth”, went to number 3 R&B and number 50 pop. Meanwhile, the accompanying album also hit numbers 8 and 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B charts respectively, becoming their highest-charting album. [1]

Two years later, Cameo released Machismo to mixed critical reviews and dropped to chart at numbers 10 and 56 on the Top R&B and Billboard 200 respectively. Cameo then followed up with 1990's Real Men... Wear Black and 1992's Emotional Violence . The previous release was followed by two compilation albums in between the time of their next recording. [1]

1994–2000: Later years

In 1994, In the Face of Funk was released on the band's independent label and hit 10 on the Top R&B chart. This album was then followed by a six-year unofficial hiatus with several compilation releases, until the next album Sexy Sweet Thing in 2000. The album hit 64 on the Top R&B chart, and is their most recent charting release.

2000–2016: Inactivity/unofficial hiatus

In 2001, a sample from the band's single "Candy" was used in the Mariah Carey single "Loverboy." The song hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Blackmon was given a co-songwriting credit.

These years saw a great period of inactivity and unofficial hiatus, in which time six compilation albums were released. The compilation albums released in this period were, in chronological order: The Hits Collection (2000), 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cameo (2001), Anthology (2002), Classic Cameo (2003), The Best of Cameo (2004), Gold (2005), and The Definitive Collection (2006).

2016–present: Recent years

In March 2016, Cameo began a year-long Las Vegas residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. [3] In 2019, their single "Candy" was interpolated by Beyoncé for her cover of fellow R&B group Maze's song "Before I Let Go", featured in her film and accompanying live album Homecoming .

Associated members

Aaron Mills continues to tour with Cameo as well as other artists. He has worked with Outkast, playing on their singles "Ms. Jackson" and "Prototype", among other tracks. Ex-Cameo vocalist John Kellogg became an entertainment lawyer, representing such artists as The O'Jays, the late Gerald Levert, and LSG. He also pursued a career in music industry higher education, becoming Assistant Chair of the Music Business/Management department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Gregory B. Johnson has released two CDs on his own label, Allspice Record Co. — in 2007 "A New Hip", which is a smooth Jazz CD, and in 2012 Funk Funk (Just For A Little Time), an urban funk CD.

Style

Cameo began as a horn-oriented funk band in the 1970s, influenced by Parliament-Funkadelic. By the 1980s, Cameo expanded their sound with influences from pop, hip hop, rock and reggae, and placed more emphasis on keyboards and drum machines. [8] [9] [10]

Discography

See also

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<i>Word Up!</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Cameo

Word Up! is the 13th studio album by American funk group Cameo, released in 1986. The album reached number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million copies. It took Cameo to their highest level of popularity, and solidified them as one of the most successful bands of the 1980s. The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, "Word Up!", "Candy", and "Back and Forth".

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<i>Real Men... Wear Black</i> 1990 studio album by Cameo

Real Men... Wear Black is a studio album by the funk group Cameo released in 1990 on Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records. The album reached No. 18 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

<i>Single Life</i> 1985 studio album by Cameo

Single Life is a 1985 album by the funk group Cameo. The album reached No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. It contained the hit singles "Attack Me With Your Love", which reached No. 3 R&B, and the title track, "Single Life", which reached No. 2 R&B. "Urban Warrior" was the group's foray into the emerging Hip-hop scene. The videos for both singles included appearances from popular television soap opera actors and were tied together by a particular storyline; with the title track’s video being a continuation of the story that started in the "Attack Me With Your Love" video. The album was Cameo’s seventh to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.

<i>Cardiac Arrest</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Cameo

Cardiac Arrest is the debut album by the funk band Cameo.

<i>Secret Omen</i> 1979 studio album by Cameo

Secret Omen is the fourth album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1979. It was their first of nine albums, and the first of five consecutive albums to be certified gold in the US for sales of over 500,000 copies.

<i>Cameosis</i> 1980 studio album by Cameo

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<i>Knights of the Sound Table</i> 1981 studio album by Cameo

Knights of the Sound Table is the seventh album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1981. It reached number 2 for 3 weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 44 on the Billboard 200 chart), and was the band’s fourth consecutive album to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album spawned two hit singles: "Freaky Dancin'" and "I Like It" (which reached number 25 R&B. The track “Don’t Be So Cool” featured a guest appearance by former Labelle member Nona Hendryx and also received airplay on R&B stations at the time. Hendryx joined Cameo for a performance of the song on Soul Train that first aired on June 20, 1981.

<i>Alligator Woman</i> 1982 studio album by Cameo

Alligator Woman is a 1982 album by the American funk band Cameo, released by Casablanca Records. It is the group's eighth studio album, and the first released after group leader Larry Blackmon reduced the band from 11 members to 5 (himself, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, Charlie Singleton, and Gregory Johnson. Alligator Woman combined Cameo’s traditional funk with elements of rock and new wave, and was the band’s fifth consecutive album to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. The cover artwork model is the Canadian singer/model Vanity.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Larkin, Colin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 95. ISBN   1-85227-969-9.
  2. ↑ Griffith, Spencer (May 27, 2009). "Bassist Aaron Mills' best years may be ahead of him | Music Feature | Independent Weekly". Indyweek.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino - Amazing Las Vegas Shows - Westgate Resorts". WestgateResorts. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  4. ↑ ""El Passo" Announcement from Larry Blackmon". YouTube. March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ "El Passo | Larry Blackmon / CAMEO's New Single". Cameonation.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ Blickenstaff, Jacob. "Derby week is about more than horses: Great music is at the gate". Kentucky.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "A Homeboy Is Coming Back Home". Urban News . August 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ Hanson, Amy. "Alligator Woman Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  9. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Style Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "She's Strange Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
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