Charlie Wilson, affectionately known as “Uncle Charlie”, has two 2012 Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for his hit song “You Are”, from his latest CD Just Charlie; a song on which is wife is also a co-writer. ”You Are” held the #1 position on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 13 weeks.
Charlie Wilson’s music goes back to the ’80s when he and his brothers Ronnie and Robert put out funkalicious jams such as “Outstanding”, “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” and others as The Gap Band. His influence can be heard in the vocal stylings of R. Kelly and Aaron Hall. Although drug and alcohol drug addiction almost overcame him after the band broke up, Wilson has reemerged and triumphed as a revered artist who is sought after by Hip-Hop and R&B artists to collaborate on their music; thus introducing him to a new generation of fans. “Uncle Charlie” is truly the comeback kid– he was also nominated for two Grammys in 2010. To find out if he will win this year, tune in to the Grammy Awards February 12 at 8/7c on CBS.
During its 80′s heyday, Levert’s hit single “Casanova” got many bodies on the dancefloor. The single is from the group’s third album 1987′s The Big Throwdown. The song was the trio’s second #1 R&B hit–in what would soon be a string of many.
“The Sound Of Philadelphia” by MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother) featuring vocals by the group The Three Degrees was written by Philly Soul legends Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff as the theme song for the television show Soul Train. The song reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart in 1974. Although the song was re-recorded in different versions over the different eras of black music (’80s R&B, New Jack Swing, Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul) since 1974, “The Sound Of Philadelphia” remained the show’s theme song until the final episode in 2006.
In the late ’80s Tracie Spencer was a winner on the talent competition show Star Search and from there became the youngest female artist to sign a record deal with a major label– Capitol Records. The song “Tender Kisses” went to #1 on the R&B chart and also made Spencer the youngest female artist to win the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award. “Tender Kisses”, from Tracie Spencer’s second album Make The Difference.
A very talented group of musicians that rose to the top of the music world not once but twice, Kool & the Gang continues to be one of the most beloved bands of the last 30 years. Formed by Robert “Kool” Bell, his brother Ronald Bell and bunch of their New Jersey teenage friends in the mid-60s (then called the Jazziacs), the group played traditional jazz in regional venues for several years, slowly morphing their style to incorporate emerging funk sounds of Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown. They were signed by the De-Lite label in the early 70s and gathered a small but loyal national following (particularly for their 1971 release Live at the Sex Machine). The group’s fortunes exploded in 1974 with Wild and Peaceful, an infectiously raw album that spawned three smash hits, “Funky Stuff,” “Hollywood Swinging,” and “Jungle Boogie,” all featuring great instrumentation and lyrics virtually shouted by the group. However, as quickly as they rode to fame, Kool & the Gang faded, their rough sound appearing out of place against the slick, dance-oriented sounds that began to dominate popular radio in the late 70s.
“Happy Birthday” was written by Stevie Wonder to popularize the campaign (in which he was significantly involved) to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
s birthday a national holiday. In November 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into existence. The first official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was January 20, 1986 and a commemorative concert featuring Stevie Wonder was held. Stevie Wonder also performed the song in October 2011 at the dedication ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. “Happy Birthday” also appears on the album Hotter Than July.
“Skin I’m In” by Cameo is a single from the 1988 album Machismo which went to #10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The message of the song is about social injustice and equality for all people. Between performance and dance scenes, the music video features film from the civil rights movement and lead singer Larry Blackmon appears with half of his face painted black and the other painted white.
