The Dazz Band were an American soul-funk nine-piece from Cleveland that began life as Kinsman Dazz, releasing two albums under that name on 20th Century Fox Records circa 1978/79. Under the abbreviated nameplate, the band released eight albums on Motown between 1980 and 1986, followed by a ninth on RCA Victor in 1988.
Members: Bobby Harris (saxophone, clarinet, vocals), Isaac “Ike” Wiley, Jr. (drums, 1980-95), Pierre DeMudd (trumpet, vocals, 1980-88, 1998-2001), Michael Wiley (bass, vocals, 1980-88), Kenny Pettus (vocals, percussion, 1980-86, 1998-2001), Sennie “Skip” Martin (trumpet, vocals, 1980-85, 1998-present), Eric Fearman (guitar, 1980-85), Kevin Kendrick (keyboards, 1980-81, 1998-2001), Michael Calhoun (guitar, vocals, 1980-81), Ed Meyers (trombone, 1980-81), Keith Harrison (vocals, keyboards, 1982-88), Marlon McClain (guitar, 1985-2014), Jerry Bell (vocals, 1986-87)
The band formed in 1976 through a merger of two Cleveland jazz-funk bands, Bell Telefunk and Mother Braintree. (Both bands, unheard for more than three decades, had archival singles issued in 2017 by Super Disco Edits.)
Saxophonist Bobby Harris led the new band, which featured guitarists Michael Calhoun and Eric Fearman, bassist Michael Wiley, drummer Isaac Wiley, keyboardist Kevin Frederick, percussionist Kenny Pettus, and trumpeters Skip Martin III and Pierre DeMudd. Local businessman Ray Calabrese, who owned The Kinsman Grill in Harris’s childhood neighborhood, became their manager and named them Kinsman Dazz. The word “Dazz,” chosen before the namesake hit by Brick, is a portmanteau of “dance” and “jazz.” In 1977, they signed to 20th Century Records.
Discography:
- Kinsman Dazz (1978 • Kinsman Dazz)
- Dazz (1979 • Kinsman Dazz)
- Invitation to Love (1980)
- Let the Music Play (1981)
- Keep It Live (1982)
- On the One (1983)
- Joystick (1983)
- Jukebox (1984)
- Hot Spot (1985)
- Wild and Free (1986)
- Rock the Room (1988)
Sources:
Artist/Album Pages:
Dragonwyck were an American hard-rock/psych band from Cleveland that self-released two albums bet...
Mother's Finest were an American funk-rock band from Atlanta that released a self-titled album on ...
Seven Seas were an American jazz-funk ensemble that released one album, The Miami Sound, on Glades...
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American R&B-funk singer, songwriter, bandleader, a...
Changó were an American Latin-rock/funk band from Brooklyn that released a self-titled album on AB...
Tower of Power were an American soul-funk band from Oakland that debuted with the album East Bay G...
Jimmy Castor (Jan. 23, 1940 — Jan. 16, 2012) was an American R&B saxophonist and vocalist who ...
'Thesda was an American jazz-funk/soul band that released the album Spaced Out in 1979 on mastermi...
GQ were an American soul-funk band from the Bronx that released three albums on Arista between 197...
The Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign were an American funk band that released the album Reach for It on ...
The 13th Floor were an American soul-funk band from St. Louis that released the album Steppin' Out...
Zinc was a soul-funk studio project comprised of American and Italian session musicians assembled ...