BENTLEYFUNK@HOTMAIL.COM / 2024 / SINCE 2008: novembre 2024

vendredi 29 novembre 2024

Stacye Branché (1983) Flash (2004)

Sweetness (1983) Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life (2023) Bonus Tracks Edition

Sweat Band (1980) Sweat Band (Expanded Edition) BBR 2013

F. Toliver & Co. – Love To You 1983

David Grant (1983) David Grant (Expanded Edition) BBR 2012

Bernard Wright (1983) Funky Beat (2002)

Forrest (1983) One Lover (Expanded Edition) BBR 2015

New Horizons - Gonna Have Big Fun 1984

New Horizons - Something New 1983

jeudi 28 novembre 2024

Honey & The Bees - Love 1970

The Honey and the Bees line up that is known for the output from 1966 to 1972 is Nadine Felder White, Cassandra Ann Wooten, Jean Davis Sanders and Gwen Oliver (later known as Gwen Wesley). Most of these members were in a group called The Yum Yums. They went on to audition for producer Jerry Ross and recorded a single Looky, Looky / Gonna Be A Big Thing which was released In 1965.They were named Honey And The Bees by Jimmy Bishop following their audition for him. An article on the Philadelphia Neighborhoods website February 29, 2012 mentions that when Felder was added, for a brief period of time, they were called Sugar and Spice and then they became Honey & the Bees.

As Honey & the Bees, their recorded output began in 1966 with a release on the ARCTIC label. Releasing at least fourteen singles, which included five on Arctic and six on Josie, as well as an album, they also had a hit in 1971 with "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" . The A side of what appears to be their final single, Song For Jim / Leave Me Alone" is a Phil Hurtt composition. They broke up in 1972.

The Ritchie Family

The Ritchie Family are an American vocal group based in Philadelphia that achieved several hits during the disco era. They have reunited and continue to perform. Their latest single "Whatcha Got" was released in 2021.

The three original members were not related; the group was a creation of Jacques Morali who also formed the Village People. The group took its name from record producer Richie Rome, who added a T to the name; it originally consisted of three singers: Cassandra Ann Wooten and Gwendolyn Oliver (who eventually married musician Fred Wesley) of the girl group Honey & the Bees, and Cheryl Mason Jacks. Their manager was Jimmy Bishop, a successful Philadelphia radio personality who also managed Barbara Mason. Morali remembered Wooten and Oliver had done some session work for him, and he called them a few years later when he wanted to form a group and the Ritchie Family was born.

Following Brazil, they had success with the Arabian Nights album. Their follow up albums Life Is Music, which followed a 1930s theme, and African Queens were only mediocre successes. Each of these four albums was a concept album featuring songs of a similar theme as suggested by each album title. Each album also featured a long medley, usually running from 15 to 20 minutes.

Their first hit single, a reworking of the 1930s song "Brazil" reached the Top 20 in the United States in 1975. It would also later be nominated for the Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1976 Grammy awards but was beaten by "The Hustle" by Van McCoy.^[1] The album, also titled Brazil, sold well. By November 1, 1975, it had been on the Billboard Album Chart for five weeks and had moved up from #72 to #62.^[2] Between then and December 6 the album did reach #52. By then it had moved down from the previous week's position of #60 to #102.^[3] The album did give them another dance hit with "The Peanut Vendor".^[1] This first album featured vocals by session singers, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson and Evette Benton. There was no actual group called The Ritchie Family at this stage.

Cassandra Wooten and Nadine Felder from Honey & the Bees had done some background vocal work for Jacques Morali a couple of years prior and he contacted them as he wanted them to perform live as the Ritchie Family. Not wanting to do secular music anymore, Felder wasn't interested. Wooten and Cheryl Mason-Jacks had been doing some work together in a community theater group. With Wotton's former Honey & the Bee's bandmate, Gwendolyn Oliver they were looking to do background vocal music and started practicing for a few weeks until Wooten got a call back from Morali. So then in 1975, they went down to Sigma Sound Studios to audition. Singing a few bars of Brazil they got the job and became the face of The Ritchie Family. In 1976, they began recording the next album which was Arabian Nights album.^[1] The single from the album was "The Best Disco in Town". The song was a medley of recent disco songs linked together with an original chorus got to #17 on the Pop charts and #1 on the Dance charts^[4] and it became a worldwide hit. Described in the book Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco by Alan Jones and Jussi Kantonen as magnificent from start to finish, Arabian Knights has a travelogue type of theme to it. It begins at Istanbul^[5] and then goes to the "Lawrence of Arabia" theme and then to the finish at a Persian Market. It had a Hollywood feel with lively percussion, disco glamour and uncharacteristic male voices helping with the vocal chanting.

Phil Hurtt who had co-produced Honey & the Bees material with Bunny Sigler had a good understanding of what qualities the vocalists could bring to the group. With their individual style he knew what they would be like together with Gwendolyn's sweet tone, Cassandra's soul and earthiness and Cheryl's more powerful vocals and embodiment of those two other qualities. So he was granted more time to work with them on their vocal arrangements. The respective talents of each vocalist were highlighted as well. The album sessions were kept within the allotted times and six songs were included. The result was a disco-pop album with some elements of Philly soul. This was also the last album that Richie Rome was involved with and he quit around this time. His replacement was Horace Ott for further album releases.^[7] Released in 1977 Life Is Music came out on Marlin 2203. By February 12 it was at #184 on the Record World Top 200.^[8] By March 15 it was at #13 on the album chart in Italy.^[9] By May 10 it was at #10.^[10] The single "Life Is Music" peaked at #102 on the Pop charts, #8 on the Dance charts and #74 on the R&B charts.

African Queens , The album was another themed release with a historical nod to three African queens. With the rhythm backing by the group Gypsy Lane the album had a bit more of the driving Euro type snare drum beat to it than the lush Ritchie sound of the previous releases.^[6] In July 1977, it was announced in Billboard that TK Productions was embarking on a massive campaign for the group's African Queens album. The campaign involved mounting an African Queens billboard in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, African Queens kites being flown around the country with kite flying contests being linked to radio stations. There were also African Queens canvas tote bags, tee shirts. Included were full-color photos of Cassandra Wooten, Gwendolyn Oliver and Cheryl Mason Jacks dressed as African queens, Nefertiti, Cleopatra and Queen of Sheba. The album also included the song once done by Martin Denny, "Quiet Village".

By 1978, the three members, Wooten, Oliver and Mason-Jacks were dismissed without warning. It came as a shock to them as one day they were there and the next day they weren't. Even their songwriter Phil Hurtt was just as surprised. He went to the studio to attend the recording sessions and there were three new members in front of him. They had been replaced by Jacqui Smith-Lee, Theodosia "Dodie" Draher and Ednah Holt. It was believed that Morali had planned not to renew their contract and he had already been looking for some replacements. Gwendolyn Oliver stepped away from performing and Cassandra Wooten and Cheryl Mason-Jacks later teamed up with Michelle Simpson and formed CasMiJac.

The 1978 album, American Generation, featuring the new line-up was a slight departure from disco and more in the style of Europop, although one of the singles from it was called "I Feel Disco Good." The group abandoned the exotic and highly kitsch costumes of their earlier incarnation in favour of a more contemporary, sexually provocative style. For the next album, Bad Reputation, they brought in Victor Willis (original lead singer of Village People) joining Jacques Morali in writing the material. Holt soon departed (and formed her own group Ednah Holt and Starluv) and was replaced by lead singer Vera Brown; the group enjoyed success with "Put Your Feet to the Beat."

The Ritchie Family line-up of Brown, Smith-Lee and Draher next recorded the Give Me A Break album, which contained the hits "Give Me A Break" and "Never Be Able to Set You Free." Continuing with album releases, the next was a markedly different partnership with Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi, the pair behind Change. The album they recorded was I'll Do My Best (For You Baby); following that was All Night All Right (1983). By this time, Dodie Draher had left the group and newcomer Linda James took over her spot.

In 1980, they joined Village People for the movie Can't Stop the Music. The film was a resounding failure and still appears on many critics' "worst ever" lists; however, the soundtrack album sold well in some parts of the world. Disco music had peaked in major territories such as the USA.

After deciding to split, when group owner Jacques Morali discovered he had AIDS, the group continued as Vera Brown and the Rich Girls for one song called "Too Much Too Fast" that failed completely. Vera Brown has reformed The Ritchie Family, with Dodie Draher and Jacqui Smith-Lee, but without further releases. With original members Wooten, Mason-Jacks and Oliver, the group achieved its highest grossing sales.

Cas Mijac is the name given to a background vocal group which was made up of Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten and Cheryl Mason Jacks.^[12] Wooten and Jacks tried to re-group after their leaving The Ritchie Family. In 1980, Wooten, Mason-Jacks joined Michelle Simpson and sang background vocals on John Lennon's Double Fantasy album.^[1]^[13] Working with Tony Davilio, they first worked on "Starting Over". As Davilio tells it, they were set up in the studio about three feet away from him around a suspended microphone. Because Wooten, Mason-Jacks, and Simpson didn't read music, Davilio was at the piano giving them their notes. He had to do it a few times and giving each of them their notes a few bars at a time. This method was used in the recording process as well. This can take time. Whenever one of Cas Mijac had to do a retake, the engineer would have to stop the tape and re-cue it back to the point of recording. After the couple of minutes it took to do this, they would sometimes forget their notes which frustrated Davilio who having been a smoker was suffering the effects of nicotine withdrawal. He would forget their names, confusing Cassandra with Cheryl. With the session continuing and both parties forgetting things he was getting frustrated and they were getting annoyed and things were getting unpleasant. While working on the song "Woman" he continued with the misnaming. Meanwhile Lennon had come into the studio and was standing behind him and, in Davilio's words, slapped Davilio "upside the head".^[14] The women were discussing going on the road with Lennon, but his being killed ended that opportunity. After that they put priority on new careers and their families.

In the beginning of reforming, Cheryl Mason-Dorman and Cassandra Wooten worked for a period of time with Michelle Simpson who they worked with in Cas Mijac. Then they stopped for a period and then later settled with Renee Guilory-Wearing. Now with original members Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason-Dorman and new member Renee Guilory-Wearing as the reformed group they started touring.^[19]

The Ritchie Family is featured in Jim Arena's book First Ladies of Disco, released in June 2013.^[1] In July 2016, The Ritchie Family released a single "Ice" on Martha Wash's Purple Rose recording label.^[20] The song was later remixed and released as a maxi-single of six tracks.^[21]

In 2021, they released the single, "Whatcha Got".^[22]

The group appeared on the Italian Show ‘I Migilor Anni - Dell 'Estate' on May 27, 2023.

The Ritchie Family - Whatcha Got (Rapped) 2021

Their latest single "Whatcha Got" was released in 2021.

All Night All Right 1983

With this final album, the trio copy and paste their previous album

in the hope of repeating their success. The look of the

look is resolutely more modern. The album's production

was entrusted to Gavin Christopher.

Pregnant Dodie Draher is replaced by Linda James. The one and only

single taken from the album is an instant success in the clubs

and reaches number 77 on the R'n'B charts.

The group returned to the studio to record an album

entitled “Rodéo”, which failed to reach the record stores because the

production was rejected.

I'll Do My Best 1982

The group returns after a year's absence from the record market. Jacques Morali relinquished production of the album to Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi, while remaining executive producer.

The band adopts a musical turnaround that it had already initiated on the previous album (Give A Break). I'll do my best marks the trio's return to the forefront of the music scene, reaching no. 27

in the American charts. The song was to become one of the funk music

funk music of the 1980s, and was included on many

compilations.

It was also remixed in 1995 and 1996 for European

European sales, but without the same success.

Several singles were taken from the album to make the most of it.

This love's on me was remixed and mixed with Tonight I need to have your love (b-side of the first single) for a maxi single released exclusively for Europe.

Give Me a Break 1980

The release of this opus returns the band to the European charts after a two-year absence. The eponymous song reaches number 15 in the Dutch charts and number 17 in Sweden.

The musical style is again different from the previous album

album, but this time the evolution is less confusing to the

public. Disco (Give me a break) mixes with Rhythm and blues (I'll never be able to set you free) and slows (All my love among others).

The band promoted the album by appearing on various music

various music shows, as well as performing the title track

title track in the film Can't Stop the Music, featuring the story of the Village People. Another song from the album (Sophistication) was also included on the film's soundtrack.

This will be the last album on which the band will feature Disco songs,

the movement was coming to an end by the end of 1980, and the group

to a style that suited them perfectly.

Jacques Morali produced the group's album again, for the last time, before becoming executive producer for the next opus.

Bad Reputation 1979

Released in the summer of 1979, the album is one of change.

Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo signed the group to Casablanca Records

leaving T.K Records, which had released the group's records from the outset

the group's records from the outset, in order to consolidate their production on a single label.

In terms of sound, the brass and elaborate musical construction

give way to simplistic drums and violins (typical of disco music).

(typical of disco music) punctuate the beat. The beats per minute

minute increase radically, facilitating the use of these songs on

tracks of the time. The media presented to the public

multiplied, and this album became the one with the highest number of

single ever released by the band (four in all out of the five songs on the new album).

Ednah Holt makes way for Vera Brown, who is officially credited as lead singer on the vinyl.

Put Your Feet to the Beat, the opening song and

and probably the most formatted for discotheques, serves as first single

first single during the summer. Despite a video clip

TV promotion and extensive record coverage (the song will be

(the song was remixed for greater exploitation, and no fewer than 4 different

marketed in various forms), the song failed to reach any of the

any of the American or European charts.

The band's image changes radically, becoming more aggressive, with

singers are dressed in leather and chains, and sing choruses

sexier, more provocative choruses. However, despite a

lack of interest in their own country, the band enjoyed steady popularity in

popularity in Europe, including performances in Australia and Japan

and Japan, as well as appearing in concert with the Village People.

American Generation 1978

The album was released in 1978, and although it was produced in New York

a sound closer to Euro-pop and European disco than in previous

albums.

The change was radical, and the original line-up (Jacks, Oliver

and Wooten) is replaced by a new trio (Ednah Holt, Dodie Draher

and Jacqui Smith Lee). The group makes an appearance in Jean Yanne's

by Jean Yanne, Je te tiens, tu me tiens par la barbichette, and took part in the film's soundtrack, recording two songs, La barbichette (you make me feel it) and Forever dancing, which were later released as singles.

In the same year, The Ritchie Family contributes backing vocals with the Village People to a project retracing the life and career of Josephine Baker on Phylicia Allen's album “Josephine Superstar”.

The album American Generation failed to match the success of previous U.S. releases, reaching number 148 on the U.S. Billboard charts. The band enjoyed greater success in Europe, with American Generation reaching #49 in the UK and even breaking into the top 10 (#8) in the Netherlands. The song was remixed and released in the Netherlands in 1997, but did not chart again.

African Queens 1977

African Queens is the fourth studio album recorded by American female vocal trio the Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.

The album features the track, "Quiet Village", which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart along with songs "African Queens" and "Summer Dance". "Quiet Village" also peaked at No. 68 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Life Is Music 1977

Life Is Music is the third studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.

The album features the title track, which peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart along with songs "Lady Luck" and "Disco Blues". "Life Is Music" also peaked at No. 74 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Arabian Nights 1976

Arabian Nights is the second studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1976 on the Marlin label.

The album features the track, "The Best Disco in Town", which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart, No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 12 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Nonstop dance floor disco including "Best Disco in Town," a medley of disco hits.

Brazil... 1975

Brazil is the debut studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1975 on the 20th Century label.

The album features the title track, which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart, No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Another single, "Dance with Me", had moderate success on the charts.

A little under a year before the Ritchie Family's "Best Disco in Town" stormed the nightlife, they debuted their lush disco style on 1975's Brazil. Replete with all those wonderful sonic Sigma Studio keynotes, which include lush strings and chukka chukka guitar and are underpinned at times by minute moments of scything rock & roll, the band delivered, if not some of the best, then certainly some of the earliest disco in town. While the title track, its disco rhythm twined with strings and flute, soared to number 11 on the pop charts, it was followed to number 84 by the remarkably shrill and often mistitled "Dance With Me" -- a number with vocals that don't sound like they're part of the same song, let alone in the right key. But that mainstream introduction to the band is misleading, because they actually strike brighter sparks elsewhere on the album, both on the Motown sound of "Pinball" and on the eight-minute epic "Fenesi," which features unyielding grooves and a flute solo. At the end of the day, the Ritchie Family are best remembered as little more than a B-movie disco band with a nice line in space-age get ups -- and, as Brazil pre-dates spacesuits, it can't even fall back on that. Overlook this costuming catastrophe, however, and the album has a subtle flamboyance that is often just as pleasing.