The BusBoys

Last updated
The BusBoys
The BusBoys, 1980.jpg
The BusBoys in 1980
Background information
OriginUnited States
Genres
Years active1978–present
Labels Arista Records
MembersBrian O'Neal
Kevin O'Neal
Reggie Leon
Kenny Tomlin
Bill Steinway
Vic Johnson
Steve Felix
Jorge Evans
Marc Palmer
Past membersGus Loundermon
Mike Jones
Andrew Kapner
Ace Andres
Website busboys.com

The BusBoys is an American rock and roll band known for its association with Eddie Murphy and performing in the film 48 Hrs. Formed in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, the original lineup featured brothers Brian O'Neal (keyboards, vocals) and Kevin O'Neal (bass, vocals), Gus Loundermon [1] [2] (sometimes misspelled as "Gus Louderman") (vocals), Mike Jones (keyboards, vocals), Vic Johnson (guitar), and Steve Felix (drums). All of the original band's members were African-Americans except Felix, who is of Hispanic heritage. The band's best known songs are "New Shoes", "The Boys Are Back in Town", which appeared in 48 Hrs. and in Eddie Murphy Delirious , and "Cleanin' Up the Town", which was written for the 1984 film Ghostbusters .

Contents

Overview

Formed in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, the original lineup featured brothers Brian O'Neal (keyboards, vocals) and Kevin O'Neal (bass, vocals), Gus Loundermon (vocals), Mike Jones (keyboards, vocals), Vic Johnson (guitar), and Steve Felix (drums). All of the original band's members were African-Americans except Felix, who is of Hispanic heritage.

The group is best known for their appearance in the 1982 film 48 Hrs. , in which they performed their songs "New Shoes" and "The Boys Are Back in Town" (the latter song is also heard during the closing credits). The band opened for the film's costar, comedian Eddie Murphy, during his subsequent Delirious standup comedy tour—during which he referred to them throughout the program—including an hour-long special that aired on HBO. On January 29, 1983, the BusBoys were also musical guests on an episode of Saturday Night Live with Murphy singing background vocals for the band.

A follow-up song, "Cleanin' Up the Town," written for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Ghostbusters , was a minor hit for the group, reaching #68 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy award.

The BusBoys' first two albums on Arista Records, Minimum Wage Rock & Roll and American Worker, both reached the Billboard 200 chart.

The BusBoys toured extensively with the original line up, appearing with prominent acts such as Linda Ronstadt, Brian Setzer and The Stray Cats, and ZZ Top. Their many TV appearances included American Bandstand , Soul Train, and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert .

On February 29, 1988, they released a third album entitled Money Don't Make No Man with a more synth-funk feel. The track "Never Giving Up" featured Eddie Murphy prominently during the chorus. Murphy also appeared in the music video to support the album release and the song release. The music video was shot at "The Palace," which is now known as "Avalon," on Vine Street in Hollywood, across the street from Capitol Records. The music video was directed by legendary director Wayne Isham.

Originator and Co-Producer Kevin O’Neal departed the group in 1985 and was replaced by Greg French. The band replaced Loundermon with Reggie Leon and Jones with keyboardists Andrew Kapner and Bill Steinway. Kapner, being a 16-year-old high school student, was unable to tour in 1985, and Mike Radi was brought in to play keyboards for the road. Kevin continued to assist behind the scenes, as both O'Neal and Loundermon are credited as additional musicians.

Leon has been a member of Sha Na Na for over 15 years, and Johnson joined Sammy Hagar's back-up band, The Waboritas, in 1999 and continued playing with Hagar in the supergroup Sammy Hagar and the Circle in 2015.

In 2000, they released their fourth album, (Boys Are) Back in Town, which featured rerecorded versions of their two popular songs from 48 Hrs. It was the first time that the title track had been made available on one of the band's CDs. Gus Loundermon (vocals) returned to the band's line-up, along with two new members, Kenny Tomlin (bass) and Jorge Evans (guitar). Brian O'Neil commented in an interview with Songfacts that, "for almost 20 years it was probably the most famous song in the history of America that had never been released." [3]

Comeback

The band has enjoyed a rebirth in large part to the popular use of "The Boys Are Back In Town" in various television sports programming. The track has served as the theme for the NBA and Fox Sports Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. In addition, their song "Did You See Me" was used to promote the NFL Re-Play series on the NFL Network in 2006 and 2007.

After several years out of the limelight, The BusBoys made an appearance on ABC TV during the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day 2005 under their new name, "Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys." And in early 2006, they began releasing tracks from their new music project, Sex, Love and Rock & Roll, via digital download. The full album was to be released in CD form in late 2007.

In July 2007, the band announced on its website that they were at work on a documentary film, The Story of Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys, directed by Ruth Robinson.

Director Richard Linklater used the Bus Boys song "Minimum Wage" in the soundtrack for his 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!! [4]

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitlePeak chart positions
US
1980Minimum Wage Rock & Roll85
1982American Worker139
1988Money Don't Make No Man-
2000(Boys Are) Back in Town-

Soundtrack appearances

YearTitlePeak chart positionsFilm/Soundtrack
US
1982"The Boys Are Back In Town"- 48 Hrs.
"48 Hrs."-
"Love Songs Are For Crazies"-
"New Shoes"-
1984"Cleanin' Up the Town"68 Ghostbusters
2016"Minimum Wage"- Everybody Wants Some!!

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Murphy</span> American actor and comedian (born 1961)

Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom as a movie star and he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Halen</span> American rock band (1973–2020)

Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and for the virtuosity of its guitarist/keyboardist, Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beat (British band)</span> English band

The Beat are an English band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Dog Night</span> American band

Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums). The band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, with three hitting number one. Three Dog Night recorded many songs written by outside songwriters, and they helped to introduce mainstream audiences to writers such as Randy Newman, Paul Williams, Laura Nyro and Hoyt Axton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Hagar</span> American rock singer (born 1947)

Sam Roy Hagar, also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed further commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985, but left in 1996. He returned to the band from 2003 to 2005.

<i>Live: Right Here, Right Now</i> 1993 live album by Van Halen

Live: Right Here, Right Now. is the first live album by American rock band Van Halen, released in 1993. It is the band's only live album featuring Sammy Hagar and the only live album by Van Halen until the release of Tokyo Dome Live in Concert in 2015.

<i>Balance</i> (Van Halen album) 1995 studio album by Van Halen

Balance is the tenth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on January 24, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The album is the last of the band's four studio releases to feature Sammy Hagar as the lead singer. It is also the final Van Halen album to feature bassist Michael Anthony in its entirety. Balance reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in February 1995 and reached triple platinum status on May 12, 2004, by selling more than three million copies in the US. "The Seventh Seal" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.

<i>The Best of Both Worlds</i> (Van Halen album) 2004 greatest hits album by Van Halen

The Best of Both Worlds is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Van Halen, released on July 20, 2004, on Warner Bros. The compilation features material recorded with lead vocalists David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, but omits Gary Cherone's three-year tenure with the band. Prior to The Best of Both Worlds's release, Hagar reunited with Van Halen, and the band recorded three new tracks to include on the release.

<i>Live Without a Net</i> (Van Halen video) 1986 video by Van Halen

Live Without a Net is a live concert video of Van Halen recorded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1986, and released later that year. It was of their performance on August 27, 1986 at New Haven's Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The 90-minute release removed a few songs from the full performance. While the band attempted to record the previous night, audio problems prevented it from being used, although some video footage from that night would later surface in music videos. The concerts were part of the 5150 Tour, supporting the album of the same name, Van Halen's first with lead singer Sammy Hagar.

Regan Hagar is an American musician. Primarily a drummer, he also plays keyboard and guitar on occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfin' Safari (song)</span> 1962 single by the Beach Boys

"Surfin' Safari" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Released as a single with "409" in June 1962, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also appeared on the 1962 album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreams (Van Halen song)</span> 1986 single by Van Halen

"Dreams" is a song by Van Halen released in 1986 from the album 5150. It was the second single from that album, and it reached # 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #24 on the Cash Box Top 100. Nine years after its original release, "Dreams" introduced the band to a new generation of fans when it appeared in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and on its soundtrack album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humans Being</span> 1996 single by Van Halen

"Humans Being" is a song recorded and contributed by American rock band Van Halen for the 1996 disaster film Twister. The song marks the last recording to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar before his departure from the band in June 1996. "Humans Being" was released as a radio-only single in the United States on April 23, 1996, peaking atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks later that year. In Japan, the single was released on CD in July 1996.

<i>I Never Said Goodbye</i> 1987 studio album by Sammy Hagar

I Never Said Goodbye is the ninth studio album by American rock musician Sammy Hagar, released on June 23, 1987, by Geffen Records. It was his first solo album since 1984's VOA, released while he was a member of Van Halen. The album was recorded in ten days under a contractual obligation to Geffen Records as a condition of his leaving the company to join Van Halen and their record label, Warner Bros. Records. The album spent 23 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and became his highest charting solo album, peaking at number 14 on August 15, 1987.

Jesse Harms is an American musician and songwriter. He has worked with Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth, Eddie Money, REO Speedwagon, Bad English, Guitar Shorty, Patty Smyth, and McAuley Schenker Group.

<i>Contagious</i> (Y&T album) 1987 studio album by Y&T

Contagious is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Y&T, released in 1987 through Geffen Records, which, like their previous label A&M Records, is now a subsidiary of Interscope Records. It is the first Y&T studio album to feature a different line up since their debut album, with Jimmy DeGrasso replacing Leonard Haze on drums after he left the band in 1986.

The 5150 Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their seventh studio album, 5150.

The For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Van Halen in support of their studio album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It was one of the band's longer tours, divided into 99 dates. It featured shows in Hawaii and Mexico, places Van Halen rarely played in their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Walks In</span> 1986 single by Van Halen

"Love Walks In" is a power ballad by American rock band Van Halen released as the third single from the band's seventh studio album, 5150 (1986). It was the first song the band wrote with vocalist Sammy Hagar. It peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, and reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Johnson (musician)</span> Guitarist

Vic Johnson is an American rock guitarist best known for playing guitar with The BusBoys and later with Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas.

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Randy (2000). "Serving Up Another Helping." The Los Angeles Times, 6 January 2000. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  2. ↑ The Bus Boys - "Big Birthday Wishes to a Busboys Founding Member- The Great Gus Loundermon." Facebook post (29 April 2017). Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Boys Are Back In Town by The BusBoys Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.