Gregg Diamond’s Bionic Boogie

Gregg Diamond was an American songwriter, producer, drummer, and keyboard player from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Between 1977 and 1979, he released Bionic Boogie, Hot Butterfly, Gregg Diamond’s Star Cruiser, Hardware, and Tiger Tiger. This five-album run joined long dance forms, featured singers, and studio-centered authorship under one name.

Background

Diamond emerged as the drummer of Five Dollar Shoes, an NYC rock band that released a 1972 self-titled album on Neighborhood Records. He then joined the Creatures, the backing unit attached to the 1974 Jobriath album Creatures of the Street.

His first major commercial break came with “More, More, More,” a 1976 Top 5 hit for the Andrea True Connection. He also produced 1976 albums by George McCrae and ex-Stories singer Ian Lloyd. Bionic Boogie grew from that same studio base as a recording identity built around Diamond’s songs, arrangements, and production, not a fixed touring band.

Bionic Boogie (1977)

Gregg Diamond released Bionic Boogie in 1977 on Polydor under the Bionic Boogie name.

The album presents eight Diamond originals. Broad refrains ride a hard club beat. Layered vocals and clipped rhythmic breaks define the arrangement. “Dance Little Dreamer” and “Risky Changes” stretch that design across the album’s longest spans through syncopated accents, repeated chorus figures, and tight vocal layering. “Boogie Boo” and “Stop the Music” shorten the phrases and settle into a lower chant register.

A1. “Dance Little Dreamer” (3:40)
A2. “Risky Changes” (6:18)
A3. “Don’t Lose That Number (Mumbo Jumbo)” (4:55)
A4. “Boogie Boo” (5:21)
B1. “We Must Believe in Magic” (5:00)
B2. “Stop the Music” (4:51)
B3. “Feel Like Dancing” (4:00)
B4. “Big West” (4:55)

Diamond produced the album for Diamond Touch. Polydor issued “Dance Little Dreamer” (b/w “Feel Like Dancing”). Billboard’s dance listing paired it with “Risky Changes,” and the coupling reached No. 1 on the dance chart. Polydor then lifted “Risky Changes” on its own. The single reached No. 79 on the R&B chart.

Hot Butterfly (1978)

Gregg Diamond released the second Bionic Boogie album, Hot Butterfly, in 1978 on Polydor.

The album runs on six Diamond originals. Slow-burn structures and gospel-weighted lead lines shape the set. Street-romance imagery sits inside long dance forms. The title cut opens with a stately rise, then settles into a darker rhythmic cycle under Luther Vandross.

A1. “Hot Butterfly” (5:20)
A2. “Chains” (5:59)
A3. “When the Shit Hits the Fan (Rocket Pocket)” (5:28)
B1. “Paradise” (5:17)
B2. “Cream (Always Rises to the Top)” (6:36)
B3. “Fess Up to the Boogie” (5:28)

Diamond produced the album with Godfrey Diamond for Diamond Touch. Singer Luther Vandross leads the title cut. Singer David Lasley fronts “Paradise.” Singer Zack Sanders fronts “Cream (Always Rises to the Top).” Arranger Brad Baker wrote the string and horn charts. Bassist Jim Gregory and drummer Richard Crooks anchor the core unit. Guitarist Steve Love completes the central lineup.

Polydor issued “Hot Butterfly” (b/w “Fess Up to the Boogie”). The single reached No. 8 on the US dance chart.

“Cream (Always Rises to the Top)” followed in the UK and reached No. 61 on the Official Singles Chart in January 1979.

Gregg Diamond’s Star Cruiser (September 1978)

Diamond shifted to Marlin in September 1978 for Gregg Diamond’s Star Cruiser.

The album presents eight Diamond originals. Shorter links and faster chorus arrivals tighten the sequence. “Fancy Dancer” and the title cut ride bright refrains and a brisk forward beat. “Holding Back” and “This Side of Midnight” slow the vocal phrasing and darken the harmonic color. The shorter titles break the sides into quick turns.

A1. “Fancy Dancer” (6:14)
A2. “Island Boogie” (3:33)
A3. “Star Cruiser” (6:14)
A4. “Bring Back Your Love” (3:39)
B1. “Holding Back” (5:04)
B2. “This Side of Midnight” (5:24)
B3. “Too Hot to Reggae” (3:12)
B4. “Arista Vista” (4:38)

Diamond co-produced the album with Godfrey Diamond. Singers Gordon Grody and Diva Gray carry two of the principal lead roles. Singers Jocelyn Brown and Zack Sanders complete the main vocal cast.

Marlin issued “Star Cruiser” (b/w “This Side of Midnight”). The album reached No. 7 on the US dance chart. The single reached No. 57 on the R&B chart.

Hardware (1979)

Gregg Diamond moved to Mercury in 1979 for Hardware, the first album under his own name.

The album draws all six tracks from Diamond. Longer vamps, rigid beat placement, and heavier horn writing give the set its shape. “1/8 of Your Love” and “Greyhound Bus” open side one through extended repetition and delayed release. “War Paint (Love Line)” and “Boogie Doctor” answer with the same stretched form on side two. “Vamp” cuts the sequence to a short bridge.

A1. “1/8 of Your Love” (7:15)
A2. “Greyhound Bus” (8:11) – with singer Zack Sanders
A3. “Vamp” (2:28)
B1. “War Paint (Love Line)” (6:28) – with alto saxist David Sanborn
B2. “Shinin’” (5:14)
B3. “Boogie Doctor” (6:36)

Diamond wrote, arranged, and produced the album for Diamond Touch Productions. Arranger Brad Baker wrote the string and horn charts. Sea-Saint in New Orleans and Soundmixers in New York housed the sessions, with mastering at Sterling Sound.

Mercury issued “Greyhound Bus” as a single (b/w “War Paint (Love Line)”). The label followed with “Shinin’” (b/w “Boogie Doctor”).

Tiger Tiger (1979)

Diamond returned to Polydor later in 1979 with Tiger Tiger under the Bionic Boogie name.

The album draws five tracks from Diamond and one from a Diamond-Vandross collaboration. Bright vocal layers and a smoother finish mark the set. “Lay It on the Line” and “Crazy Lady Luck” bring quick chorus entries and firm refrain shapes to side one. The title cut and “Take the Boogie Home” take the longest spans. “Rushin’ Roulette” and “Seaview” shorten the phrases and thin the texture.

A1. “Lay It on the Line” (5:09)
A2. “Crazy Lady Luck” (5:27)
A3. “Rushin’ Roulette” (5:39)
B1. “Tiger Tiger (Feel Good for a While)” (6:50)
B2. “Take the Boogie Home” (8:10)
B3. “Seaview” (2:12)

Diamond produced and arranged the album for Diamond Touch Production Ltd. Singers Janet Wright and Jocelyn Brown hold two of the principal lead roles. Singer Lani Groves completes the main vocal cast. Luther Vandross handled the backing-vocal arrangement on “Crazy Lady Luck.”

Polydor issued “Tiger Tiger (Feel Good for a While).” The single reached No. 33 on the US dance chart in 1980.

Postlude

Diamond’s later profile rested on the afterlife of his 1970s material. Chaka Khan recast “Hot Butterfly” as “Papillon” on her 1980 album Naughty. “More, More, More” returned to wide circulation when a 1993 cover by Bananarama charted in the UK and Europe.

Diamond died from internal bleeding on March 14, 1999, at age forty-nine.

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