This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view .(September 2011) |
Enchantment | |
---|---|
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Genres | Soul, R&B |
Years active | 1967–present |
Labels | Roadshow Records United Artists Records RCA Records Columbia Records |
Members | Emanuel "EJ" Johnson Walter Jones Mickey Clanton Joe "Jobie" Thomas Dave Banks |
Past members | Bobby Green Carl Cotton Lacey Robinson |
Enchantment is a soul/R&B band formed in Detroit, Michigan by Emanuel "EJ" Johnson, Joe "Jobie" Thomas, Bobby Green, Edgar "Mickey" Clanton, and David Banks. They are best known for their mid-1970s hits "Gloria", "Sunshine" and "It's You That I Need". [1]
Enchantment was formed in the late 1960s at Detroit's Pershing High School, [1] with the visually impaired Emanuel "EJ" Johnson as their lead singer. [2] In 1971, Enchantment came to the attention of Dick Scott, a former Motown executive who headed his own artist development company, Artists International. [1] In 1973, they formed an alliance with Michael Stokes, producer of Creative Source's hit "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)".
By 1976, Stokes had negotiated a recording deal through his association with Fred Frank, then head of Roadshow Records, who was also guiding the careers of B.T. Express and Brass Construction. After their disco-oriented song "Come On And Ride", the band changed their focus to writing ballads. Their self-titled debut album, Enchantment , contained two singles in that vein which charted well on the Billboard R&B chart – "Gloria" at number five and "Sunshine" at number three. [1]
Their second album, Once Upon a Dream , far surpassed its predecessor by charting at No. 8 on the R&B albums chart and at No. 46 on the Pop albums charts. It featured the crossover ballad "It's You That I Need", which topped the R&B charts. [1] Overall, their attempts to diversify their sound by appealing to the disco audience failed, but their song "If You're Ready (Here It Comes)" reached No. 14 on the R&B charts. [3] In 1978, Roadshow ended its distribution agreement with United Artists and formed an alliance with RCA Records. In 1979, Enchantment released their third album, Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment , which was their final recording with Roadshow Records. [2]
By 1980, Roadshow had folded as a label and Enchantment signed with RCA Records, where they recorded their fourth album, Soft Lights, Sweet Music , with top R&B producer Don Davis. Both singles released charted at No. 47 in the 1981 charts. In 1982, they signed with Columbia Records and released two more albums: Enchanted Lady (1982) and Utopia (1984). By the end of the 1980s, the rise of funk and rap put a virtual end to ballad groups. All three albums barely dented the charts. [2]
In 2003, Enchantment released "God Bless America", in honor of troops fighting in Iraq. Proceeds from the single benefited the United Way. Jobie Thomas later left the group and has formed his own group known as Enchantment featuring Jobie Thomas. [2]
Although it was not a charting single, the Enchantment song "Forever More" (from Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment ) was sampled by singer-songwriter Anthony David for his song "4Evermore" (featuring Algebra and Phonte), which became a top-20 R&B hit in 2011.
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [4] | US R&B [4] | ||||
1977 | Enchantment | 104 | 11 | Roadshow/United Artists | |
1978 | Once Upon a Dream | 46 | 8 | ||
1979 | Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment | 145 | 25 | Roadshow | |
1980 | Soft Lights, Sweet Music | 202 | 65 | RCA | |
1982 | Enchanted Lady | — | — | Columbia | |
1983 | Utopia | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [3] | US R&B [3] | US Dan [3] | CAN [5] | ||||
1975 | "Call on Me" | — | — | — | — | Deliver Us from Evil | |
1976 | "Come on and Ride" | — | 67 | 37 | — | Enchantment | |
"Gloria" | 25 | 5 | — | 44 | |||
1977 | "Sunshine" | 45 | 3 | — | — | ||
1978 | "It's You That I Need" | 33 | 1 | — | — | Once Upon a Dream | |
"If You're Ready (Here It Comes)" | — | 14 | — | — | |||
1979 | "Anyway You Want It" | 109 | 38 | — | — | Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment | |
"Where Do We Go from Here" | — | 29 | — | — | |||
"Forever More" | — | — | — | — | |||
1980 | "Settin' It Out" | — | — | 47 | — | Soft Lights, Sweet Music | |
1981 | "Moment of Weakness" | — | 47 | — | — | ||
1982 | "I Know Your Hot Spot" | — | 45 | — | — | Enchanted Lady | |
"I Can't Forget You" | — | — | — | — | |||
"Enchanted Lady" | — | — | — | — | |||
1983 | "Here's Your Chance" | — | — | — | — | Utopia | |
1984 | "Don't Fight the Feeling" | — | 64 | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "Let Me Know " (1979), "I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974).
Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and Trenton, in New Jersey: the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, then later changing their name to the Blue Belles. The founding members were Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.
KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "Get Down Tonight", "That's the Way ", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love","Boogie Shoes", "Please Don't Go" and "Give It Up". The band took its name from lead vocalist Harry Wayne Casey's last name ('KC') and the 'Sunshine Band' from KC's home state of Florida, the Sunshine State. The group has had six top 10 singles, five number one singles and a number two single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Vicki Sue Robinson was an American singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around".
"I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. The song is also frequently recalled as a symbol of female empowerment, as well as a disco staple.
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teenager, Wright rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night". Wright was also prominent in her use of whistle register.
Five Star were a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 albums and 15 top-40 singles in the UK, including the top-10 hits "System Addict" (1986), "Can't Wait Another Minute" (1986), "Find the Time" (1986), "Rain or Shine" (1986), "Stay Out of My Life" (1987) and "The Slightest Touch" (1987). They won the 1987 Brit Award for Best British Group.
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group the Communards.
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit "The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Stylistics, Aretha Franklin, Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore, and Stacy Lattisaw.
Evelyn "Champagne" King is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early through the mid–1980s including; "I'm in Love" (1981), "Love Come Down" (1982) and "Your Personal Touch" (1985).
The Five Stairsteps, known as "The First Family of Soul" and later "The Invisible Man's Band", were an American Chicago soul group made up of five of Betty and Clarence Burke Sr.'s six children: Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Kenneth "Keni", and briefly, Cubie. They are best known for the 1970 song "O-o-h Child", listed at number 402 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976, originally appearing on her debut album, Never Gonna Let You Go (1976). Released as a single, the song went to #10 on the Billboard pop charts, and #73 on the Billboard soul chart. The song earned Robinson a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The track also went to number one on the Billboard disco chart for four weeks. "Turn the Beat Around" is considered a disco classic and is featured on many compilation albums.
"Get Down Tonight" is a song released in 1975 on the self-titled album by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became widely successful, becoming the first of their five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart and was an international chart hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada and charting in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The discography of American rhythm and blues singer Diana Ross, the former lead singer of the Supremes, consists of 26 studio albums and 116 singles. Throughout her career, Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked her as the 47th Greatest Artist of all time and the 11th Greatest Hot 100 Female Artist of all time. In 1993, Guinness World Records crowned Ross as the "most successful female artist in music history". Her 11th studio album "Diana" remains the best-selling album of her career, selling more than 10 million copies and album equivalent units around the world.
Winner Takes All is a studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on T-Neck Records on August 21, 1979. It was their first and only double album. The album included the number-one R&B hit, "I Wanna Be With You" and the top 20 UK disco hit, "It's a Disco Night ".
The Heat Is On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul and funk group the Isley Brothers, released June 7, 1975, on T-Neck Records and Epic Records. Written and produced entirely by the group, the album was recorded in 1975 at Kendum Recorders in Burbank, California. The Heat Is On features musical elements of rock, and is divided between uptempo funk songs and soul ballads.
"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.
Enchantment is the debut album recorded by Detroit, Michigan-based R&B group Enchantment, released in 1977 on the Roadshow /United Artists label. The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2012 by Big Break Records.
Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment is an album by Detroit, Michigan-based R&B group Enchantment. Released in 1979, the album peaked at number twenty-five on the R&B albums chart. This was their last album for Roadshow Records before moving on to RCA Records the following year.
"Gloria" is a song performed by American R&B group Enchantment, issued as the second single from the group's eponymous debut album. It was written by lead singer Emanuel Johnson with frequent collaborator Michael Stokes; and was produced by Stokes. The song was the group's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25 in 1977.