Black Smoke -

Blacksmoke was an American soul-funk band from Compton, California, that released a self-titled album on Chocolate City in 1976. The band was originally called Smoke but modified their name for the album’s release, presumably to avoid confusion with the Kansas City soul group named Smoke.

Members: Michael Fisher (guitar, vocals), Anthony Fisher (bass, vocals), Arnold N. Riggs, Jr. (lead vocals), Rodney Thompson (keyboards, background vocals), Bradford Henry Thoelke III (bass trombone, background vocals), Cliff Ervin (trumpet, flugel horn, background vocals), Buddy McDaniel (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, background vocals), Raymond Genovese (drums)

Background

Blacksmoke formed in Compton, California, in 1975 as Smoke. The band coalesced around bassist Anthony Fisher (b. October 14, 1952; Los Angeles), multi-instrumentalist/guitarist Michael Wells Fisher (b. February 21, 1954; Los Angeles), drummer Raymond Genovese (b. January 12, 1953; Los Angeles), singer Arnold Riggs Jr. (b. August 27, 1951; Los Angeles), and keyboardist Rodney Thompson (b. June 3, 1953; Los Angeles). They were joined by a horn section of trumpeter/flugelhornist Clifford J. Ervin (b. May 16, 1953; Los Angeles), saxophonist/flautist Buddy McDaniel (b. December 2, 1952; Los Angeles), and trombonist Bradford Henry Thoelke III (b. March 5, 1953; Los Angeles).

The Fisher brothers trained in classical and jazz programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District before playing in local R&B groups. Thompson studied piano and organ in church and worked as a session keyboardist in the early 1970s. Ervin, McDaniel, and Thoelke played in collegiate big bands and crossed paths with the Fishers in the South Bay circuit. Riggs sang in doo-wop and soul revues and worked briefly as a backing vocalist on sessions for local acts. By 1974, the eight musicians formed a working ensemble that blended funk, jazz, and pop, developing a reputation for tight horn voicings and rhythmic precision.

Smoke gigged throughout the greater Los Angeles club network and appeared on local TV showcases, which brought them to the attention of Casablanca Records. The label signed the band in 1975 and sent them into the studio for a debut album. Casablanca used portions of their early material in the blaxploitation film The Candy Tangerine Man (1975). When the finished album was shelved, the project was revived by former Casablanca executive Cecil Holmes for his new imprint Chocolate City, making their record the label’s first release. After a legal challenge over the name Smoke, the band reissued the album in 1976 as Blacksmoke.

Smoke (1976)

Blacksmoke released their debut album, Smoke, in 1976 on Chocolate City (CCLP 2001).

The album presents the eight-piece with a tightly arranged brass front and an agile rhythm section. Produced by Wayne Henderson, it blends propulsive funk with old-school balladry and jazz-inflected pop. Multi-instrumentalist Michael Fisher anchors the material with sharp guitar figures and rhythmic flexibility, offset by Arnold Riggs Jr.’s soulful vocals and punchy horn charts by Clifford Ervin, Buddy McDaniel, and Bradford Thoelke.

Fisher wrote all nine songs on Smoke. His writing emphasizes rhythmic variety and stylistic range, shifting between uptempo dance numbers, mid-tempo horn-driven jams, and romantic slow burners.

Among the uptempo tracks, “Gotta Bad Feeling” and “Don’t Care (What You Do)” showcase Ervin, McDaniel, and Thoelke in sectional bursts and counter-rhythmic punctuation. Ballads like “You Needn’t Worry Now” highlight Riggs’ supple vocal phrasing over restrained horn support, while “What Goes Around Comes Around” merges soft pop harmonies with galloping rhythm figures. Instrumental solos by Fisher and Thompson add jazz textures to “Turn This Thing Around” and “Freedom of the Mind.”

A1. “Gotta Bad Feeling” (3:10) — uptempo funk with stacked horn riffs and punchy call-and-response vocals.
A2. “Screamin’” (3:00) — rhythmic dance track centered on Fisher’s bass figures and Riggs’ urgent phrasing.
A3. “Turn This Thing Around” (4:01) — jazz-funk hybrid with layered percussion and electric piano lines.
A4. “There It Is” (3:06) — brisk horn chant/jam with a notable drum break by Genovese.
A5. “Don’t Care (What You Do)” (3:29) — tight funk with a featured sax solo by Buddy McDaniel.

B1. “You Needn’t Worry Now” (5:04) — slow soul ballad with Clifford Ervin trumpet leads.
B2. “What Goes Around Comes Around” (3:01) — harmonic pop-soul blend with brisk guitar figures.
B3. “Sunshine Roses and Rainbows” (3:27) — soft adult-contemporary soul arrangement.
B4. “Freedom of the Mind” (5:17) — uplifting jazz-pop closer with trumpet and trombone solos.

Sessions occurred at Hollywood’s Wally Heider Studios with producer Wayne Henderson and engineer Reggie Dozier.

Rodney Thompson plays electric piano, ARP synthesizer, organ, Clavinet, and piano. Bradford Henry Thoelke III plays bass trombone. Clifford J. Ervin plays trumpet and flugelhorn. Buddy McDaniel plays tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and flute.

Chocolate City issued Smoke under the name Smoke in mid-1976 and reissued it as Blacksmoke following the legal dispute.

Chocolate City promoted the album with the single “(Your Love Has Got Me) Screamin’” (b/w “You Needn’t Worry Now”) in August 1976 (CC 003). A promo-only single of “There It Is” [mono/stereo] followed in January 1977 (CC 006).

Postlude

Ervin, Thoelke, and McDaniel later appeared on late-1970s recordings by Side Effect (What You Need), John Mayall (A Hard Core Package), Wha-Koo (Berkshire), Stargard (What You Waitin’ For), and Wright Brothers Flying Machine (Wright Brothers Flying Machine). Ervin subsequently joined Rick James’s backing band and appeared on early-1980s releases by DeBarge and Teena Marie. Thompson played keyboards on Cherry Laine’s 1979 album I’m Hot.