Harry Nilsson (1941–1994) was an American singer/songwriter who released fourteen albums between 1967 and 1977 on RCA Victor, including the chamber-psych classics Pandemonium Shadow Show and Aerial Ballet and the ribald pop-satire sets Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson. His songs were covered by The Monkees, Yardbirds, and Three Dog Night, who scored their chart […]
Pat Benatar is an American rock singer from Brooklyn who released nine studio albums between 1979 and 1993 on Chrysalis. She scored modern-rock radio hits with “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “You Better Run,” “Promises In the Dark,” “Fire and Ice,” “Precious Time,” “Shadows of the Night,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” […]
Billy Cobham (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian-American jazz-rock drummer who played in the bands Dreams, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Atmospheres during the early 1970s. Starting with his 1973 solo debut Spectrum, Cobham released eight albums on Atlantic and four on Columbia through 1979, including a live release in partnership with George Duke. He […]
Lou Reed (March 2, 1942 — Oct. 27, 2013) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Brooklyn who emerged as the Velvet Underground frontman. He charted with “Walk On the Wild Side” from his 1972 album Transformer, a rock/burlesque set followed with Berlin, a concept album steeped in Wiemar cabaret. He released eleven further […]
Angela Bofill (May 2, 1954 – June 13, 2024) was an American soul singer/songwriter who released seven albums between 1978 and 1985 on Arista. She landed early hits with “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “What I Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You),” and “Something About You.” Her career peaked in 1983 with the R&B […]
Stephanie Mills is an American R&B singer and actress who emerged (at 17) with the 1974 ABC release Movin’ in the Right Direction and its 1975 Motown followup For the First Time, a Burt Bacharach production. After roles in 1976/77 Broadway productions of The Wiz and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Mills reemerged with the […]
Mandrill is an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that released five albums on Polydor between 1970 and 1974, followed by a pair of albums on UA and a trio of titles on Arista during the second half of the decade. Members: Carlos Wilson (trombone, vocals), Lou Wilson (trumpet, vocals), Ric Wilson (saxophone, vocals), Claude “Coffee” […]
Brass Construction was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn, best known for their crossover hit “Movin’.” They released six numerically titled albums (1975–80) on United Artists, followed by four titles (1982–85) on Liberty and Capitol. Members: Randy Muller (keyboards, vocals), Michael Grudge (saxophone), Jesse Ward Jr. (saxophone), Wayne Parris (trumpet), Morris Price (trumpet), Joseph Arthur […]
B.T. Express was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that charted with their 1974 debut Do It ‘Til You’re Satisfied on Scepter Records. After their 1975 Roadshow release Non-Stop, they cut four albums (1976–80) on Columbia. Members: Bill Risbrook (saxophone, vocals), Dennis Rowe (percussion), Rick Thompson (guitar), Carlos Ward (saxophone, flute), Kashif (keyboards), Pike (guitar, […]
Crown Heights Affair was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that released a 1974 self-titled album on RCA Victor, followed by seven albums (1975–83) on De-Lite Records. They reached the Billboard R&B and Dance charts with their 1975–77 singles “Dreaming a Dream,” “Every Beat of My Heart,” “Foxy Lady,” and “Dancin’.” Members: Philip Thomas (vocals), […]
Changó was an American Latin-rock/funk band from Brooklyn that released a self-titled album on ABC Records in 1975, followed by Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood on Mercury in 1976. Members: George Tacktikos (guitar, vocals), Reinol Andino (timbales, congas, percussion, vocals), Pepe Gomez (drums, lead vocals, percussion, piano), Burlin Speakes (bass), Thomas Alletto (organ, vocals, piano), […]
Sweet Smoke was a German-based jam-rock/psych band comprised of expat Americans. In 1970, they released the album Just a Poke on Columbia. After an extended stay in India, they returned with the 1973/74 Harvest titles Darkness to Light and Live. Members: Andrew Dershin (bass, percussion), Jay Dorfman (drums, percussion), Marvin Kaminowitz (lead guitar, vocals, percussion), […]
Linda Clifford is an American soul singer from Brooklyn who released eight solo albums between 1977 and 1985; the first five on Curtom/RSO. She also made a duets album with Curtom founder Curtis Mayfield. Her best-known songs include the 1978–80 R&B/dance hits “Runaway Love,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Don’t Give It Up,” […]
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 […]
Noel Pointer (1954–1994) was an American jazz-funk violinist, composer, and producer who released the 1977 Blue Note album Phantazia, followed by three albums on United Artists (1978–80) and two on Liberty (1981–82). He died of a stroke one week before his fortieth birthday. Background Noel Pointer was born on December 26, 1954, in Brooklyn, where […]
Skyy was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that released seven albums on Salsoul Records between 1979 and 1984. Their material was mostly written and co-produced by Randy Muller of the Brass Construction. Members: Randy Muller (keyboards), Denise Dunning (vocals), Delores Dunning (vocals), Bonny Dunning (vocals), Solomon Roberts (guitar), Anibal Anthony Sierra (guitar), Larry Greenberg […]
Henry Gaffney (March 8, 1949 — May 23, 2010) was an American singer/songwriter from Brooklyn who released the 1976 RCA album Waiting for a Wind, followed by the 1978 Manhattan release On Again Off Again. Background Henry Michael Gaffney was born on March 8, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York, to Mary Gross Gaffney and Henry […]
Alice Clark (c.1947 – April 2004) was an American soul singer from Brooklyn who cut two 1968 singles and a 1972 self-titled album. Early Singles Alice Clark grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. In 1968, Billy Vera — then in a singing duo with Judy Clay — wrote and produced her first […]
Hackamore Brick was an American band from Brooklyn that released the album One Kiss Leads to Another on Kama Sutra in 1971. Members: Chick Newman (vocals, piano, guitar), Robbie Biegel, Bob Roman, Tommy Moonlight (vocals, piano, guitar) Background Hackamore Brick formed in Brooklyn, New York, when keyboardist Chick Newman, who had been playing Farfisa organ […]
Toro was an American Latin-rock band that released a 1975 self-titled album on Coco Records. Members: Andy Sanchez (vocals), Larry Harlow (keyboards), Steve Napoleoni Monge (guitar), Eddie Perez (guitar), Felix Tollinchi (rhythm guitar), Paul Alicea (timbales), John Headsley Down (drums), Frankie Mallabe (congas) Background Toro (Spanish for “bull”) was an offshoot of the Harvey Averne […]
Tony Aiken & Future 2000 were an American soul-funk band that released the album Unity Sing It Shout It on small-press Kimsha in 1976. Inception Future 2000 formed in the mid-1970s under Brooklyn recording artist Tony Aiken, who cut the 1975 solo single “Holy Father” on Tobin Records. Producer William R. Kamarra agreed to an […]
Banchee was an American East Coast psych-rock band that released a self-titled album on Atlantic in 1969, followed by Thinkin’ on Polydor in 1971. Members: Peter Alongi (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Gregory Marino (bass, vocals), Jose “Joey” Miguel DeJesus (rhythm guitar, vocals), Victor William Digilio (drums), Fernando Luis Roman (percussion, vocals, 1971), Johnny Pacheco (percussion) […]
Made in USA was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that released a 1977 self-titled album on De-Lite Records. Members: Charles Morais (guitar), Darryl Gibbs (saxophone), Herbert Aikens (tenor saxophone), Jann Harrison (vocals), Kevin Hood (keyboards), Ruben Faison (alto saxophone), Willie Slaughter (bass) Background Made in USA formed in Brooklyn in 1975 when songwriters and […]
Richard Tee (Nov. 24, 1943 — July 21, 1993) an American jazz-funk pianist, organist, arranger, and composer from Brooklyn. He became a leading New York session keyboardist through work with King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Grover Washington Jr., and Bob James. Tee co-founded Stuff and recorded a sequence of solo albums for Tappan Zee […]
Eric Gale (Sept. 20, 1938 — May 25, 1994) was an American jazz-funk guitarist from Brooklyn. He built an extensive New York session career through work with Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Paul Simon, Grover Washington Jr., and Bob James, while also recording with CTI and Kudu artists across the 1970s. Gale co-founded Stuff and […]
Steve Grossman (Jan. 18, 1951 — Aug. 13, 2020) was an American post-bop jazz saxophonist from Brooklyn. He played tenor and soprano saxophone with Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, then launched a solo career with the 1974 album Some Shapes to Come, followed by the 1977–79 titles Born at the Same Time, Terra Firma, and […]
Harry Chapin (Dec. 7, 1942 — July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Brooklyn who released eight albums between 1972 and 1978 on Elektra and a 1980 ninth on Boardwalk. His catalog centered on narrative songs such as “Taxi,” “W.O.L.D.,” “Cat’s in the Cradle,” and “Sequel,” while his later career also included […]
Lightnin’ Rod — aka Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin (July 24, 1944 — June 4, 2018) — was an American rapper/poet from Brooklyn who released the album Hustlers Convention on United Artists in 1973 with instrumental backing by Kool & The Gang. Background Lightnin’ Rod was the recording alias of poet Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, born Lawrence Padilla […]
Panaché was an American soul-funk duo that released the 1979 album This Is Panaché on self-press Roché Records. Members: Debra Thompson, Freddie “Fred” Thompson Background Panaché formed in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1970s around guitarist-trumpeter Freddie Thompson, keyboardist Douglas Glover, bassist Jonathan Lloyd, and singer Debra Thompson. Freddie Thompson studied classical trumpet and […]
Riot are an American hard-rock band formed in New York in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. The 1977–81 albums Rock City, Narita, and Fire Down Under established the first recording phase, while the 1988 album Thundersteel introduced a faster heavy-metal lineup and sound. Reale led successive Riot lineups through the 2011 album Immortal Soul; following […]
Herbie Mann (April 16, 1930 — July 1, 2003) was an American jazz flutist, multi-reedist, bandleader, and producer. He recorded prolifically for Atlantic through the 1960s and 1970s with rotating guests that included Chick Corea, Roy Ayers, Sonny Sharrock, Larry Coryell, Miroslav Vitous, and Duane Allman. Mann moved from bop-based small-group jazz toward Afro-Latin and […]
Lillo Thomas (born 1961) is an American soul singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He recorded a run of mid-1980s R&B albums for Capitol, working closely with producer Paul Laurence and the Hush Productions circle. His best-known singles include “Sexy Girl,” “I’m in Love,” and “Your Love’s Got a Hold on Me.” Background Lillo […]
Donna McGhee is an American soul-funk singer from Brooklyn who sang with the mid-Seventies Fatback lineup and released the 1978 solo album Make It Last Forever. Background Donna McGhee is a Brooklyn native who sang gospel from childhood in a choir led by her grandmother. In 1975, bassist Johnny Flippin heard McGhee and invited her […]
Al Kooper (born Feb. 5, 1944) is an American musician, producer, and composer from Brooklyn who emerged during the blues-rock boom of the 1960s. His first major band was the Blues Project, which issued the seminal 1966 album Projections. He and bandmate Steve Katz then formed the jazz-rock big band Blood Sweat & Tears. Their […]
