This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view .(September 2020) |
Michael Zager | |
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Born | Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. | 3 January 1943
Occupations |
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Notable work | "Let's All Chant" |
Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) [1] is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, network television, and theme music for films. He teaches music at Florida Atlantic University. [2] Zager was a member of jazz rock band Ten Wheel Drive from 1968 to 1973. [3]
Zager has produced for artists such as Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, Peabo Bryson, Luther Vandross, Deniece Williams, Jennifer Holliday, Joe Williams, Arturo Sandoval, Herb Alpert, Olatunji, and the (Detroit) Spinners. Zager also produced for R&B artist Street Corner Symphony (1975), Marilyn Chambers (1976), Andrea True (1977), [4] Dee Edwards (1980), Take Five (1981), and Elusion (1981). He also co-wrote the Patti Day song "Right Before My Eyes" with Alexandra Forbes.
In 1978, the Michael Zager Band had a popular disco anthem with "Let's All Chant". [5]
Between 1979 and 1981, Zager composed new bridges for the Spinners' cover versions of three 1960s and 1970s hits, each of which was billed as a medley with the original hit: [6]
Zager graduated from University of Miami and the Mannes College of Music. He taught at the Mannes College of Music, a division within The New School, in New York City. [2]
During the summers of 2006 and 2008 Zager taught at the College of Music at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. [7]
He holds the positions of the Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts and professor of music at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. [2]
He is the author of Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (A Manual for Composers and Students) published by Scarecrow Press, [8] and Music Production: For Producers, Composers, Arrangers, and Students, also published by Scarecrow Press. [9]
Year | Album | Label | US 200 [10] |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Let's All Chant | Private Stock Records | 120 |
Life's a Party | Columbia Records | — | |
1980 | Zager | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Pop [11] [12] | US Dance [13] [14] | US R&B [15] [14] | UK [16] | ||
1976 | "Do It with Feeling" (with Peabo Bryson) | 94 | 3 | 25 | ― |
1977 | "Let's All Chant" | 36 | 1 | 15 | 8 |
1978 | "Life's a Party" | ― | ― | ― | ― |
"Soul to Soul" | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
"Love Express" | ― | 1 | ― | ― | |
"You Don't Know a Good Thing" | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
"Music Fever" | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
1980 | "Don't Sneak on Me" | ― | ― | ― | ― |
1981 | "Dr. Rhythm" | ― | ― | ― | ― |
1984 | "Shot in the Dark" | ― | 24 | ― | ― |
1986 | "Like a Tiger" | ― | 27 | ― | ― |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Lamont Herbert Dozier was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.
Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads including the hit singles "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "As Long As There's Christmas" with Roberta Flack, "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle, and "Beauty and the Beast" with Canadian singer Celine Dion. Bryson has contributed to two Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards.
"I Will Survive" is a song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records 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 frequently regarded as an anthem of female empowerment, as well as a disco staple.
"A Whole New World" is the signature song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in their respective roles as the singing voices of the main characters Aladdin and Jasmine, the ballad serves as both the film's love and theme song. Lyrically, "A Whole New World" describes Aladdin showing the confined princess a life of freedom and the pair's acknowledgment of their love for each other while riding on a magic carpet.
"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single.
"Rapture" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album Autoamerican (1980). Written by band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released as the second and final single from Autoamerican on January 12, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Musically, "Rapture" is a combination of new wave, disco and hip hop with a rap section forming an extended coda.
"Ease on Down the Road" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, an R&B re-interpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune is the show's version of both "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We're Off to See the Wizard" from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, performed three times during the show, Dorothy and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.
"Celebration" is a 1980 song by American band Kool & the Gang. Released as the first single from their twelfth album, Celebrate! (1980), it was the band's first and only single to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2016, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Working My Way Back to You" is a song made popular by the Four Seasons in 1966 and the Spinners in 1980.
"Can You Stop the Rain" is a song by American singer Peabo Bryson, taken from his fifteenth studio album of the same name (1991). It was written by John Bettis and Walter Afanasieff, while production was helmed by the latter. Released as the album's lead single, the song spent two weeks at number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number fifty-two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" is a romantic ballad written by lyricist Gerry Goffin with Michael Masser and recorded by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack for their 1983 album of duets, Born to Love, issued as the lead single. The track—produced by Masser—became a million-selling international hit.
"Cupid" is a song by American singer Sam Cooke, released on May 16, 1961. It charted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart; the track performed best in the United Kingdom, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on Cooke's greatest hits album, The Best of Sam Cooke (1962). Cooke's producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show—but once they heard her sing, they kept "Cupid" for Cooke himself.
Michael J. Powell is an American R&B musician, record producer and arranger who is best known for his work as producer for eight time Grammy Award-winning soul / R&B vocalist Anita Baker.
"If Ever You're in My Arms Again" is a 1984 song recorded by American contemporary R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Released as a single from his album Straight from the Heart, the single peaked at number 6 on the R&B chart and was Bryson's first Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 10 during the summer of 1984. It also spent four weeks at number 1 on the adult contemporary chart.
"By the Time This Night Is Over" is a song by American musician Kenny G and singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson, released as a single from Kenny G's sixth studio album, Breathless, in 1992 and from Bryson's 16th studio album, Through the Fire, in 1994. The song peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 37 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles. On the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, "By the Time This Night Is Over" spent two weeks at number one, while in Canada, the song reached number six on the RPM Top Singles chart and number one on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.
"Let's All Chant" is a song written by American record producer and composer Michael Zager and Alvin Fields, and performed by the Michael Zager Band. It was based on an idea originally suggested by former A&M Records head of A&R Jerry Love after he visited clubs in New York and saw people endlessly chanting "Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah". Although Zager was first embarrassed when Love asked him to write a song using these chants, he accepted the proposal and later co-wrote "Let's All Chant" with Fields.
"Hurt" is a 1954 song by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs. "Hurt" was originally performed by Roy Hamilton, whose version peaked at number eight on the R&B Best Seller chart and spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. A version by Ricky Denell also received considerable radio airplay in 1954 on pop radio stations. The song is considered to be the signature hit of Timi Yuro, whose version went to number four on the Billboard pop chart in 1961. Elvis Presley’s 1976 version reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. Juice Newton's 1985 version scored number one on Billboard's Country chart.
"Minute by Minute" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Lester Abrams originally released by the Doobie Brothers on their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single was released in April 1979, and reached number 14 on June 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, but lost out to the Doobie Brothers' own "What a Fool Believes". "Minute by Minute" did win a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards.
"Without You" is a romantic song written by the American songwriter and music producer Lamont Dozier, and recorded in 1987 as a duet by the R&B singers Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. The song was the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, released the same year, and was also recorded for the Peabo Bryson album Positive, released in 1988, the only album that contains the original version of "Without You". The single was released in November 1987, and peaked at #8 on the Adult Contemporary Tracks, #14 on the R&B chart, #85 on the UK Singles, and #89 on the Billboard Hot 100, between 1987/1988.
Len Boone is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was a singer/songwriter for Chrysalis Records and Love-Zager Productions and many of his songs charted on Billboard. While still an intern at Chrysalis, he wrote the international hit single “You Made Me Believe in Magic” for the album It’s a Game by the Scottish Pop band, the Bay City Rollers. In 1977, the song reached number 10 on the US Hot 100 in Billboard magazine and number 7 on the Cash Box Top 100 charts. In Canada, “You Made Me Believe in Magic” peaked at number 5, and still ranks as their 68th greatest hit of 1977. The song also charted in Germany, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. "You Made Me Believe in Magic" also won Boone a plaque from ASCAP.