 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2020) |
Double Exposure | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Philadelphia, United States |
| Genres | Disco |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Labels | Salsoul |
| Members | Leonard "Butch" Davis Joe Harris Kenny Pitt James Burris |
| Past members | Jimmy Williams Charles Whittington Lorenzo Bell |
| Website | www.doubleexposuremusic.com |
Double Exposure is an American, Philadelphia-based disco group. They are best known for their 1976 hit, "Ten Percent". [1]
The group formed in 1961 with Leonard "Butch" Davis, Charles Whittington, Jimmy Williams and Joe Harris. They were originally known as the United Image [1] and released two singles, "Love's Creeping Up on Me" on Stax Records in 1971 and "The African Bump" on Branding Iron Records in 1972.
They were signed to Salsoul Records in 1975 and released their debut album, Ten Percent in 1976. The album featured the title track, which was remixed by Walter Gibbons and reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the dance/disco charts. [2] The tracks "Everyman (Has to Carry His Own Weight) and "My Love Is Free" were also popular club songs.
In 2001, a dance group called M&S used samples from Double Exposure's "Everyman" in their song called "Salsoul Nugget".
In September 2008, they recorded new material an Eli/Dixon/Green composition called "Soul Recession"/Soultronics Records at Eli's Studio E (The Grooveyard) facility in Philadelphia. Some original Salsoul/Philly/TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)/MFSB (Gamble and Huff) session musicians have appeared on "Soul Recession", including Earl Young, Bobby Eli, Dennis Harris, T.G. Conway, Jimmy Williams and Rikki Hicks.
Jimmy Williams died in October 2016. [3]
In 2018, new members Kenny Pitt and Lorenzo Bell are performing with the original band members to keep the Double Exposure sound alive.
In 2022 Salsoul re-released the "Ten Percent" album and is also available for streaming.
In 2024 James Burris became the newest member replacing Lorenzo Bell.
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [2] | |||||||||||||
| 1976 | Ten Percent | 129 | 40 | Salsoul | ||||||||||
| 1978 | Fourplay | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | Locker Room | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [2] | US Dan [2] | ||||||||||||
| 1976 | "Ten Percent" | 54 | 63 | 2 | Ten Percent | |||||||||
| "My Love Is Free" | 104 | 44 | 15 | |||||||||||
| "Everyman (Has to Carry His Own Weight)" | — | 84 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 1978 | "Newsy Neighbors" | 107 | — | — | Fourplay | |||||||||
| "Perfect Lover" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | "I Got the Hots for Ya" | — | 33 | 37 | Locker Room | |||||||||
| 1982 | "After All This Time" | — | — | 57 | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
The twelve-inch single is a type of vinyl gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compared to LPs which have several songs on each side. It is named for its 12-inch (300 mm) diameter. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the mastering engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality. This record type is commonly used in disco and dance music genres, where DJs use them to play in clubs. They are played at either 33+1⁄3 or 45 rpm. The conventional 7-inch single usually holds three or four minutes of music at full volume. The 12-inch LP sacrifices volume for extended playing time.
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The genre laid the groundwork for the emergence of disco later in the 1970s by fusing the R&B rhythm sections of the 1960s with the pop vocal tradition and featuring a more pronounced jazz influence in its melodic structures and arrangements. Fred Wesley, trombonist with the J.B.'s and Parliament-Funkadelic, described the Philadelphia soul sound as "putting the bow tie on funk."
The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands.
MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.
Loleatta Holloway was an American singer known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation". In December 2016, Billboard named her the 95th-most successful dance artist of all time. According to the Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music, used in house and dance tracks such as the 1989 Black Box single "Ride on Time".
Walter Gibbons was an American record producer, early disco DJ, and remixer. He helped pioneer the remix and 12" single in America, and was among the most influential New York DJs of the 1970s.
Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre. Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/post-disco 12-inch releases, and a string of albums in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Vincent Montana Jr., known as Vince Montana, was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist, and percussionist. He is best known as a member of MFSB and as the founder of the Salsoul Orchestra. He has been called "the Godfather of disco". Montana was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016.
First Choice is an American girl group and vocal music trio from Philadelphia. Their R&B and disco hits included "Armed and Extremely Dangerous", "Smarty Pants", "The Player ", "Guilty", "Love Thang", and "Doctor Love". They were signed to soul label Philly Groove and to disco label Gold Mind, and later to Warner Bros. and Salsoul.
Carol Williams, born in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, is a vocalist and songwriter who achieved success with her disco songs in the 1970s. She was the first female artist signed to the disco label Salsoul Records.
Salsoul Jam 2000 is a DJ mix album by Grandmaster Flash. It was originally released in the US in 1997, and was his first release in nine years. The album consists of classic disco tracks originally released on the Salsoul Records label, mixed and segued together as a continuous DJ mix in front of a live crowd.
Earl Donald Young is a Philadelphia-based drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along with Ronnie Baker and Norman Harris, was the owner of the Golden Fleece record label.
In 1976, Salsoul Records released their eighth release, Walter Gibbons' remix of Double Exposure's disco song "Ten Percent". "Ten Percent" was the first commercially available 12-inch single. Although, according to the record label, the actual title of this record is Ten Per Cent, not Ten Percent.
Barbara Jane Ingram was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success as a backup singer for almost two decades.
Bobby Eli was an American musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. He was a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio band MFSB.
Love Is the Message is the second album by Philadelphia International Records houseband MFSB. The album includes the number one pop, R&B, and adult contemporary hit and winner of the 1974 Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, "TSOP ". The song was the theme song for the television show Soul Train.
Ten Percent is the debut studio album recorded by American male vocal quartet Double Exposure, released in 1976 on the Salsoul label.
Locker Room is the third studio album recorded by American male vocal quartet Double Exposure, released in 1979 on the Salsoul label.
When Love is New is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin, Dexter Wansel, Norman Harris, and Jack Faith; and engineered by Joe Tarsia. Released in December 1975, it reached #139 on the Billboard Pop Album chart and #17 on the Soul chart. It includes the singles "Let's Make a Baby" which hit #83 on the Pop singles chart, #18 on the Soul chart, and #30 in the UK and "People Power" which reached #82 on the Soul chart and #14 on the U.S. Dance chart. The album was reissued on CD in 2010 by the U.K.'s Edsel Records. This was the final album where Paul was backed by MFSB, the house band of Philadelphia International Records (PIR).
Dennis Harris is an American session guitarist, songwriter and arranger. Historically he played a significant part in the Philly Sound, playing on many of the hits during the 1970s. The hits include, "Only the Strong Survive" by Billy Paul, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead and "Lady Love" by Lou Rawls. He also played the guitar intro on Rawls' hit "You'll Never Find Another Love like Mine". He is a former member of The Philly Groove Orchestra, The Trammps, MFSB and The Salsoul Orchestra. In recent years he has been part of the New MFSB. He is also a guitar teacher.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
