Atlantic Starr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atlantic Starr was a popular 1980s R&B band. Among their hits are " Always" and "Secret Lovers".
Contents |
[edit] Career
Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the 1980s and fared well in the adult contemporary market as well, but their roots were 1970s soul music and funk. The East Coast outfit was formed in White Plains, New York, in 1976 by three brothers: lead singer/guitarist David Lewis, lead singer/keyboardist Wayne Lewis (b. 13 April 1957), and trombonist/percussionist Jonathan Lewis. After the Lewis Brothers hired lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), trumpeter William Sudderth, saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was replaced by Koran Daniels in 1981), bassist Clifford Archer, drummer Porter Carroll Jr., and percussionist/flautist Joseph Phillips, Atlantic Starr's original nine-person line-up was in place.
Influenced by 1970s funk/soul bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, New Birth, and L.T.D., Atlantic Starr started playing around the Northeastern U.S. They had only been together for about two years when they signed with A&M and started working with Bobby Eli, a well-respected record producer/songwriter from Philadelphia. Eli helped the group put out their self-titled debut album in 1978. The album scored a decent hit with "Stand Up" which reached #16 on the R&B charts.
Eli worked with the group again for their second album, Straight To The Point, which had similar levels of success to the group's first album. Released in 1979, A&M felt that the group could do better and changed the group's producer.
In 1981, the group started working with James Carmichael and replaced Rentie with Koran Daniels on the saxophone. During that year, the group released the album Radiance and scored a hit with "When Love Calls" which showcased the maturing vocals of Bryant.
With Bryant going strong the group released the album Brilliance in 1982 and Yours Forever in 1983. The former had the hit "Circles" while the latter had "Touch A Four Leaf Clover."
Despite the group moving into the big leagues under Bryant's wing, she left the group in 1984 to pursue a solo career. The group changed significantly at this time as Barbara Weathers took Bryant's place and the group shrank to just the Lewis Brothers, Phillips and Weathers. Even with the loss of several members, the group released their most successful album to date, As The Band Turns in 1985. The album featured the hit "Secret Lovers" which reached #3 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B charts.
Moving to Warner Bros., the group had another big hit in 1987 with their album All In The Name Of Love. The album went platinum and had the groups biggest hit, "Always" which topped the R&B charts and the Hot 100.
Following Bryant's example, Weathers left the group after All In The Name Of Love to pursue a solo career. Porscha Martin took her place and appeared on the album We're Movin' Up. The album had one big hit with "My First Love" which topped the R&B charts. While Martin worked with the group for a few years afterwards, she left before the next album was produced and was replaced by Rachel Oliver.
1991 saw the release of Love Crazy which had several successful singles. The title track reached #7 on the R&B charts and "Masterpiece" reached #3 on the Hot 100, going gold in the process.
The group continued to rotate through female singers as Oliver left the group and Aisha Tanner took her place. In 1994, the group released the album Time which was their last record for Arista and flopped.
When the group released their last album to date, Legacy, in 1999, it was with a new lineup once more. David Lewis had left the group, leaving the two Lewis Brothers and Oliver who had returned in place of Tanner. In addition, the group had a new male singer, DeWayne Woods. The album received little attention as it was released via an independent label, Street Solid.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Atlantic Starr (1978)
- Straight To The Point (1979)
- Radiant (1981)
- Brilliance (1982)
- Yours Forever (1983)
- As The Band Turns (1986)
- All In The Name Of Love (1987)
- We're Movin' Up (1988)
- Love Crazy (1991)
- Time (1994)
- Legacy (1999)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | UK Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Gimme Your Lovin'" | #66 |
| 1978 | "Stand Up" | – |
| 1979 | "(Let's) Rock'n'Roll" | – |
| 1982 | "Circles" | – |
| 1985 | "Silver Shadow" | #41 |
| 1985 | "One Love" | #58 |
| 1985 | "Freak-a-ristic" | – |
| 1986 | "Secret Lovers" | #10 |
| 1986 | "If Your Heart Isn't In It" | #48 |
| 1987 | "Always" | #3 |
| 1987 | "One Lover at a Time" | #57 |
| 1987 | "Thankful" | – |
| 1988 | "Let the Sun In" | #79 |
| 1989 | "Bring It Back Home Again" | – |
| 1994 | "Everybody's Got Summer" | #36 |
[edit] External links
 |
This article on a United States R&B/soul music band, group, or collective is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
