Slave (band)
| Slave | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, boogie, disco, soul, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer, musician |
| Years active | 1975–1996 |
| Labels | Cotillion, Atco, Ichiban |
| Website |
Steve Washington Steve Arrington Mark L. "The Hansolor" Adams - Bassplayer.com |
Slave was an Ohio funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter Steve Washington, born in New Jersey, attended athletically acclaimed East Orange High School, and was one of the first users of the "electric trumpet". He and Mark Hicks ("Drac") formed the group in Dayton, Ohio in 1975.
Career
Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr. (tenor & alto sax), Carter Bradley (keyboards), Mark Adams (bass), Mark Hicks (lead and rhythm guitar, background vocals), Danny Webster (rhythm and lead guitar, lead and background vocals), Orion Wilhoite (keyboards) and Tim Dozier (drums). Drummer/percussionist Steve Arrington, along with vocalists Starleana Young, then Curt Jones and keyboardist Ray Turner came aboard in 1978, with Arrington ultimately becoming lead vocalist. Their first big hit was the single "Slide" in 1977 for Cotillion Records, where they remained until 1984. Their best work was usually based on bass licks and the band's general arrangements emphasis on the rhythm section and soaring lead vocals.
Other Top Ten R&B hits were "Just a Touch of Love" in 1979, "Watching You" in 1980, and "Snap Shot" in 1981. They added Charles Carter on sax and brother Sam Carter on keyboards. Young, Washington, Jones and Lockett departed to form Aurra in 1981. Slave added Roger Parker, Delbert Taylor, Jr., and Kevin Johnson as replacements. Arrington himself left in 1982 after the Showtime album. The band continued on, though much less successfully, into the late 1980s.
They moved to Atlantic Records for one LP (New Plateau) in 1984, then switched to the Atlanta-based Ichiban Records the following year, releasing Unchained at Last in late 1985. Despite scoring a couple of minor hits on the R&B chart from this album the following year and another minor hit from their 1987 follow-up album, Make Believe, Slave could not recapture the commercial success they had enjoyed in their heyday. Their most recent release was The Funk Strikes Back in 1992. Rhino issued Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave Featuring Steve Arrington, an anthology of their finest cuts, in 1994.
Bass player Mark Leslie Adams Sr., a native of Dayton, died Saturday, March 5, 2011 at age 51 in Columbus, Ohio.[1]
Guitar player Mark ("Drac") Hicks, a native of Dayton, died on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at the age of 52 in Dayton, Ohio.[1]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
CAN [3] | ||||||||||||
| 1977 | Slave | 22 | 6 | — |
|
Cotillion | ||||||||
| The Hardness of the World | 67 | 31 | — | |||||||||||
| 1978 | The Concept | 78 | 11 | 95 | ||||||||||
| 1979 | Just a Touch of Love | 92 | 11 | — | ||||||||||
| 1980 | Stone Jam | 53 | 5 | — |
| |||||||||
| 1981 | Show Time | 46 | 7 | — | ||||||||||
| 1982 | Visions of the Lite | 177 | 46 | — | ||||||||||
| 1983 | Bad Enuff | 168 | 30 | — | ||||||||||
| 1984 | New Plateau | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1985 | Unchained at Last | — | 56 | — | Ichiban | |||||||||
| 1987 | Make Believe | — | 44 | — | ||||||||||
| 1988 | 88 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1990 | Rebirth | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1992 | The Funk Strikes Back | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1995 | Masters of the Fungk | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [2] | ||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Best of Slave | — | Cotillion | |||||||||||
| 1994 | Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave | 44 | Rhino | |||||||||||
| 1997 | Slide and Other Hits | — | ||||||||||||
| 1998 | From the Archives | — | T.F.L. | |||||||||||
| 2001 | Greatest Hits | — | Goldenlane | |||||||||||
| 2003 | Party Lights: More of the Best | — | Rhino | |||||||||||
| 2006 | The Definitive Groove Collection | — | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart Positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
US Dan [2] |
CAN [3] |
UK [5] | ||||||||||
| 1977 | "Slide" | 32 | 1 | — | 58 | — | ||||||||
| 1978 | "The Party Song" | 110 | 22 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Baby Sinister" | — | 74 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Stellar Fungk" | — | 14 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Just Freak" | 110 | 64 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1979 | "Just a Touch of Love" | — | 9 | 26 | — | 64 | ||||||||
| 1980 | "Foxy Lady (Funky Lady)" | — | 55 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Sizzlin' Hot" | — | 57 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Watching You" | 78 | 6 | 23 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1981 | "Feel My Love" | — | 62 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Snap Shot" | 91 | 6 | 21 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Party Lites" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Wait for Me" | 103 | 20 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1982 | "Intro (Come to Blow Ya Mind)" | — | 81 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1983 | "Do You Like It... (Girl)" | — | 73 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Be My Babe" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Shake It Up" | — | 22 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Steppin' Out" | — | 73 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1984 | "Ooohh" | — | 41 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "The Word Is Out" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1986 | "Jazzy Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Thrill Me" | — | 84 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "All We Need Is Time" | — | 85 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1987 | "Juicy-O" | — | 83 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "I Like Your Style" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
References
- 1 2 Dayton Daily News
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "US Charts > Slave". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
- 1 2 "CAN Charts > Slave". RPM. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- 1 2 "US Certifications > Slave". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ↑ "UK Charts > Slave". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
External links
- Slave at Discogs
- Slave at Soulwalking
- Slave at Soul Tracks
- Slave Legacy, LLC at Slave Legacy, LLC
- Slave (band) at AllMusic
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