Commodores

Commodores

The Commodores in Hallandale, Florida
Background information
Origin Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
Genres
Years active 1968–present
Labels Motown
Polydor
Website www.commodoreslive.com
Members William King
Walter Orange
J.D. Nicholas
Past members Milan Williams (deceased)
Thomas McClary
Lionel Richie
Ronald LaPread
Andre Callahan
Michael Gilbert
James Ingram
Skyler Jett
Sheldon Reynolds
Eugene Ward
Mikael Manley

The Commodores are an American funk/soul band, which was at its peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour.

The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was co-lead singer. The band's biggest hit singles are ballads such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", and "Nightshift"; and funky dance hits which include "Brick House", "Fancy Dancer", "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", and "Too Hot ta Trot". In 1986 the Commodores won their first Grammy for the song "Nightshift".

Band history

The Commodores originally came together from two former groups, the Mystics and the Jays. There was even a Jazz aspect to one of the groups.[1] They wanted to change the name. Together, a six-man band was created from which the notable individuals were Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics; Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams were from the Jays. To choose a new name, William "WAK" King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out", he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People magazine. "We almost became 'The Commodes![2]

The band originated while its members attended Tuskegee University in Alabama. After winning the university's annual freshman talent contest, they played at fraternity parties as well as a weekend gig at the Black Forest Inn, one of a few clubs in Tuskegee that catered to college students. They performed mostly cover tunes and some original songs with their first singer, James Ingram (not the famous solo artist). Ingram, older than the rest of the band, left to serve active duty in Vietnam, and was later replaced by Walter "Clyde" Orange, who would write or co-write many of their hit tunes. Lionel Richie and Orange alternated as lead singers. (Orange was the lead singer on the Top 10 hits "Brick House" and "Nightshift".)

The Commodores made a brief appearance in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. They performed the song "Too Hot ta Trot" during the dance contest; the songs "Brick House" and "Easy" were also played during the movie.

"Machine Gun", the instrumental title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American sporting events, and is similarly featured in many films, including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar. It reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Another instrumental, "Cebu" (named after an island in the Philippines), later became a staple in the Quiet storm format. Three albums released in 1975 and 1976 (Caught in the Act, Movin' On, and Hot On The Tracks) are considered the peak of their harder funk period. After those recordings the group started to move towards a softer sound. That move was hinted at in their 1976 Top Ten hits "Sweet Love" and "Just to Be Close to You". In 1977 the Commodores released "Easy", which became the group's biggest hit yet, reaching No. 4 in the U.S., followed by "Brick House", also top 5, both from their album The Commodores, as was "Zoom". The group reached No. 1 in 1978 with "Three Times a Lady". In 1979 the Commodores scored another top-five ballad, "Sail On", before reaching the top of the charts once again with another ballad, "Still". In 1981 they released two top-ten hits with "Oh No" (No. 4) and their first upbeat single in almost five years, "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (No. 8).

In 1982, Lionel Richie left to pursue a solo career. A transition that was smooth but slow, Richie's departure was evident after it was mentioned to the band why his distinct sound would never be a part of The Commodores; Skyler Jett replaced Richie as co-lead singer. Also in 1982, their manager Benjamin Ashburn who also managed another band Platinum Hook died of a heart attack aged 54.[3]

Band performance in Florida during the 1980s

Over time, several founding members left - McClary left in 1983 (shortly after Richie) to pursue a solo career and to develop a gospel music company. McClary was replaced by guitarist-vocalist Sheldon Reynolds while LaPread left in 1986 and moved to Auckland, New Zealand and Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind & Fire in 1987, which prompted trumpeter William "WAK" King to take over primary guitar duties for live performances. Keyboardist Milan Williams exited the band in 1989 after allegedly refusing to tour South Africa.

The group also gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena. In 1984 former Heatwave singer James Dean "J.D." Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange. The band remained hitless until 1985 when their final Motown album, Nightshift, produced by Dennis Lambert—all prior albums were produced by James Anthony Carmichael)—delivered the Grammy Award-winning title track "Nightshift" (No. 3 in the U.S.). It was a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. In 2010 a new version was recorded, dedicated to Michael Jackson.[4] The Commodores were on a European tour performing at Wembley Arena, London, on June 25, 2009, when they walked off the stage after they were told that Michael Jackson had died. Initially the band thought it was a hoax. However, back in their dressing rooms they received confirmation and broke down in tears. The next night at Birmingham's NIA Arena, J.D. Nicholas added Jackson's name into the lyrics of the song, and thenceforth the Commodores have mentioned Jackson and other deceased R&B singers. Thus came the inspiration upon the one-year anniversary of Jackson's death, to re-record, with new lyrics, the hit song "Nightshift" as a tribute. "Nightshift" won The Commodores their first Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1985.

In 1990 the Commodores formed Commodores Records and re-recorded their 20 greatest hits as Commodores Hits Vol. I & II. They have recorded a live album Commodores Live! along with a DVD of the same name, and a Christmas album titled Commodores Christmas. In 2012, the band was working on new material, some contributions written by current and former members.

The Commodores now consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, James Dean "J.D." Nicholas, and William "WAK" King, along with their five-piece band, known as the "Mean Machine". The group continues to perform, playing at arenas, theaters, and festivals around the world.

Personnel

Current members
Former members

* Original member

Discography

Albums

Year Album Peak chart positions
US UK US R&B
1974 Machine Gun 138 22
1975 Caught in the Act 26 7
Movin' On 29 7
1976 Hot on the Tracks 12 1
1976 Rise Up
1977 Commodores (a.k.a. Zoom in the UK) 3 1
Commodores Live! 3 60 2
1978 Natural High 3 8 1
1979 Greatest Hits 23 24
Midnight Magic 3 15 1
1980 Heroes 7 50 3
1981 In the Pocket 13 70 4
1982 All the Great Hits
1983 Uprising
1983 Commodores 13 103 26
1984 All the Great Love Songs
1985 Nightshift 12 13 1
1985 There's a Song in my Heart
1986 United 101 17
1986 Flying High
1988 Rock Solid 101
1992 Commodores Christmas
1993 No Tricks
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[5][6] Album
US US R&B US Dance US AC UK
1974 "Machine Gun" 22 7 20 Machine Gun
"The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" 44
"I Feel Sanctified" 75 12
1975 "Slippery When Wet" 19 1 Caught in the Act
"This Is Your Life" 13
1976 "Sweet Love" 5 2 32 Movin' On
"Just to Be Close to You" 7 1 62 Hot on the Tracks
1977 "Fancy Dancer" 39 9 33
"Easy" 4 1 9 The Commodores
"Brick House" 5 4 34 32
"Zoom" 38
1978 "Too Hot ta Trot" 24 1 38 The Commodores Live!
"Three Times a Lady" 1 1 1 1 Natural High
"Flying High" 38 21 37
1979 "Sail On" 4 8 9 8 Midnight Magic
"Still" 1 1 6 4
1980 "Wonderland" 25 21 40
"Old-Fashion Love" 20 8 Heroes
"Heroes" 54 27
"Jesus Is Love" 34
1981 "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" 8 5 56 In the Pocket
"Oh No" 4 5 5 44
1982 "Why You Wanna Try Me" 66 42
"Lucy"
"Painted Picture" 70 19 All the Great Hits
1983 "Reach High"
"Only You" 54 20 8 Commodores 13
1984 "Turn Off the Lights"
1985 "Nightshift" 3 1 6 2 3 Nightshift
"Animal Instinct" 43 22 9 74
"Janet" 87 65 8
1986 "Goin to the Bank" 65 2 43 United
1987 "Take It from Me" 38
"United in Love" 22
1988 "Solitaire" 51 Rock Solid
"Homeless"
"Grrip"
1993 "Everything Reminds Me of You" No Tricks
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Accolades

Among multiple Grammy Award nominations, they won a Grammy for "Nightshift" in 1986. In 2003, they were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Grammy Awards
Year Category Work Result
1978 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Duo, Group Or Chorus "Easy" Nominated
1979 "Natural High" Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group "Three Times A Lady" Nominated
1980 "Sail On" Nominated
Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Duo, Group Or Chorus "Midnight Magic" Nominated
1981 "Heroes" Nominated
Best Inspirational Performance "Jesus Is Love" Nominated
1982 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Duo, Group Or Chorus "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" Nominated
1986 "Nightshift" Won

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.