Commodores
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| Commodores | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tuskegee, Alabama |
| Genre(s) | Funk Soul |
| Years active | 1968-present |
| Label(s) | Motown, Polydor |
| Website | http://commodoreslive.com/ |
| Members | |
| Walter Orange William King J.D. Nicholas |
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| Former members | |
| Lionel Richie Thomas McClary Ronald La Pread Milan Williams Sheldon Reynolds |
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The Commodores were a highly successful funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour.
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[edit] Biography
This group is perhaps best known for its ballads, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady", but, for the most part, the group mainly recorded funky, driven dance-floor hits which include "Brick House", "Say Yeah", "Fancy Dancer", and "Too Hot Ta Trot", among others.
Lionel Richie's "Oh No" is highlighted in the movie The Last American Virgin, and reached #4 on the U.S. charts. "Machine Gun", the instrumental title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American sporting events, and is similarly featured in many films, including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Another instrumental, "Cebu" (named after an island in the Philippines), later became a staple in the Quiet Storm format. Three albums released in years 1975 and 1976 (Caught in the Act, Movin' On, Hot On The Tracks) are considered the peak of their harder funk period. After those recordings the group started to move towards softer sound.
The Commodores originally called themselves the Jays, but had to change their name because of the similarly named O'Jays. To choose a new name William King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out," he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People Weekly Magazine. "We almost became The Commodes!"
Band members typically alternated lead vocal duties. After Richie left to pursue a solo career, former Heatwave singer J.D. Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange. However, with the exception of the Grammy-winning "Nightshift" (a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson) the band never achieved the same level of success it had enjoyed with Richie. Ironically, "Nightshift" won The Commodores their only Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.
Over time, the group's founding members began leaving. McClary left in 1982 (shortly after Richie left) to pursue a solo career and to develop a gospel music company. McClary was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. Ronald LaPread left in 1986 and moved to New Zealand, and Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind and Fire in 1987. Milan Williams exited the band in 1989. The group also gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena.
In 1985, the group performed two commercials for NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta, Georgia. The group left Motown in 1986 for Polydor, and released several additional albums, which are primarily compilations of previous material.
Today, the Commodores consist of Orange, King, and Nicholas. They have re-recorded Commodores hits and have recorded a live album and a Christmas album.
Since the late 1990's, Orange has also been working in conjunction with singer/songwriter Craig Deanto.
[edit] Original band personnel
- Lionel B. Richie Jr. (vocals, saxophone and piano) - born 20 June 1949, Tuskegee, Alabama.
- Thomas McClary (lead guitar) - born 6 October 1949, Eustis, Florida.
- Milan Williams (keyboards, guitar) - born 28 March 1948 Okolona, Mississippi, died of cancer, July 9, 2006 Houston, Texas.
- William "WAK" King (trumpet, guitar) - born 30 January 1949, Florida.
- Ronald La Pread (bass guitar, trumpet) - born 4 September 1946, Alabama.
- Walter Orange (vocals, drums) - born 10 December 1946, Florida.
[edit] Album discography
- Machine Gun (1974) #138 U.S.
- Caught in the Act (1975) #26 U.S.
- Movin' On (1975) #29 U.S.
- Hot on the Tracks (1976) #12 U.S.
- Commodores (1977) #3 U.S.
- Commodores Live! (1977) #3 U.S., #60 UK
- Natural High (1978) #3 U.S., #8 UK
- Greatest Hits
- Midnight Magic (1979) #3 U.S., #15 UK
- Heroes (1980) #7 U.S., #50 UK
- In the Pocket (1981) #13 U.S., #70 UK
- Commodores 13 (1983) #103 U.S.
- Nightshift (1985) #12 U.S., #13 UK
- United (1986) #101 U.S.
- Rock Solid (1988) #101 U.S.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B chart | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Machine Gun" | 22 | 7 | 20 | Machine Gun |
| "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" | - | - | 44 | ||
| "I Feel Sanctified" | 75 | 12 | - | ||
| 1975 | "Slippery When Wet" | 19 | 1 | - | Caught In The Act |
| 1976 | "Sweet Love" | 5 | 2 | 32 | Movin' On |
| "Just To Be Close To You" | 7 | 1 | 62 | Hot On The Tracks | |
| 1977 | "Fancy Dancer" | 39 | 9 | - | |
| "Easy" | 4 | 1 | 9 | The Commodores | |
| "Brick House" | 5 | 4 | 32 | ||
| 1978 | "Too Hot ta Trot" | 24 | 1 | 38 | The Commodores Live! |
| "Three Times a Lady" | 1 | 1 | 1 | Natural High | |
| "Flying High" | 38 | 21 | 37 | ||
| 1979 | "Sail On" | 4 | 8 | 8 | Midnight Magic |
| "Still" | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1980 | "Wonderland" | 25 | 21 | 40 | |
| "Old-Fashion Love" | 20 | 8 | - | Heroes | |
| "Heroes" | 54 | 27 | - | ||
| 1981 | "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" | 8 | 5 | 56 | In The Pocket |
| "Oh No" | 4 | 5 | 44 | ||
| 1982 | "Why You Wanna Try Me" | 66 | 42 | - | |
| "Painted Picture" | 70 | 19 | - | All The Greatest Hits | |
| 1983 | "Only You" | 54 | 20 | - | Commodores 13 |
| 1985 | "Nightshift" | 3 | 1 | 3 | Nightshift |
| "Animal Instinct" | 43 | 22 | 74 | ||
| "Janet" | 87 | 65 | - | ||
| 1986 | "Goin' To The Bank" | 65 | 2 | 43 | United |
| 1987 | "Take It from Me" | - | 38 | ||
| "United in Love" (hit on AC charts) | - | ? | |||
| 1988 | "Solitaire" | - | 51 | Rock Solid |
[edit] Awards and recognition
The Commodores were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
[edit] Samples
Commodores - "Brick House" Image:BrickHouse.ogg
