The Gap Band
The Gap Band | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Genres | Funk, boogie, electro-funk, R&B, soul, disco |
Years active | 1967–2010 |
Labels | Shelter Records, Tattoo/RCA, Mercury, Total Experience, Capitol |
Past members |
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Website | www |
The Gap Band was an American
History
Early years
The band formed in Tulsa in 1967, based around the three Wilson brothers, but often included other musicians as well. The name "Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Band" originally started as a joke, reflecting the band's origins, and was shortened to GAP Band later.[4] The band received its first big break by being the back up band for fellow Oklahoman Leon Russell's Stop All That Jazz album released in 1974.[5][6]
Early on, the group took on a
Success
On their first album with Simmons, The Gap Band, they found chart success with songs such as "I'm in Love" and "Shake"; the latter became a Top 10 R&B hit in 1979.
Later that year, the group released "
Charlie Wilson provided background vocals on
The band reached a whole new level of fame in 1980 with the release of the number 1 R&B and number 16
Their 1983 album, Gap Band V: Jammin', went gold, but was not quite as successful as the previous works, peaking at number 2 R&B and number 28 on the Billboard 200. The single "Party Train" peaked at number 3 R&B, and the song "Jam the Motha'" peaked at number 16 R&B, but neither made it onto the Hot 100. The album's closer "Someday" (a loose cover of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free") featured Stevie Wonder as a guest vocalist.[11]
Their next work,
Later years
While their 1986 cover of "
While they were beginning to struggle stateside, the group found their greatest success in the
The Gap Band caught a small break in 1988 with the Keenen Ivory Wayans film, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.[3] They contributed the non-charting "You're So Cute" and the number 14 R&B title track to the film (The first was not on the soundtrack, but was used in the film).[14] Their first song on their new label, Capitol Records, 1989's "All of My Love" (from their album Round Trip), is, to date, their last number 1 R&B hit. The album also produced the number 8 R&B "Addicted to Your Love" and the number 18 R&B ""We Can Make it Alright." They left Capitol Records the next year and went on a five-year hiatus from producing new material.
During the 1990s, the band released three non-charting studio albums and two
Legacy
In 1992,
On August 26, 2005, The Gap Band was honored as a
Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl credits The Gap Band for inspiring the drum intro on their hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit."[16]
Robert Wilson died of a heart attack at his home in Palmdale, California on August 15, 2010, at the age of 53.[17]
Ronnie Wilson died following a stroke on November 2, 2021, at the age of 73.[18]
Sampling
Music
Since the 1990s, many of The Gap Band's hits have been
Producer Heavy D sampled "Outstanding" for "Every Little Thing", a 1995 hit single by his boy band prodigies Soul for Real,[20] which reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ten years later, Polish rappers Red and Spinache sampled "Outstanding" for "Wczoraj", from their album 7 Rano.[21]
British singer
Members
- Charlie Wilson (born 1953) – Lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, clavinet, organ, drums, percussion
- Ronnie Wilson (1948–2021) – Vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, synthesizer, percussion, songwriter
- Robert Wilson (1956–2010) – Bass, guitar, percussion, vocals[22]
Supporting musicians
- Lonnie Simmons – Guitar, percussion
- Rudy Taylor – Keyboard, programming, back vocal
- Raymond Calhoun – Percussion, drums, vocals
- Rastine Calhoun – Saxes
- Val Young – Vocals
- Penny Ford – Vocals
- Billy Young – Keyboard
- Cavin Yarbrough – Keyboard
- Robert "Goodie" Whitfield – Piano, synthesizer, saxophone
- James Gadson – Drums
- James "Jimi" Macon – Guitar (1977–1986)
- Chris Clayton – Saxophone, vocals (1974–1983)
- Alvin Jones – Trombone (1974)
- Tommy Lokey – Trumpet (1974–1983)
- Carl Scoggins – Congas, percussion (1974)
- Roscoe Smith – Drums (1974)
- Arthur "Don" Lee Green Jr. – Drums
- O'Dell Stokes – Guitar (1974)
- Lawrence "Lukii" Scott – Guitar (1974)
- Tim Fenderson (Rabbit) – Bass
- LaSalle Gabriel – Guitar (1994–1997)
- Malvin "Dino" Vice – Trumpet, vocals, horn and string arrangements
- Oliver Scott – Piano, synthesizer, trombone, vocals
- Ray Hayes – Drums
- Ronnie Smith- Drums
- Fred "Locksmith" Jenkins – Guitar
- Glenn Nightingale – Guitar
- Earl Roberson – Horns, saxophone
- Jimmy Hamilton – Piano, synthesizer
- Maurice Hayes – Guitar
- Ira Ward – Drums, Bass, guitar, piano
- Greg C Jackson – Piano, synthesizer, vocal rhythm arrangements and sequencing
- Victor Orlando – Percussions (1986)
- Jimmy Corona - Guitar (1983)
Composers
- Charlie Wilson
- Ronnie Wilson
- Robert Wilson
- Lonnie Simmons
- Oliver Scott
- Jonah Ellis
- Malvin "Dino" Vice
- Raymond Calhoun
- Rudy Taylor
- Greg C Jackson
- Buddy Jones
Discography
- Magicians Holiday (1974)
- The Gap Band (1977)
- The Gap Band (1979)
- The Gap Band II (1979)
- The Gap Band III (1980)
- Gap Band IV (1982)
- Gap Band V: Jammin' (1983)
- Gap Band VI (1984)
- Gap Band VII (1985)
- Gap Band 8 (1986)
- Straight from the Heart (1988)
- Round Trip (1989)
- Testimony (1994)
- Ain't Nothin' But a Party (1995)
- Y2K: Funkin' Till 2000 Comz (1999)
References
- ^ "Tulsa Massacre 100 years later: Black Wall Street reimagined as Black tech hub". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Tulsa Race Massacre: How the Gap Band Was a Tribute to the Former 'Black Wall Street'". May 28, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
- ^ Kristen Weaver, "Friends Remember The Gap Band Founder Ronnie Wilson", News on 6, November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021
- ^ "Stop All That Jazz – Leon Russell | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "Inductee Explorer". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- ^ The Gap Band (1977) at Allmusic
- ^ The Gap Band II on AllMusic
- ^ RIAA Certifications at RIAA.com Archived February 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Gap Band III – The Gap Band – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Gap Band V: Jammin' at AllMusic
- ^ "Charlie Wilson Remembers Rivalry With Roger Troutman, Making "Computer Love"". The Urban Daily. March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Artists". Officialcharts.com.
- ^ Soundtrack Listing at IMDb.com
- ^ "Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Kanye West and EMI Take Top Honors at BMI Urban Awards". bmi.com. August 26, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Dave Grohl Inspired By Disco Drum Beats". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Jennifer Chancellor, "Robert Wilson of the Gap Band, 'Godfather of bass guitar,' dead at 53", Tulsa World, August 16, 2010.
- ^ Guy, Jack (November 3, 2021). "Ronnie Wilson, founding member of The Gap Band, dead at 73". CNN. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ The Gap Band Music Sampled by Others on WhoSampled
- ^ "Soul for Real's 'Every Little Thing I Do' – Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Outstanding" sampled by Red (Polish rapper) and Spinache on WhoSampled
- ^ Lipschutz, Jason (August 16, 2010). "Robert Wilson of the Gap Band Dies at 53". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
External links
- The Gap Band at AllMusic
- The Gap Band discography at Discogs
- The Gap Band at IMDb
- Myspace Page
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Gap Band
- The Gap Band at WhoSampled
- Charlie Wilson in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011
- Charlie Wilson 2011 Interview at Soulinterviews.com