Peter Brown -

Peter Brown is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer who released the 1977–79 disco-funk albums Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me and Stargazer on TK–Drive and scored a 1978 Top 10 hit with “Dance with Me.” He co-wrote Madonna’s 1985 chart-topper “Material Girl.”

Background

Brown was born on July 11, 1953, in Blue Island, Illinois, and raised in nearby Palos Heights outside Chicago.

His mother gave him early music lessons. His father worked as an electronic engineer and brought home radios, stereo equipment, and tape machines, which pushed Brown toward recording as well as performance. Childhood experiments with those machines gave him an early feel for studio method and overdubbing.

Brown turned serious toward music in his teens and first tackled drums, then mastered percussion and keyboards. He spent six subsequent years with the Jorgensen Rangerettes and rose to musical director, a role that forced him to think in terms of arrangement, sequence, and stage flow.

Meanwhile, Brown enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he studied painting, sculpture, and photography. Concurrently, he built demos on four-track equipment with drums, keyboards, and synthesizer parts, then sent tapes to Florida producer Cory Wade after a mutual contact opened that line.

When Brown sent Wade the demo of “Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me,” Wade summoned brown to Florida, where TK soon agreed to issue the track on its Drive imprint. Brown and Wade then expanded the home recording in the studio for release, and Henry Stone set Brown on the path toward a full album.

Do You Wanna Get Funky with Me

Peter Brown released his debut album, Do You Wanna Get Funky with Me, in September 1977 on Drive. In the US and Canada, TK issued the same album as A Fantasy Love Affair.

Brown carries most of the instrumental load through keyboards and percussion. He also adds guitar. Guitarist-bassist Tom Dziallo and keyboardist Robert Rans form the main support. Extra guitar, alto saxophone, harp, arranged strings and horns, plus layered backing voices widen the arrangements across an eight-song set. Five tracks carry the Brown-Rans credit, and three credit Brown alone.

A1. “A Fantasy Love Affair” (3:55) — Brown
A2. “Do Ya Wanna Get Funky with Me? / Burning Love Breakdown” (9:06) — Brown, Rans
A3. “You Should Do It” (3:49) — Brown, Rans
A4. “The Singer’s Become a Dancer” (3:55) — Brown

B1. “For Your Love” (4:18) — Brown, Rans
B2. “Dance with Me” (5:18) — Brown, Rans
B3. “It’s True What They Say About Love” (3:41) — Brown, Rans
B4. “Without Love” (3:14) — Brown

Brown recorded the album in 1976 and 1977 at Studio Center Sound Recordings in Miami with producer Cory Wade. Ted Jensen handled the mastering at Sterling Sound.

Brown photographed the sleeve. In Britain, the album carried the title Do You Wanna Get Funky with Me and used a backlit window silhouette on the cover; Brown later said the figure was a constructed form made from cardboard, sheer fabric, and ribbons.

Drive issued “Do Ya Wanna Get Funky with Me” (b/w “Burning Love Breakdown”) in September 1977. It reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the R&B chart, and No. 9 on the dance chart.

“Dance with Me” appeared as a February 1978 single (b/w “For Your Love”). It reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, No. 5 on the R&B chart, and No. 4 on the dance chart.

Drive issued “You Should Do It” (b/w “Without Love”) in September 1978. It reached No. 54 on the Hot 100 and No. 25 on the R&B chart.

In December 1978, “Fantasy Love Affair” appeared as a 7-inch single (b/w “It’s True What They Say About Love”).

The album reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200, No. 9 on the R&B album chart, and No. 50 in Australia.

Between albums, Brown played synth-bass on “You” by TK/Drive labelmates Foxy, released on their 1978 second album Get Off.

Stargazer

Peter Brown released his second album, Stargazer, in 1979 on Drive.

Brown builds the album from keyboards, drums, and voice, with guitarist-bassist Tom Dziallo as the main foil. The Boneroo Horns widen “Crank It Up,” Dan Hartman and Laura Taylor join the backing stack on “It’s Alright,” and Bert Dovo shares the string arrangements on selected cuts. Six tracks carry the Brown-Rans credit; Brown wrote “Stargazer” and “Got To Get The Show On The Road” alone.

A1. “Crank It Up” (5:29) — Brown, Rans
A2. “It’s Alright” (6:38) — Brown, Rans
A3. “Stargazer” (4:35) — Brown
A4. “Got To Get The Show On The Road” (3:54) — Brown

B1. “Leadmeon” (5:25) — Brown, Rans
B2. “West Of The North Star” (3:41) — Brown, Rans
B3. “Love In Our Hearts” (3:50) — Brown, Rans
B4. “Penguin” (4:39) — Brown, Rans

Brown recorded Stargazer at Studio Center Sound and Criteria Recording Studios in North Miami with co-producer Cory Wade. Brown and Gary Vandy handled the mix, and Ted Jensen mastered the album. Raul Vega photographed the sleeve.

Drive issued “Crank It Up (Funk Town)” as a single in 1979. The 7-inch split the song into Part 1 and Part 2, while the 12-inch offered short and long disco mixes. It reached No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 9 on the R&B chart, and No. 4 on the Club Play chart.

Later in 1979, Drive issued “Stargazer” (b/w “Penguin”). It reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Back to the Front

Peter Brown released his third album, Back to the Front, in 1983 on RCA Victor.

Brown drives the album from drums, keyboards, marimba, percussion, and vocals. Bassist-guitarist Tom Dziallo remains his main foil. Charlie Calello arranged the horn and string parts. Michael Boddicker adds extra synthesizer, and Michael Brecker appears on saxophone. Four songs pair Brown with Robert Rans, three pair him with Robert Vavrik, “Baby Gets High” credits Brown alone, and “Shall We Dance” brings in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

A1. “Give Me Up” (4:00) — Brown, Vavrik
A2. “Heaven in Your Eyes” (4:25) — Brown, Vavrik
A3. “Overnight Sensation” (4:10) — Brown, Rans
A4. “Lover Come Back” (3:39) — Brown, Rans
A5. “Satisfaction Guaranteed” (3:44) — Brown, Vavrik

B1. “Baby Gets High” (4:42) — Brown
B2. “Shall We Dance” (3:34) — Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
B3. “Danger” (4:10) — Brown, Rans
B4. “The Love Game” (3:33) — Brown, Rans

Brown recorded and mixed Back to the Front at Sound Labs in Hollywood with executive producer Bob Gaudio and engineer Gary Vandy. Mike Reese mastered the album at The Mastering Lab.

RCA issued “Baby Gets High” in late 1982. The 7-inch paired it with “The Love Game,” and a 12-inch coupled it with “Shall We Dance.” It reached No. 104 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 49 on the R&B chart, and No. 6 on Dance Club Songs.

RCA issued “Overnight Sensation” in 1983 as a 12-inch single backed with an instrumental version. It reached No. 55 on Dance Club Songs.

Snap

Peter Brown released his fourth album, Snap, in 1984 on Columbia.

Brown drives the album from keyboards and percussion, with bassist-guitarist Tom Dziallo as his main foil. Pat Hurley and Robert Rans add backing vocals on selected cuts. Trumpeter Daniel D. Barber, saxophonist Mark Colby, percussionist Ashiri Johnson, and additional synthesizer player Jack Waldman widen the ensemble across the set. Brown wrote the album with lyric contributions from Rans, while “They Only Come Out at Night” credits Robert Vavrik as co-writer.

A1. “(Love Is Just) The Game” (4:13)
A2. “Electric Shoes” (4:20)
A3. “(Make You) Rock With Me” (4:08)
A4. “Double or Nothing” (3:14)
A5. “Just Like You” (4:09)

B1. “They Only Come Out at Night” (5:07)
B2. “Classical Dancing” (4:16)
B3. “Zie Zie Won’t Dance” (4:16)
B4. “Hot Flash” (5:01)

Brown recorded Snap at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn and Universal Recording in Chicago with engineers Bill Bradley and Gary Loizzo. He mixed A1 and B1 at Sigma Sound in New York, and Ron Lewter mastered the album at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood. Dominick photographed the sleeve.

On February 11, 1984, Columbia issued “They Only Come Out at Night” (b/w “They Only Come Out at Night (Instrumental)”). It reached No. 1 on Dance Club Songs, No. 50 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and No. 102 on Bubbling Under the Hot 100.

Columbia issued “(Love Is Just) The Game” (b/w “Hot Flash”) in September 1984. It reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.

In 1985, Columbia issued “Zie Zie Won’t Dance” in remix form (b/w “Hot Flash”). It reached No. 20 on Dance Club Songs and No. 108 on Bubbling Under the Hot 100.

Discography: