Instant Funk burst on the '70s disco scene with the million-selling single "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" and the gold album Instant Funk. The Trenton, NJ, band started out with the core lineup of bassist Raymond Earl, drummer Scotty Miller, and guitarist Kim Miller. It later expanded to include keyboardist Dennis Richardson; lead... [+] Read More

Yes No

A Mississippi funk band, Sho-Nuff has never attained much commercial success recording for Malaco. The Jackson ensemble began in 1975. Its original members were lead vocalist Frederick Young, guitarist Lawrence Lewis, keyboardist James Lewis, bassist Sky Chambers, drummer Bruce Means, conga player Albert Bell, and Jerod Minnis. ~ Ron Wynn, All... [+] Read More

Yes No

A Detroit funk group whose enthusiasm didn't pay off in hit singles. Trumpeter Richard Sebastian, saxophonist Greg Ingram, keyboardist/lead guitarist Billy Talbert, guitarist Ernest Latimore, bassist Larry Austin, drummer/vocalist Tyrone Steels, and percussionist Leslie Carter made entertaining songs in the best Ohio Players/Slave/Cameo mode but... [+] Read More

Yes No

If the O'Jays, the Dramatics, or Bloodstone had added a female singer and incorporated bebop-influenced harmonies, they might have sounded something like Side Effect -- a distinctive soul and funk vocal quartet of the '70s and early '80s. Side Effect was never a big name in R&B -- and its material wasn't as consistently strong as that of the... [+] Read More

Yes No

This New York group had some disco/club hits in the early '80s for Prelude. Drummer Milton Brown, bassist Willie Slaughter, keyboardist Howie Young, guitarist Robert Gilliom, saxophonist Darryl Gibbs, and lead vocalist Ruben Faison had their first success with "Body Music" in 1981. It reached the R&B Top 30. The follow-up, "Inch by Inch,"... [+] Read More

Yes No

Under the leadership of bassist Gordon Edwards, several of the most prolific studio players around teamed together to form an all-star rhythm section that on a part-time basis operated as an independent group. Back around 1967, Edwards put together the Encyclopedia of Soul and during the next decade, the group (which just played together on an... [+] Read More

Yes No

Another of the many Dayton funk bands that emerged in the '70s, Sun didn't enjoy as much success as their counterparts. The band recorded prolifically for Capitol from 1976 to 1984, but just couldn't score a major hit. The closest they came was "Sun Is Here," which made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in 1978. They made one last try with Air... [+] Read More

Yes No

T-Connection was one of those groups during the late '70s and early '80s that blurred the line between funk and disco. Unlike virtually all of their peers, they were from the Bahamas; led by vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Theophilus "T" Coakley, T-Connection's membership was fleshed out by Kirkwood Coakley (bass, drums), David Mackey... [+] Read More

Yes No

Among the more popular family acts on the '70s R&B circuit, Memphis' Sylvers recorded for Pride, MGM, Capitol, Casablanca, and Geffen during their 13-year chart run. No less than nine of the ten brothers and sisters in the family -- Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, James, Edmund, Ricky, Angie, Pat, Foster -- performed in the group that was viewed as a... [+] Read More

Yes No

San Francisco vocalists Martha Wash and Izora Redman comprised the duo Two Tons of Fun, later changing their name to the Weather Girls. They began singing together in gospel ensembles and choirs, meeting in the group NOW (News of the World) before turning to secular music. They gained initial recognition during the mid and late '70s as... [+] Read More

Yes No