Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American soul singer and actress.
Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. After leaving Pittsburgh, her music training started with a scholarship to a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group New Direction in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. At this time, she appeared in the film Lenny (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor. Hyman was discovered in 1975 by internationally known pop artist and music industry veteran Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promoter Fred Frank, and signed to their Roadshow Records/Desert Moon imprint. Hyman moved to New York City to work on her reputation. She did background vocals on Jon Lucien's Premonition and worked in clubs. It was during one of these performances that she was spotted by Norman Connors, who offered her a spot as a vocalist on his album, You Are My Starship (1976). The duo scored on the R&B charts with a remake of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly Wow!".
Hyman sang with Pharoah Sanders and the Fatback Band while working on her first solo album, Phyllis Hyman, released in 1977 on the Buddah Records label. When Arista Records bought Buddha, she was transferred to that label. Her first album for Arista, Somewhere in My Lifetime, was released in 1978; the title track was produced by then-labelmate Barry Manilow. Her follow-up album, You Know How to Love Me, made the R&B Top 20 and also performed well on the club–dance charts. In the late 1970s, Hyman married her manager Larry Alexander (who is the brother of Jamaican pianist and melodica player Monty Alexander), but both the personal and professional associations ended in divorce. Alexander introduced Hyman to cocaine, which led to a life-long dependency and spent a lot of her money during the years. The relationship was tumultuous to say the least.[citation needed] Hyman's first solo Top Ten hit came in 1981 with "Can't We Fall In Love Again", a duet with Michael Henderson. The song was recorded while she was performing in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, a tribute to Duke Ellington. She performed in the role for almost two years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and winning a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer. Problems between Hyman and her label, Arista, caused a pause in her recording career. She used the time to appear on movie soundtracks, television commercials and guest vocals, working with Chuck Mangione, The Whispers and The Four Tops. Hyman provided vocals for three tracks on jazz pianist McCoy Tyner's Looking Out (1982). She toured often and did a college lecture tour. In 1983, Hyman recorded the song "Never Say Never Again" as the title song for the James Bond movie of the same name, written by Stephen Forsyth and Jim Ryan. However, Warner Brothers informed Forsyth that Michel Legrand, who wrote the score for the film, had threatened to sue them, claiming he contractually had the rights to the title song. An alternate title song composed by Legrand was eventually used for the film and performed by singer Lani Hall, formerly of Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66. Free from Arista in 1985, she released the album, Living All Alone on Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label the following year, capitalizing on the torch songs, "Old Friend" and the melancholy title track, as well as "You Just Don't Know" and "Screaming at the Moon". Shortly afterwards, she appeared in the films School Daze and The Kill Reflex. She would also continue to lend her voice to albums for other artists and musicians like Grover Washington, Jr. and Lonnie Liston Smith, while at the same time doing international tours. Her next album, again on Philadelphia International, called Prime of My Life, released in 1991, was the biggest of her career. It included her first number one R&B hit as well as her first Billboard Top 100 hit, "Don't Wanna Change the World". The album provided two more top 10 R&B singles in "Living in Confusion" and "When You Get Right Down to It", and the less successful "I Found Love". Just over a year later, she appeared one last time on a Norman Connors album, singing the title song, "Remember Who You Are", which became a minor R&B hit. Prime of My Life has sold 454,000 copies to date. The album and debut single were both RIAA certified Gold in 1992. Hyman's last album, I Refuse to Be Lonely, was a journey into her personal life. Both the title track and the single "I'm Truly Yours" became minor R&B hits.
Born in Washington D.C., Wornell Jones grew up in the neighbourhoods of the area. As a youngster, Wornell was always playing, singing or doing something musical. After playing in local bands in D.C., Wornell began undertaking studio sessions in the early seventies for soul artists including Millie Jackson, Joe Simon, and other groups and artists.
Wornell began to tour with the likes of Sly and the Family Stone, Eddie Kendricks and KoKo Taylor. He then began to write for many artists including The Pointer Sisters and Earth, Wind & Fire.
In 1979, he released his self titled album for Paradise Records. The album contained the track 'Must Have Been Love', which was highly popular in the U.K. The female co-vocalist on the song was Maxayn Lewis Moriguchi, who still collaborates with Wornell to this day. Wornell has also worked with songwriter and guitarist, Nils Lofgren formally of the E Street Band.
He recorded and toured extensively with Nils, until moving to Tokyo, Japan in 1992. Wornell has an excellent portfolio of songwiting credits which include, The Pointer Sisters 'Black & White', Ramsey Lewis 'Three Piece Suite', Maria Muldaur 'Open Your Eyes', Rufus 'Sealed In Red', B.T. Express '1980', Rockie Robbins 'Rockie Robbins' and Earth, Wind & Fire 'The Eternal Dance'. He is a good friend of the artist Art Madison
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".
One of the most underrated soul producers of the '70s, multi-talented producer/singer/songwriter/instrumentalistLeroy Hutsonbegan his career in various vocal groups around his hometown of Newark, NJ, in the '60s, but saw his early success as a co-writer for Howard University roommateDonny Hathaway's 1970 hit single "The Ghetto."Hutsonwould later replaceCurtis Mayfieldin 1971 as the lead singer in the Impressions and stayed with them until 1973, when he followed inMayfield's footsteps and launched his own solo career. His smooth, imaginative productions set the bar very high for everyone at the label (including its owner) to follow suit. Although his lyrics were not as politically fueled asMayfield's,Hutson's love-inspired songs were responsible for a string of mid-'70s classics for which he and Curtom are best known. While he would enjoy the commercial success during a string of albums in the mid- to late '70s, he also lent his production and songwriting skills to several labelmates, including the Natural Four. After the closing of Curtom Records in 1980,Hutson's career diminished into obscurity with the exception of 1982's jazz-funk-tingedParadise. However, he has maintained a strong cult following among soul collectors to this day, and in 2000 Sequel Records had the good sense to reissue not only the original albums on CD but a two-disc anthology spanning the greatest hits of his career .
Though the Sugarhill Gang inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single "Rapper's Delight," a multi-platinum seller and radio hit in 1979, the group was cooked up to cash in on a supposed novelty item. Music-industry producer and label-owner Sylvia Robinson had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York area during the late '70s, so she gathered three local rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank) to record a single. Infectious and catchy, "Rapper's Delight" borrowed the break from Chic's "Good Times" and became a worldwide hit, eventually selling more than eight million copies. Most industry people figured rap for a short-lived trend, and though they were dead wrong, the Sugarhill Gang certainly didn't carry the torch; despite several modest hits ("8th Wonder," "Apache") the trio faded quickly and was gone by the mid-'80s, only returning in 1999 with Jump on It, a rap album for children.
Born Edward W. Robbins, Jr. in Minneapolis, balladeer Rockie Robbins began singing at an early age. Working with famed arranger/producers Richard Evans (Natalie Cole, Peabo Bryson) and Johnny Pate (Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, Lonette McKee, OKeh Records), Robbins made an impressive debut on his self-titled LP, which was released in the spring of 1979 on A&M Records. The ballad singles "If I Ever Lose You" and a cover of EWF's "Be Ever Wonderful" received a lot of radio airplay but weren't big sellers, although "Be Ever Wonderful" charted at number 67 R&B in late 1979. Another impressive fact is that the record was even made, as the original session tapes were somehow erased while en route from the recording studio to the record company. Although Rockie Robbins wasn't a major seller, A&M believed in Robbins and kept him as an artist. Teaming with producer/arranger Bobby Martin -- whose previous credits including arranging a slew of hits for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International Records and fellow A&M signees LTD with lead singer Jeffrey Osborne -- Robbins' second LP, You and Me, was issued the spring of 1980. The title track went to number nine R&B. The next single, the danceable, inspiring "Hang Tough," made it to number 70 R&B. Robbins' other A&M singles were "After Loving You," "Time to Think," and "I Believe in Love" (all were moderate hits). Switching to MCA Records, Robbins earned the distinction (like Loleatta Holloway and Ronnie McNeir, among others) of having two self-titled LPs in his catalog. The MCA LP was released in early 1985 and there was one charting single around the time of its release ("We Belong Together") .
Born Edward W. Robbins, Jr. in Minneapolis, Rockie Robbins began singing at an early age. Working with famed arranger/producers Richard Evans (Natalie Cole, Peabo Bryson) and Johnny Pate (Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, Lonette McKee, OKeh Records), Robbins made an impressive debut on his self-titled LP, which was released in the spring of 1979 on A&M Records. The ballad singles "If I Ever Lose You" and a cover of EWF's "Be Ever Wonderful" received a lot of radio airplay but weren't big sellers, although "Be Ever Wonderful" charted at number 67 R&B in late 1979. Another impressive fact is that the record was even made, as the original session tapes were somehow erased while en route from the recording studio to the record company. Although Rockie Robbins wasn't a major seller, A&M believed in Robbins and kept him as an artist. Teaming with producer/arranger Bobby Martin -- whose previous credits including arranging a slew of hits for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International Records and fellow A&M signees LTD with lead singer Jeffrey Osborne -- Robbins' second LP, You and Me, was issued the spring of 1980. The title track went to number nine R&B. The next single, the danceable, inspiring "Hang Tough," made it to number 70 R&B. The album also contained "Together", "I Never Knew" & "Point Of View". 1981 saw the release of Rockie's final album for A&M records - "I Believe in Love", which featured Soul favourties "An Act of Love", "Time to Think" & "Nothing Like Love". Switching to MCA Records, Robbins earned the distinction (like Loleatta Holloway and Ronnie McNeir, among others) of having two self-titled LPs in his catalog. The MCA LP was released in early 1985, and contained several Soul/Boogie favourites; "You Finally Found The One", "Caught In The Act", "I Got Your Number" & "We Belong Together".
Formed in 1972, the band has had a few name changes in its history. Originally they called themselves Pipeline but they changed their name to the Jam by the mid-'70s. In 1977 they changed their name again as the British punk band The Jam became a sensation; their new name was Universal Robot Band. In 1979 they signed to Atlantic Records using the name Kleeer. Becoming a cult band in the UK and US they enjoyed a string of hits in the R&B Charts. In the US national charts they had 3 top 40 entries, they had 2 in the top 50 in the UK, the only one both sides of the water being "Get Tough" although "Keep That Body Working" is the track that they are remembered for.
