Brass Construction
Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul,[1] and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985.[2]
Career
Signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two US Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976 - the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. They had much more success on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'", which reached #1. Singer, pianist, flautist and arranger Randy Muller went on to score a number of R&B hits with Skyy.
Over the years, Brass Construction members have included Wade Williamston (bass), Sandy Billups (percussion), Morris Price (trumpet), Larry Payton (drums), Jesse Ward Jr. (saxophone), Michael "Micky" Grudge (saxophone), Wayne Parris (trumpet), Alvin Haskin (original Trombone player on Movin), Duane Cahill (trombone), Joseph Arthur-Wong (guitar), and Randy Muller (lead vocals),[3] later joined by Lee Evans on keyboards. Joseph Arthur-Wong died in 1998. Larry Payton and Jesse Ward Jr. died in March 2016.
Brass Construction reunited for a concert on November 28, 2005 at the Bataclan Arena in Paris, France.[3] Drummer Larry Payton's death was reported in March 2016.[4]
Legacy
1975's "Changin'" was sampled in 1989 by Gang Starr on "Positivity", and on "Gimme" by Jill Scott (2001). Brass Construction's song "Movin'" was used on "Got Myself Together" by The Bucketheads (1995). ("Movin'" also played in the background on the episode of Good Times during the Evans' farewell party when they received the tragic news about James' passing via telegram.) "Message (Inspiration)" was sampled in 1988 on "I Ain't Tha 1" by N.W.A; while "What's on Your Mind (Expression)" was sampled in 1988 on "Cool V's Tribute to Scratching" by Biz Markie. "Sambo" was sampled in 1998 on "Vision of Paradise" by Bob Sinclar, and "One to One" was sampled in "Ain`t No Stoppin'" by Most Wanted featuring Pras and The Product G&B in 1998. Also, "Get Up to Get Down" was sampled in "Bass" by King Tee (1988) and on "Tanqueray" by DJ Quik (1995).[5] 1977's "Happy People" was sampled in 1997 by Cheek in "Sunshine People".
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B [6] |
CAN [7] |
UK [8] | |||||||||||
| 1975/1976 | Brass Construction | 10 | 1 | 55 | 9 | United Artists | ||||||||
| Brass Construction II | 26 | 3 | — | — |
| |||||||||
| 1977 | Brass Construction III | 66 | 16 | — | — |
| ||||||||
| 1978 | Brass Construction IV | 174 | 24 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1979 | Brass Construction 5 | 89 | 18 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1980 | Brass Construction 6 | 121 | 32 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1982 | Attitudes | 114 | 21 | — | — | Liberty | ||||||||
| 1983 | Conversations | 176 | 29 | — | — | Capitol | ||||||||
| 1984 | Renegades | — | 31 | — | 94 | |||||||||
| 1985 | Conquest | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- Golden Classics (1991, Collectables)
- The Best of Brass Construction: Movin' & Changin' (1993, EMI)
- Get Up to Get Down: Brass Construction's Funky Feeling (1997, Capitol)
- Classic Masters (2002, EMI/Capitol)
- Something for the Weekend: 10 Extended Soul Weekender Classics (2006, Stateside)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B [6] |
US Dan [6] |
BEL [11] |
CAN [7] |
NLD [12] |
NZ [13] |
UK [14] | |||||||
| 1970 | "Two Timin' Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1976 | "Movin'" | 14 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 47 | 10 | — | 23 | |||||
| "Changin'" | — | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)" | 51 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 37 | ||||||
| 1977 | "The Message (Inspirational)" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "What's on Your Mind (Expression)" | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "We" / "Celebrate" | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1978 | "L-O-V-E-U" | 104 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Celebrate" | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Help Yourself" | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Get Up" | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1979 | "Right Place" | — | 41 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1980 | "Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | |||||
| "I'm Not Gonna Stop" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "How Do You Do (What You Do to Me)" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1982 | "Can You See the Light" | — | 23 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Attitude" | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1983 | "Walkin' the Line" | — | 28 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 47 | |||||
| "We Can Work It Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1984 | "Never Had a Girl" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Partyline" | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | ||||||
| "International" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1985 | "Give and Take" | — | 76 | 28 | — | — | — | — | 62 | |||||
| 1988 | "Movin' 1988" | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | 41 | 24 | |||||
| "Ha Cha Cha" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
See also
- List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ↑ Soulwalking.co.uk – accessed May 2010
- ↑ "Brass Construction". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
- 1 2 Brassconstruction.com – accessed May 2010
- ↑ "R.I.P. Brass Construction's amazing drummer, Larry Payton", SoulTracks.com. Retrieved 31 March 2016
- ↑ Whosampled.com – accessed May 2010
- 1 2 3 4 5 "US Charts > Brass Construction". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- 1 2 "CAN Charts > Brass Construction". RPM. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ↑ "UK Charts > Brass Construction". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- 1 2 3 "US Certifications > Brass Construction". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ↑ "UK Certified Awards Search > Brass Construction". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ↑ "BEL Charts > Brass Construction". Top 30. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ↑ "NLD Charts > Brass Construction". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
- ↑ "NZ Charts > The Ritchie Family". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
- ↑ "UK Charts > The Ritchie Family". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-03-15.