Light Of The World

U.K. funk band Light of the World has the distinctions of having a tight head shot of a pre-stardom Sade on their self-titled debut LP cover and having guitarist Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick as a band member. Maunick went on to lead '90s funk-jazz band Incognito. 

Formed in London in 1978, Light of the World included Maunick, drummer Everton McCalla, bassist Paul "Tubs" Williams, guitarist Neville "Breeze" McKreith, percussionist Chris Etienne, keyboardist Peter Hinds trumpet playerKenny Wellington and on sax David "Baps" Baptiste. The band's moniker was inspired by the title of Kool and the Gang's 1974 DeLite album Light of Worlds, which included "Summer Madness" and "Higher Plane." Signing with Ensign Records, the band had dancefloor hits with "Swingin'," "Midnight Groovin'," and "London Town." Etienne died while the band was on a promotional tour for their first album. A 12" single "Time" (Remix) b/w "London Town" was reissued by U.K. label Old Gold. Nigel Martinez, Gee Bello, and Nat Augustin joined Light of the World just in time for the release of their second LP, Round Trip, produced by Augie Johnson of Side Effect (disco hit cover of Ronnie Laws' "Always There," number 56 R&B, summer 1976). The band split up in 1981. Baptiste,Wellington, and McKreith formed Beggar & Co., and Maunick, Hinds, and Williams formed Incognito. In 1982, EMI released a Light of the World album,Check Us Out, that featured Bello, Tubbs, and Augustin, and the singles "Famous Face" b/w "Get on Board," "Ride the Love Train" b/w "Get on Board," and "I Can't Stop" b/w "Check Us Out." In 1998, EMI issued a limited edition vinyl pressing of the Check Us Out album.

In the '80s, Wellington played with Wham! (&"Wake Me up Before You Go-Go").Peter Hinds became a successful producer with hits by Scottish pop-soul trio the Chimes ("1-2-3," "Heaven") on Columbia Records, and plays keys onIncognito's albums (1991's Inside Life, 1992's Tribes, Vibes and Scribes, 1994'sPositivity, 1995's 100° and Rising, 1996's Beneath the Surface), Maysa's self-titled 1995 album and Inner Shade's 4 Corners, released on N2K Encoded Music in April of 1999. Gee Bello released an '80s solo album on Capitol produced by Jonah Ellis (The Gap Band, Yarbrough and Peoples) that included the single "International Lover," and in the '90s sang vocals on CDs by the jazz-funk band Shakatak. "Are You Ready (For Love)," a track from Nigel Martinez's album So Good, is on the 1999 compilation Jazz Steppin' from Instinct Records.

Besides the aforementioned albums, Ensign released Best of Light of the World in 1985; MCI reissued it on CD in February 1999 and the group appears on a 1990 Chrysalis LP.

Year : 1980
Label : EMI

Aquarian Dream

Cult jazz-funk disco band from the mid to late 1970s. They were originally signed to Buddah for 'Phoenix', a heavily orchestrated disco-styled song.

Year: 1978
Label: Elektra

Unlimited Touch

Unlimited Touch was an R&B group with club leanings from Brooklyn. They weren't disco, and they weren't exactly straight-up R&B; like their Prelude labelmates D Train, Unlimited Touch combined the two forms into what is often referred to as post-disco. They enjoyed minor success on the R&B charts, but they were embraced more by DJs -- such as the Paradise Garage's Larry Levan -- and became one of the countless inspirations behind house music. Their singles were often full-blow songs, with verses and a chorus, and they were often made with the dancefloor in mind. 

The group's formation was sparked from the efforts of Crown Heights Affair's William Anderson and Raymond Reid. The sextet -- bassist Sandy Anderson, drummer Tony Cintron, guitarist Phil Hamilton, vocalist Stephanie James, keyboardist Lenny Underwood, and vocalist Audrey Wheeler -- broke out on Prelude in 1980 with "I Hear Music in the Streets," a single that didn't do much commercially but fared much better in U.K. and U.S. clubs. A handful of other singles were issued, including the number 29 U.K. chart hit "Searching to Find the One," prior to the release of a self-titled LP that packaged the singles together. The less successful Yes I'm Ready followed in 1983, and the group dissolved shortly thereafter. Unidisc would later issue the Searching to Find the One compilation in the early '90s.

Year : 1980
Label : Epic

BB & Q Band

The B.B. & Q. Band (which stands for the Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band) came together accidentally on purpose when guitarist Doc Powell turned bassist Paris "Pee Wee" Ford on to producer Jacques Fred Petrus, who had already started Change and High Fashion from session musicians and vocalists. Petrus asked Ford to get some musicians together to record some tracks he'd written; after the tracks were finished, he shopped for a deal, got one, and brought the impromptu musicians (who came from Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens) together as the B.B. & Q. Band. 

The original lineup consisted of Ford (bass), Mauro Malavasi (piano and synthesizers), Paolo Gianolio (guitar), Terry Silverlight (drums), Kevin Nance (keyboards), and Ike Floyd (lead singer). The deal was with Capitol Records and the band was up and running. They debuted with The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, produced by Petrus and Malavasi, which spawned the hypnotic, wallflower remover "On the Beat," a number three club hit the fall of 1981. Critically acclaimed by disco freaks -- Luther Vandross sang background -- their first slab of vinyl never exploded in the States.

A second LP, All Night Long, dropped in 1982; Floyd was gone, replaced by Kevin Robinson, and so was Luther. Tawatha Agee and Timmy Allen (Change) handled backup. It was a good follow-up with some good joints: the title track, "Electrofunkish," "Imagination," and a smooth rendition of Thom Bell/Linda Creed's "Children of the Night," from the Stylistics' Round 2 album. Rick Brenna served as guest vocalist. Yet they were still far from a runaway hit, their following was strictly club, and their sound wasn't spreading west, but primarily east, to the U.K. and Italy.

After two good albums, they coughed up a third -- their worst -- in 1983. Six Million Times lacked good songs, which Petrus seems to have relegated to Change and High Fashion. Robinson sang lead and co-produced the LP that boasted only two decent tracks: "Keep It Hot" and "Stay." Capital soured on the group, but they persevered, signed with Elektra in 1985, and released singles written and produced by Kae Williams, Jr., of Breakwater, "Genie" and "I'm a Dreamer" featuring Hairston on vocals.

The cuts failed to shake and bake, and their next single, "Ricochet," fell on Chrysalis Records in 1987 and eked into the U.K.'s Top 75. But that was all she wrote; shortly thereafter, Petrus, their mentor, met a gruesome end: he was found shot to death and submerged in water in Mexico City, held down by a heavy object around his legs.

Year : 1981
Label : Emi Records

Champaign

Amazing Group..Amazing Style!!!Enjoy

Year : 1981
Label : CBS

Marvin Gaye

Name at birth: Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.
Marvin Gaye was an African-American soul singer whose hits included "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You," "Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)" and "Sexual Healing." Gaye was an early hit-maker for Motown Records, writing and recording singles like "Can I Get a Witness" (1963), "Ain't That Peculiar" (1965) and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968). Gaye worked with just about everyone in the R&B business, writing and recording mostly mid-tempo romantic ballads, as well as duets with the likes of Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," among others) and Diana Ross. He began to exercise more control over his recordings in the 1970s, and his 1971 albumWhat's Going On showed he was a composer interested in more than hit singles. What's Going On was a "concept" album that spawned the top hits "What's Going On," "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," and the "Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)." Always moody and a little distant from the public, Gaye fell on hard times in the late 1970s. Following two divorces, money troubles and bouts of depression, he made a comeback in 1982 on the Columbia Records label with the single "Sexual Healing" from the album Midnight Love. The record was a Grammy-winning hit that put Gaye back into the spotlight, but he continued to be plagued by drug addiction and money trouble. After living in Europe and dodging the Internal Revenue Service for a couple of years, he moved in with his parents in Los Angeles. On 1 April 1984 he was shot in the chest and killed by his father after a heated argument. Gaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Gaye sang the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. His rendition became a sought-after bootleg recording... His father was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and received a suspended sentence with probation; he died in 1998... "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was used in a popular 1980s commercial featuring The California Raisins... "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You" was also a hit for James Taylor .

Year : 1976
Label : Motown

Lenny Williams

Oakland, California native Lenny Williams possesses one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music.  With his rich, passionate vocal style, he is rightfully regarded as one of R & B's most influential soul men.  Williams began his musical career making records that have subsequently become R & B and Pop classics, tunes like the mega-hit "Cause I love You" (recorded on his solo album) and "So Very Hard To Go', which he recorded as the lead singer for Tower of Power.  Lenny William's style has transcended into the new millennium, influencing many of today's newest R & B and Pop vocalists.

Year : 1977

Label : Abc Rec.

Minnie Ripperton

Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her vocal range of more than five octaves and her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph (1968 until her death in 1979). She was also the mother of music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya Rudolph.

Riperton grew up in poverty on Chicago's southside. As a child Riperton studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago's Lincoln Center. In her teen years, Riperton sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with legendary Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artist such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. In 1969 Riperton, along with Rotary Connection, played in the first Catholic Rock Mass at the Liturgical Conference National Convention, Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI. produced by James F. Colaianni. Riperton reached the apex of her short, but esteemed, career with her number-one hit single, "Lovin' You", on April 4, 1975. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitledPerfect Angel.

In 1976 Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a modified radical mastectomy. Though she was given just six months to live, she continued recording and touring, and in 1977 she became spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. Riperton was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose that she was terminally ill. In 1978, Riperton also received the prestigious Society's Courage Award presented to her at the White House by then-President Jimmy Carter. She died at age 31 on July 12, 1979.