D Train (music group)

D Train was an American

The project was a collaborative effort between the band's namesake, James D-Train Williams, who was featured as the lead vocalist and songwriter, and Hubert Eaves III, a keyboardist, who performed the instrumentation on the recordings.^[1] Hailing from Brooklyn, New York City, Williams himself was a R&B-dance producer as well. He and Eaves met during high school and began performing together. Eaves would spend most of the 1970s as a member of the R&B band Mtume. However, by the 1980s, he and Williams had teamed up again. The group named itself D-Train after a nickname Williams had acquired in high school.^[3]

D Train released its first single "

In 1983, the band released its follow-up album, Music.^[1] The title track became another dance-floor anthem and nearly equaled the success of the group's debut single. Several other singles from the album were moderately successful.

In 1984, D Train had its only Billboard Hot 100 entry with "Something's on Your Mind," which climbed to number 79 and was later covered by Miles Davis on his album You're Under Arrest. The single also cracked the top five on the R&B chart, becoming the group's biggest hit in that market as well. The accompanying album, also titled Something's on Your Mind, found the band branching out into new musical territory, incorporating elements of reggae and more adult-oriented R&B into their music.^[4] Williams himself played acoustic guitar on a cover of Carole King's "So Far Away".

A greatest hits album titled You're the One for Me - The Very Best Of was released in the U.K. in 1985.^[5] An equivalent compilation was not released in the U.S. until the following year.^[6][7] Featured on this compilation was a remixed version of "You're the One for Me" that charted in the U.K. that same year. This version was remixed by Paul Hardcastle, who had previously issued a cover version of the song and, by 1985, had become well known for his own hit "19". Despite this success, the group disbanded that same year.^[3]

D Train as a solo artist

Following the dissolution of the group, D Train continued on as a successful solo career. Although billed as a solo artist, however, he did continue to work with Eaves acting as a producer and key instrumentalist. In 1986, D Train released his debut album, Miracles of the Heart, which featured a top ten R&B single, "Misunderstanding". The follow-up single, "Oh, How I Love You, Girl" also performed well in the R&B market.^[1]

His second album, In Your Eyes followed in 1988. The title track narrowly missed the R&B top ten, and one other single was also released.^[8]

Legacy

D Train's albums were eventually re-released on CDs by Unidisc Music,^[9] which acquired Prelude Records and several other New York dance-music labels during the 1990s.^[10]

The song "You're the One for Me" exists in remixes by

The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Sky's the Limit" interpolates part of D Train's 1982 song "Keep On".^[14]

Rapper

Studio albums

Compilation albums

• You're the One for Me (The Very Best Of) (1985)^[5]
• The Best of "D" Train (1986, 1990)^[6][7]
• The Best of the 12" Mixes (1992)

Singles

See also

• List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart

References