Sheila and B. Devotion

Last updated
Sheila and B. Devotion
Origin France
Genres Disco, Euro disco, pop, R&B
Years active1977–1980
Labels Carrere Records
Members Sheila
Dany Mac Farlane
Freddy Stracham
Arthur Wilkins

Sheila and B. Devotion (also credited as "Sheila B. Devotion", "Sheila and the Black Devotion" or "S.B. Devotion") was a disco group fronted by French singer Sheila between 1977 and 1980. This formation briefly reached popularity in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era. The group recorded two albums (Singin' in the Rain and King of the World ) before dissolving in 1980, when Sheila returned to her solo career.

Contents

History

Formation

Before the group's formation, Sheila (born Annie Chancel in Créteil, France on August 16, 1945) scored numerous hits in her homeland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Among her chart toppers were "L'école est finie" (1963), "Vous les copains" (the French cover version of Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" in 1964), "'Petite Fille de Français Moyens" (1968) and "Les Rois Mages" (the cover of "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" originally performed by Middle of the Road in 1971). Her success helped her producer Claude Carrere to launch his label Carrere Records. The Yé-yé artist was initially presented as a girl next door. In 1977, she completely changed her public image when Sheila & B Devotion was formed. She attempted to convey a more mature style in her music. Three American back-up singers/dancers (Dany Mac Farlane, Freddy Stracham and Arthur Wilkins) known as B. Devotion were hired to accompany her. She updated her bubblegum repertoire by performing disco tracks sung in English.

Breakthrough and success

"Love Me Baby"

As Sheila had been a major success as a bubblegum yé-yé singer, the record company Polydor did not want to shock Sheila's public and the French media "Love Me Baby" was released anonymously in May 1977 in France. The first pressings of the record mentioned the obscure name of S.B Devotion. When the song became a radio and club hit in France, the identity of the group was rapidly revealed and the song was attributed to the quartet as Sheila B. Devotion. It was also promoted in the States as by Sheila and B. Devotion. "Love Me Baby" became a mainstream Top 10 hit in Europe with high chart success particularly in German Singles Chart reaching number 9 and the Italian Singles Chart where it reached number 3. It was also a hit in the Netherlands making it to number 24 on the Dutch Top 40.

Other hits

The follow-up single was a disco version of "Singin' in the Rain" and was more successful. In early 1978, it was licensed to Casablanca Records to be released in the United States where it became a club hit.

The group name was altered in some markets to "Sheila & B. Devotion", while in others the name Sheila B. Devotion was maintained. Essentially, the US market knew the act as "Sheila & B. Devotion", while Canada, Australia, the UK, Ireland and the European markets stuck with the name Sheila B. Devotion. In 1979, the name was officially changed to Sheila & B. Devotion across all markets internationally. In the meantime, the Love Me Baby album (featuring the two above-mentioned hits) came out. The group promoted their records on the major European TV shows ( Musikladen , Disco and Top of the Pops ).

Sheila & B. Devotion scored other songs on the charts including "I Don't Need A Doctor", "Hôtel De La Plage", "You Light My Fire" and "Seven Lonely Days."

Collaboration with Chic

In 1979, Sheila collaborated with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic on the King of the World album. The album featured "Spacer", which peaked at #18 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] The song was later sampled by the Swedish band Alcazar in the song Crying at the Discoteque in 2000, a version that gained wide popularity and that was covered by the British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor in 2020.

Break-up

Shortly after the release of the "King Of The World" single, Sheila & B. Devotion disbanded. Due to the disco backlash, Sheila chose a pop-rock style and recorded in 1981 an album, Little Darlin', produced by Keith Olsen. It was her last international project.

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
AUS
[2]
BEL
(WA)

[3]
FRA
[4] [lower-alpha 1]
SWE
[5]
Singin' in the Rain
or Love Me Baby
481688
King of the World
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: Carrere
21199

Compilation albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
FRA
[4] [lower-alpha 1]
Disque d'Or
  • Released: 1979
  • Label: Carrere
141
The Disco Singles109

Charted singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
AUS
[2]
BEL
(FL)

[6]
BEL
(WA)

[3]
GER
[7]
NL
[8]
SWE
[5]
UK
[1]
US Dance
[9]
"Love Me Baby"19771016919Singin' in the Rain
or Love Me Baby
"Singin' in the Rain"23216421130
"You Light My Fire"19783644Non-album singles
"Hôtel de la plage"20
"Seven Lonely Days"19795016
"Spacer"95149221844King of the World
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. 1 2 French chart positions are from 1984 or later.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sugarhill Gang</span> American hip hop group

The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, formed in Englewood, New Jersey in 1979. Their hit "Rapper's Delight", released the same year they were formed, was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's only U.S. hit, though they would have further success in Europe until the mid-1980s. The trio reformed in 1994 and embarked on a world tour in 2016.

Benjamin Earl King was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He rose to prominence as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters, notably singing the lead vocals on three of their biggest hit singles "There Goes My Baby", "This Magic Moment", and "Save the Last Dance for Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila (French singer)</span> French singer (born 1945)

Sheila is a French pop singer who became successful as a solo artist in the 1960s and 1970s, and was also part of the duo Sheila & Ringo with her husband singer Ringo. She also fronted a disco act called Sheila and B. Devotion. Her stage name came from the title of her first release, a French cover version of "Sheila", a hit by Tommy Roe.

Eruption were a British disco, R&B and soul recording act in the 1970s and 1980s. They are best known for their covers of Ann Peebles's "I Can't Stand the Rain" and Neil Sedaka's "One Way Ticket", which were big disco hits in 1978 and 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singin' in the Rain (song)</span> Title song of the 1952 film and subsequent stage musical

"Singin' in the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown. Doris Eaton Travis introduced the song on Broadway in The Hollywood Music Box Revue in 1929. It was then widely popularized by Cliff Edwards and the Brox Sisters in The Hollywood Revue of 1929. Many contemporary artists have since recorded the song.

Jocelyn Lorette Brown, sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one Billboard Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the music industry and is well known in the world of dance music. Brown sang on 23 hit singles from the Official UK Singles Chart, 8 of which have reached the top 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atomic (song)</span> 1980 single by Blondie

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everlasting Love</span> 1967 single by Robert Knight

"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, originally a 1967 hit for Robert Knight and since covered numerous times, most successfully by Love Affair, as well as Town Criers, Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet, Carl Carlton, Sandra Cretu, U2 and Gloria Estefan. The original version of "Everlasting Love" was recorded by Knight in Nashville, with Cason and Gayden aiming to produce it in a Motown style reminiscent of the Four Tops and the Temptations. When released as a single, the song reached No. 13 on the US chart in 1967. Subsequently, the song has reached the US top 40 three times, most successfully as performed by Carl Carlton, peaking at No. 6 in 1974, with more moderate success by the duo Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet and Gloria Estefan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Combs discography</span>

The discography of American rapper Sean Combs consists of five studio albums, two collaborative albums, one remix album and seventy-two singles – including thirty-three as a lead artist and thirty-nine as a featured artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Lear discography</span>

Amanda Lear discography consists of eighteen full-length studio albums, thirty-eight compilation albums, two extended plays and seventy-six singles. She has also released one video album and numerous music videos.

Daniel Bangalter, known in his musical career as Daniel Vangarde, is a French songwriter and producer. He co-wrote and produced a number of hit records in the 1970s, including "Aie a Mwana", "D.I.S.C.O.", and "Cuba".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Hoebee</span> Dutch singer

Josina van de Wijdeven, known as José Hoebee, is a Dutch pop singer. She was a member of Luv', a famous Dutch girl group in the late 1970s and early 1980s that scored hits in more than 15 countries. In late 1981, she went solo and was successful in her homeland and in the Flanders region of Belgium between 1982 and 1985. She formed a duo known as Bonnie & José with Bonnie St. Claire to record Dutch cover versions of ABBA's songs.

B.V.S.M.P. was an American hip hop group, formed in the 1980s. The band consisted of Percy Rodgers, Calvin Williams and Frederick Byrd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (Luv' song)</span> 1979 single by Luv

"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" is the seventh single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in the summer of 1979 by Philips/Phonogram Records. This song appears on the formation's second album Lots Of Luv' and entered the record charts in Benelux, German-speaking countries and Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrere Records</span> French record label

Carrere Records was a French record label which specialized in Euro disco and rock music. The record company was sold to Warner Music Group in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schnuffel</span> Fictional character

Schnuffel is an animated rabbit created in 2008 by German media company Jamba!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra discography</span>

The discography of German singer Sandra consists of 10 studio albums, eight compilation albums and 47 singles, including 10 promotional-only singles. Her videography comprises three long-form video releases and 26 music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy George discography</span>

As a solo artist, English singer Boy George has released nine studio albums, five compilation albums and forty-eight singles. The vocalist has also released seven DJ albums, three EPs and a soundtrack album.

This article is a discography for American singing group The Ronettes. The Ronettes began recording with Colpix Records in 1961 and recorded eleven songs for Colpix. In March 1963, the group moved to Phil Spector's Philles Records, where they achieved their biggest success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum (song)</span> 1971 single by Middle of the Road

"Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum" is a song by Scottish band Middle of the Road, released as a single in March 1971. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and was a top-ten hit in numerous other countries. It has also sold over two million copies.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sheila & B. Devotion full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 299. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  3. 1 2 "Discographie Sheila". Ultratop Wallonie (in French). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Discographie Sheila". Les Charts (in French). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Discography Sheila". Swedish Charts. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  6. "Discografie Sheila". Ultratop Vlaanderen (in Dutch). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  7. "Discographie von Sheila B. Devotion". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  8. "Discografie Sheila". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  9. "Sheila & B. Devotion Chart History, Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2021.