One Way (American band)
| One Way | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Al Hudson & the Soul Partners, One Way featuring Al Hudson |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, funk |
| Years active | 1976–c.1988 |
| Labels | ABC, MCA, Capitol |
| Past members |
Al Hudson Alicia Myers Dave Roberson Cortez Harris Kevin McCord Gregory Greene Jonathan Meadows Candyce Edwards Jeanette Mack Lorrie Tice Valdez Brantley |
One Way was an American R&B and funk band that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s, led by singer Al Hudson. The group's most successful record was "Cutie Pie", which reached no.4 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart and no.61 on the pop chart in 1982.
Al Hudson and the (Soul) Partners
Detroit vocalist Al Hudson, guitarist Dave Roberson and bassist Kevin McCord founded Al Hudson and the Soul Partners in the mid '70s. Other members included keyboardists Jack Hall and Jonathan “Corky” Meadows, drummers Theodore Dudley and Gregory Greene and guitarist Cortez Harris. They recorded several singles for Atco Records before joining ABC Records and made their debut with the LP Especially for You in 1977.[1] They recorded their second album Cherish that same year and released their third album Spreading Love in 1978. By that time ABC Records was in the process of being bought by MCA Records and vocalist Alicia Myers joined the group. They released the album Happy Feet as Al Hudson and the Partners in 1979 which contains the R&B hit "You Can Do It" which was co-penned by Myers and a top 15 hit in the UK.[2]
One Way
When the band moved to the MCA label, they subsequently changed their name to One Way featuring Al Hudson. Their next album was simply called One Way Featuring Al Hudson and was also released in 1979. The album included the long 12" version of "You Can Do It". Their 1980 album was also confusingly called "One Way Featuring Al Hudson". By 1981 the band was simply called One Way.[1] In 1981 frontwoman Alicia Myers left the band to pursue a solo career. She was replaced by Candyce Edwards, who served as female lead of the group from 1981 to 1985. Edwards' debut was on the Fancy Dancer album and she remained with the group throughout their biggest successes.
They were on MCA from 1979 to 1988. They scored five Top 10 U.S. R&B chart hits, with the biggest being "Cutie Pie", which reached number four in 1982.[3]
They had two more minor hits on the UK Singles Chart with "Music" (1979) and "Let's Talk" (1985).[2]
They moved to Capitol Records in 1988, where they released their final album, A New Beginning,[3] later that same year. By this time, only Hudson, Roberson, and Meadows remained from the original line-up.
Discography
Chart singles
Al Hudson & The Soul Partners
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[4] | US R&B[5] |
UK[6] | ||
| 1976 | "I Got A Notion" | - | 64 | - |
| 1977 | "Why Must We Say Goodbye" | - | 83 | - |
| "If You Feel Like Dancin'" | - | 78 | - | |
| 1978 | "Spread Love" | - | 75 | - |
| "How Do You Do" | - | 51 | - | |
| 1979 | "You Can Do It" Al Hudson & The Partners |
101 | 52 | 15 |
One Way
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[4] | US R&B[5] |
UK[6] | ||
| 1980 | "Music" | - | 36 | 56 |
| "Do Your Thang" | - | 36 | - | |
| "Pop It" | - | 20 | - | |
| "Something In The Past" | - | 76 | - | |
| 1981 | "My Lady" | - | 52 | - |
| "Push" | - | 12 | - | |
| "Pull Fancy Dancer Pull - Part 1" | - | 12 | - | |
| 1982 | "Who's Foolin' Who" | - | 34 | - |
| "Cutie Pie" | 61 | 4 | - | |
| "Runnin' Away" | - | 83 | - | |
| "Wild Night" | - | 36 | - | |
| 1983 | "Can I" | - | 43 | - |
| "Shine On Me" | - | 24 | - | |
| "Let's Get Together" | - | 44 | - | |
| 1984 | "Lady You Are" | - | 5 | - |
| "Mr. Groove" | - | 8 | - | |
| "Don't Stop" | - | 51 | - | |
| 1985 | "Serving It" | - | 66 | - |
| "Let's Talk" | - | - | 64 | |
| "More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers" | - | 52 | - | |
| 1986 | "Don't Think About It" | - | 5 | - |
| 1987 | "You Better Quit" | - | 6 | - |
| "Whammy" | - | 25 | - | |
| 1988 | "Driving Me Crazy" | - | 75 | - |
Albums
Al Hudson And The Soul Partners
- 1976: Especially For You
- 1977: Cherish
- 1978: Spreading Love
Al Hudson And The Partners
- 1979: Happy Feet
One Way Featuring Al Hudson
- 1979: One Way Featuring Al Hudson (first album)
- 1980: One Way Featuring Al Hudson (second -different- album)
One Way
- 1981: Love Is...One Way
- 1981: Fancy Dancer
- 1982: Who's Foolin' Who
- 1982: Wild Night
- 1983: Shine On Me
- 1984: Lady
- 1985: Wrap Your Body
- 1986: IX
- 1988: A New Beginning
Compilation albums
- 1993: Cutie Pie
- 1995: Push
- 1996: The Best Of One Way: Featuring Al Hudson And Alicia Myers
- 2005: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection
References
- 1 2 "Discogs". Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 407. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- 1 2 "Biography by Ron Wynn". Allmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 570. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 333.
- 1 2 Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 92. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.