The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band

The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band — commonly billed as the B. B. & Q. Band — was an American soul-funk band whose members hailed from the three namesake boroughs of New York City. They released the 1981–83 Capitol albums Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, All Night Long, and Six Million Times, followed by the 1986 Elektra release Genie.

Members: Kevin Nance (keyboards, 1981-82), Ike Floyd (lead vocals, 1981), Paris Ford (bass, 1981), Abdul Wali (guitar, 1981), Dwayne Perdue (drums, 1981), Kevin Robinson (lead vocals, 1982-83), Chieli Minucci (guitar, 1982-83), Tony Bridges (bass, 1982-83), Bernard Davis (drums, 1983), Kae Williams Jr. (synthesizer, 1985), Timmy Allen (bass, 1985), Mike Campbell (guitar, 1985), Curtis Hairston (lead vocals, 1985)

Background

The B. B. & Q. Band was conceived in 1979 by Guadeloupean producer/DJ Jacques Fred Petrus and his Bolognese business partner, keyboardist/songwriter/arranger Mauro Malavasi. They launched the recent Chic-inspired act Change and the earlier disco-oriented projects Macho, Revanche, and the Peter Jacques Band.

Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band

The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band released their self-titled debut album on July 13, 1981, on Capitol.

The debut features lead vocalist Ike Floyd, guitarist Paolo Gianolio, bassist Paris Ford, drummer Terry Silverlight, keyboardist Kevin Nance, and Mauro Malavasi (piano, synthesizers, arrangements). The seven-track set balances brisk rhythm-led cuts with slower ballads, while brass accents and ensemble backing vocals expand the texture across the record.

“On the Beat” opens the album with six minutes of staccato rhythmic drive and prominent horn accents. “Time for Love” shifts to a slower, more sustained arrangement with a laid-back Floyd vocal delivery and supple bass line, followed by the smooth string-laden ballad “Don’t Say Goodbye.”

“Starlette” is a Latin-inflected number uptempo rhythms and fast, clipped vocals. “Mistakes” straddles the album’s fast–slow dichotomy while “Lovin’s What We Should Do” takes another ballad form. “I’ll Cut You Loose” lands on a reggae-inflected rhythm, a departure from the funk and soul character of the preceding tracks.

A1. “On the Beat” (5:55) – M. Malavasi, P. Slade
A2. “Time for Love” (6:05) – M. Malavasi, P. Slade
A3. “Don’t Say Goodbye” (3:47) – M. Tansini, T. Willoughby

B1. “Starlette” (4:57) – Romani, M. Malavasi, P. Slade
B2. “Mistakes” (4:40) – Romani, M. Malavasi, T. Willoughby
B3. “Lovin’s What We Should Do” (5:06) – J. Hoggard, M. Malavasi
B4. “I’ll Cut You Loose” (5:18) – M. Malavasi, Trevisi, T. Willoughby

Jacques Fred Petrus produced Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band. The group cut the basic tracks at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna and added vocals at Mediasound Studios in New York. Robinson hailed from Kinky Foxx, a concurrent Petrus project.

Capitol issued “On the Beat” as a July 1981 single (b/w “Don’t Say Goodbye”). It reached No. 8 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 3 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, No. 41 in the UK, No. 16 in the Netherlands, and No. 10 in Belgium. In October, Capitol lifted “Time for Love” as a US single; it reached No. 72 on the R&B chart. European markets also received “Starlette,” while the UK issued “I’ll Cut You Loose” as a separate single.

All Night Long

The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band released their second album, All Night Long, on July 26, 1982, on Capitol.

Their lineup now centers on lead vocalist and guitarist Kevin Robinson, guitarist Chieli Minucci, bassist Tony Bridges, drummer Yogi Horton, keyboardist Kevin Nance, and Mauro Malavasi (keyboards, arrangements), enhanced with added keyboards, horns, percussion, and backing-vocals. The eight-track set maintains a steady balance between hard-driving dance material and slower vocal-led pieces.

“All Night Long (She’s Got the Moves I Like)” opens the album at a driving pace with Robinson’s guitar prominent in the mix. “Imagination” follows with a smoother texture, the keyboards carrying the main instrumental color. “The Things We Do in Love” sustains a mid-tempo R&B arrangement. “Desire” closes side one, co-written by Robinson and Timmy Allen with a slightly more relaxed feel.

Side B features material co-written by Malavasi and Harlem-based Bahamian songwriter Johnny Kemp. Their material ranges from uptempo dance tracks (“Hanging Out,” “Hard to Get Around”) to the ballads “(I Could Never Say) It’s Over” and “Children of the Night,” which closes All Night Long with a slower, more atmospheric texture.

A1. “All Night Long (She’s Got the Moves I Like)” (5:55) – Robinson
A2. “Imagination” (6:00) – Kae Williams
A3. “The Things We Do in Love” (4:58) – Robinson
A4. “Desire” (4:20) – Robinson, Timmy Allen

B1. “Hanging Out” (5:10) – Kemp, Malavasi, Bridges
B2. “Hard to Get Around” (5:15) – Kemp, Massimo Trevisi, Malavasi
B3. “(I Could Never Say) It’s Over” (4:05) – Kemp, Malavasi
B4. “Children of the Night” (5:54) – Kemp, Malavasi

Jacques Fred Petrus produced and executive-produced All Night Long, with Mauro Malavasi serving as conductor. The sessions took place at Media Studios in New York. The team mixed the album at Media Studios and the Power Station, and Greg Calbi mastered it at Sterling Sound. Michael Barbiero and Michael Brauer handled the basic-track engineering, while Alec Head, Lincoln Clapp, and Bill Schineman covered overdubs and additional sessions.

Capitol issued “All Night Long (She’s Got the Moves I Like)” as a single in 1982; it reached No. 32 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. “Imagination” followed and reached No. 21 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and No. 69 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Six Million Times

The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band released their third album, Six Million Times, on September 16, 1983, on Capitol.

Six Million Times retains All Night Long personnel—Kevin Robinson, Tony Bridges, Chieli Minucci, Mauro Malavasi, and Rudy Trevisi—joined here by guitarist Michael Campbell and drummer Bernard Davis. Their cast of backing vocalists include Bobby Douglas, Eric McClinton, and Timmy Allen. The album adopts a leaner keyboard-and-bass-led attack and includes both original material and a reworked version of The Beatles chestnut “She’s a Woman.”

“Keep It Hot” opens at a firm, mid-to-uptempo pace with a taut bass-and-synth interplay and punctual horn charts. “Stay” follows as a smoother, slower Robinson original. “She’s a Passionate Lover” runs at a similar mid-tempo pace with a co-credit to Bridges. “Six Million Times” opens side two with a synth-driven arrangement. “She’s a Woman” recasts the Beatles number in a high-tech reggae light.

A1. “Keep It Hot” (5:42) – M. Malavasi, P. Slade
A2. “Stay” (5:35) – Robinson
A3. “She’s a Passionate Lover” (4:15) – Robinson, Bridges
A4. “We’ve Got to Do It” (4:40) – Robinson

B1. “Six Million Times” (5:48) – H. King, Robinson
B2. “She’s a Woman” (6:17) – Lennon, McCartney
B3. “Downtowne” (5:20) – Joe Jefferson
B4. “Missing You, Missing Me” (4:32) – H. King, Robinson

Jacques Fred Petrus executive-produced Six Million Times. Petrus and Mauro Malavasi share producer credit, with Kevin Robinson as co-producer. The group recorded the album at UMBI Studios in Modena with Maurizio Maggi engineering, then mixed it at Sorcerer Sound in New York with Alex Head engineering. Greg Calbi mastered the album at Sterling Sound.

Capitol issued “Keep It Hot” as a fall 1983 US single, backed with the earlier “On the Beat.” In the Netherlands, “Keep It Hot” became the b-side to “She’s a Woman.”

Genie

The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band released their fourth album, Genie, on August 11, 1986, on Elektra/Pretty Pearl.

Curtis Hairston takes over as lead vocalist on Genie. The lineup also includes Kae Williams Jr. on synthesizers, Timmy Allen on bass, and Mike Campbell on guitar. Williams wrote all eight tracks and reshaped the group’s sound around synthesizer-led arrangements and modern electronic R&B textures.

“Genie” opens the album as the most prominent of the record’s singles, a mid-tempo synthesizer-driven track with Hairston’s lead vocal sustained across an extended arrangement. “Main Attraction” follows at a slightly faster pace. “Won’t You Be with Me Tonight” runs at a smoother tempo. On Side B, “On the Shelf” runs five minutes in a more textured mid-tempo form.

A1. “Genie” (6:01)
A2. “Main Attraction” (5:42)
A3. “Won’t You Be with Me Tonight” (4:33)
A4. “Don’t Force It” (4:55)

B1. “Minutes Away” (3:15)
B2. “On the Shelf” (5:15)
B3. “Dreamer” (5:46)
B4. “Riccochet” (4:15)

Jacques Fred Petrus executive-produced Genie for Vedette International with co-producer Kae Williams. Sessions occurred at Morning Studios in Milan, and Dureco Studio handled the mastering.

Elektra/Pretty Pearl issued “Genie” as a single; it reached No. 40 in the UK and No. 32 in the Netherlands. In the US, Pretty Pearl’s In Your Face imprint issued “On the Shelf” (b/w “Dreamer”), which reached No. 72 on the US R&B chart. “Dreamer” also appeared as a UK single and reached No. 35. “Main Attraction,” “Riccochet,” and “Minutes Away” followed as additional singles, with “Riccochet” reaching No. 71 in the UK in 1987.

Discography: