Omni -

Omni was an American soul-funk band that made the 1980–82 albums Omni Says It All and All for the One on Fountain Records, followed by a 1984 self-titled release on Mercury.

Members: Lawrence Hanks, West Phillips, Larry Williams, Yendor N. Yessam (aka Rodney G. Massey)

Background

Omni formed in Chicago in 1980 when singer-songwriter Rodney G. Massey, credited as Yendor N. Yessam, and keyboardist Lawrence Hanks teamed with guitarist-bassist Larry Williams. Massey served as administrator for a songwriting workshop run by Jerry Butler with Chappell Music, where Hanks joined him as a writing partner. Williams met Hanks through Chicago band Hundred Dollar Bill after session dates for Chess and road dates with local soul and blues acts.

Hanks brought Williams into the Butler workshop, where Williams wrote with singer Keithen Carter. Massey and Hanks placed “Guess Who’s Back in Town” with Heaven & Earth for the group’s 1976 Mercury album. Thelma Houston and Jerry Butler recorded their “Only the Beginning” for the 1977 Motown album Thelma & Jerry. Smokey Robinson recorded “The Hurt’s on You” for the 1979 album Where There’s Smoke…. Williams also made charts and played Curtom sessions, then opened C-Note Recording and Rehearsal Studios with partners in downtown Chicago.

When the pair sought further outlets for their material, Hanks secured permission from Butler to revive the dormant Fountain Records name. Williams joined Massey and Hanks as Omni, which debuted with the 1980 Fountain single “Don’t Be Selfish” (b/w “Keys to the City”). Omni recorded and mixed the first album at Pumpkin Studios in Chicago, with Massey as producer and Jerry Butler as executive producer.

Discography: