Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul,[1] and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through 1985.
Brass Construction | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Funk, disco |
| Years active | 1968–1985 |
| Labels | United Artists Records, Capitol Records, Epic Records |
| Past members | Wade Williamston Sandy Billups Morris Price Larry Payton (deceased) Jesse Ward Jr. (deceased) Michael "Micky" Grudge Wayne Parris Alvin Haskin Duane Cahill Joseph Arthur-Wong (deceased) Randy Muller |
Career
editSigned in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former United Artists Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two US Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976, the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. They had much more success on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'", which reached #1. Singer, pianist, flautist and arranger Randy Muller went on to score a number of R&B hits with Skyy and B. T. Express.[2]
Over the years, Brass Construction members have included Wade Williamston (bass), Sandy Billups (percussion), Morris Price (trumpet), Larry Payton (drums), Jesse Ward Jr. (saxophone), Michael "Micky" Grudge (saxophone), Wayne Parris (trumpet), Alvin Haskin (original trombone player on "Movin'"), Duane Cahill (trombone), Joseph Arthur-Wong (guitar), and Randy Muller (lead vocals),[3] later joined by Lee Evans on keyboards.
Brass Construction reunited for a concert on November 28, 2005, at the Bataclan Arena in Paris, France.[3]
Joseph Arthur-Wong died in 1998. Jesse Ward Jr. died in 2016.[4] Drummer Larry Payton died on March 21, 2016.[5][6]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
CAN [8] |
UK [9] | |||||||||||
| 1975 | Brass Construction | 10 | 1 | 55 | 9 | United Artists | ||||||||
| 1976 | Brass Construction II | 26 | 3 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1977 | Brass Construction III | 66 | 16 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1978 | Brass Construction IV | 174 | 24 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1979 | Brass Construction 5 | 89 | 18 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1980 | Brass Construction 6 | 121 | 32 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1982 | Attitudes | 114 | 21 | — | — | Liberty | ||||||||
| 1983 | Conversations | 176 | 29 | — | — | Capitol | ||||||||
| 1984 | Renegades | — | 31 | — | 94 | |||||||||
| 1985 | Conquest | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
edit- Golden Classics (1991, Collectables)
- The Best of Brass Construction: Movin' & Changin' (1993, EMI)
- Get Up to Get Down: Brass Construction's Funky Feeling (1997, Capitol)
- Classic Masters (2002, EMI/Capitol)
- Something for the Weekend: 10 Extended Soul Weekender Classics (2006, Stateside)
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US Dan [7] |
BEL [12] |
CAN [8] |
NLD [13] |
NZ [14] |
UK [9] | |||||||
| 1970 | "Two Timin' Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1976 | "Movin'" | 14 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 47 | 10 | — | 23 | |||||
| "Changin'" | — | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)" | 51 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 37 | ||||||
| 1977 | "The Message (Inspirational)" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "What's on Your Mind (Expression)" | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "We" / "Celebrate" | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1978 | "L-O-V-E-U" | 104 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Celebrate" | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Help Yourself" | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Get Up" | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1979 | "Right Place" | — | 41 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1980 | "Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | |||||
| "I'm Not Gonna Stop" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "How Do You Do (What You Do to Me)" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1982 | "Can You See the Light" | — | 23 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Attitude" | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1983 | "Walkin' the Line" | — | 28 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 47 | |||||
| "We Can Work It Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1984 | "Never Had a Girl" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Partyline" | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | ||||||
| "International" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1985 | "Give and Take" | — | 76 | 28 | — | — | — | — | 62 | |||||
| 1988 | "Movin' 1988" | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | 41 | 24 | |||||
| "Ha Cha Cha" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Band members
edit- Randy Muller – Keyboards/ Lead vocals
- Wade Williamston – Bass
- Joseph Arthur-Wong (d.1998) – Guitar
- Larry Payton (1955 – March 21, 2016) – Drums
- Jesse Ward Jr. (d.2016) – Saxophone
- Michael "Micky" Grudge – Saxophone
- Wayne Parris – Trumpet
- Morris Price – Trumpet
- Sandy Billups – Percussion
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Brass Construction Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 174. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ a b "Brass Construction - Platinum Recording - Grammy Nominated Band". Brassconstruction.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ A. Scott Galloway, "2016: An Unprecedented Year For Farewells To Musical Greatness", Soultracks.com. Retrieved 19 April 2020
- ^ "R.I.P. Brass Construction's amazing drummer, Larry Payton". Soultracks.com. March 30, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "LARRY PAYTON DIES..." Soulandjazzandfunk.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Brass Construction". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Brass Construction". RPM. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > Brass Construction". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c "US Certifications > Brass Construction". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ "Brass Construction: Brass Construction". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ "BEL Charts > Brass Construction". Top 30. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ "NLD Charts > Brass Construction". MegaCharts. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ "NZ Charts > Brass Construction". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved March 15, 2015.