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Steven Greenberg (born October 24, 1950) is an American musician, record producer and the owner of the independent label October Records. He is best known for his band Lipps Inc.'s 1980 hit song "Funkytown" (which was also a hit for Australian band Pseudo Echo).
Greenberg was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. In his twenties, Greenberg was a multi-instrumentalist who played in several bands. He had been trying for some time to secure a production deal, and he drew the interest of the Casablanca label with a disco track called "Rock It," which became a hit locally. Released nationally in late 1979, "Rock It" made it into the Top 20 on the Billboard Disco Charts. Casablanca asked Greenberg for a full album, so he gathered several session players, among them guitarists David Rivkin and Tom Riopelle; keyboardist Ivan Rafowitz; synth and vocoder programmer Roger Dumas (not to be confused with French actor Roger Dumas); and bassist Terry Grant. Most importantly, he recruited lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson, the 1976 Miss Black Minnesota, who had been performing with an early version of The Time.
The group's debut album, Mouth To Mouth , was released in November 1979. "Funkytown" was the first single, and it was an instant hit, climbing to No. 1 on May 31, 1980, and spending four weeks there. In the wake of that success, "Rock It" was re-released but it only made the Billboard Top 50. The six-song release Pucker Up followed, featuring a disco remake of the British pub rock group Ace's hit ballad "How Long." It earned gold and platinum records in many countries. Lipps Inc.'s full-length Designer Music was a huge success in Mexico and in Central and South America, and it made Top 10 on the Billboard Disco chart. Designer Music also earned gold and platinum elsewhere, including Mexico and Hong Kong, but no subsequent song matched the success of "Funkytown" in the United States.
Cynthia Johnson was already decreasing her involvement with the group, with Melanie Rosales and Margie Cox picking up some of the slack and later becoming lead vocalists. Johnson left for good in 1983, after three albums. Lipps Inc. released one more album before breaking up in 1985. Greenberg became a web designer in 1992 and stayed in that field through 2007.
In 2005, his son Nile was featured on the MTV show Made, in which he wanted to become a rapper using the stage name Blizzard. [1] Later, Nile became an architect.
Greenberg mentored his nephew John Fields, a producer/songwriter.
Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. is an American record producer, guitarist, composer, and philanthropist. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide.
The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979.
Lipps Inc. was an American disco and funk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group is best known for the chart-topping 1980 worldwide hit single "Funkytown", which hit No. 1 in 28 countries and was certified as double platinum in sales.
"Funkytown" is a song by American disco-funk group Lipps Inc., released by Casablanca Records in March 1980. It was written and produced by Steven Greenberg and released as the second single from the group's debut studio album, Mouth to Mouth (1979).
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently focuses on dance and electronic music under the direction of Brett Alperowitz.
The Suburbs are an alternative punk rock/funk/new wave band from Minneapolis, Minnesota that was popular in the late 1970s and 1980s. The band frequently headlined at Minneapolis's most influential music clubs, including Jay's Longhorn Bar and First Avenue.
Domenico Monardo, known as Meco, was an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the Star Wars theme from his album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; both the single and album were certified platinum in the US.
D.C. LaRue is an American singer, songwriter and producer. His music was successful in clubs and on dance music charts worldwide during the 1970s and early 1980s.
"Stars on 45" is a song medley issued in January 1981 by Dutch studio group Stars on 45. In some countries, including the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, the band was credited as 'Starsound' and only the medley itself was named "Stars on 45".
Cynthia Johnson is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Lipps Inc. with the worldwide smash hit "Funkytown".
Harvey Scales was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and producer. Scales had been active in the music industry since the 1960s, and composed songs for groups such as The Dells, The Dramatics, and The O'Jays. He is particularly notable for his co-authorship of the songs "Love-Itis" and "Disco Lady". Once called Milwaukee's "Godfather of Soul" by a local reporter, Scales credited James Brown and the sound of "funk" for influencing his music career.
Flyte Tyme was a funk band from Minneapolis that launched the careers of vocalists Cynthia Johnson, Alexander O'Neal and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Many of the group's musicians would later work with Prince. The band's name is a sensational spelling of the phrase "flight time."
Chic, currently called Nile Rodgers & Chic, is an American disco band that was formed in 1972 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It recorded many commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979). The group regarded themselves as a rock band for the disco movement "that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom". In 2017, Chic was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the eleventh time.
A Night at Studio 54 is a compilation album released by Casablanca Records in June 1979, featuring disco music played frequently at New York City's famous nightclub Studio 54. Conceived by the record label and direct response television company I&M Marketing with the co-operation from Studio 54 founders Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, A Night at Studio 54 was also a double album, with its music segued between tracks by disc jockeys Marc Paul Simon and Roy Thode for continuous playing, reminiscent of the nightclub itself. The album was originally going to contain crowd noise recorded at the club too, but the idea was dropped before release as it brought a decrease in sound quality.
Mouth to Mouth is the debut studio album by the American disco/funk group Lipps Inc., released in November 1979 by Casablanca Records. It spawned the worldwide platinum hit "Funkytown", which reached #1 in 28 countries. The album was mostly arranged, produced and written by Steven Greenberg, who also played multiple instruments on the album.
Pucker Up is the second album by American disco act Lipps Inc. with Cynthia Johnson on lead vocals. The album was released in 1980 on Casablanca Records.
Designer Music is the third album by American disco act Lipps, Inc., and the last featuring Cynthia Johnson on lead vocals. It was released in 1981 on Casablanca Records.
Billy Peterson is an American bass player, songwriter, composer, session musician and producer. Growing up in a family of professional musicians, Peterson started with music at a very young age. Billy is brother of Paul Peterson and Ricky Peterson.
"Rock It" is the debut single by Minneapolis band Lipps Inc. and the lead single from their debut album Mouth to Mouth. The song peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1980.
Doris D & The Pins were a Dutch-British disco/pop girl group which enjoyed success in the Netherlands and Belgium and to a lesser extent in Germany during the first half of the 1980s.
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