Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
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Charles Wright (born in 1940 in Clarksdale, Mississippi) & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band is a pioneering soul and funk band. Formed in the the early 1960s, they had the most visibility from 1967 to 1973 when the band had 9 singles reach Billboard's pop and/or rhythm and blues Hot 100 lists, such as "Do Your Thing" (#11 Pop, #12 R&B), "Till You Get Enough" (#12 R&B, #67 Pop), and "Love Land" (R&B #23, Pop #16), but are best known for their biggest hit, 1970's "Express Yourself" (#3 R&B, #12 Pop), released on Warner Bros. Records.
The song "Express Yourself" was used for the soundtrack of the movie Remember The Titans.
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[edit] History
Charles Wright, after being influenced by L.A. doo-wop groups and taking up the guitar, formed his own band Charles Wright & the Wright Sounds. After playing as a backing musician on a single for comedian Bill Cosby, Wright recorded a radio show theme with the same group of studio musicians titled "Spreadin' Honey" which was released under the name Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. From then on, Wright's own group became known as The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and by 1969, were known as Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
They possess a sound that is, as Charles Wright puts it, "the middle ground between Otis Redding and James Brown" [1], a sound that Sly & the Family Stone would gravitate towards for their 1971 album There's a Riot Goin' On.
Al McKay left the Watts Band in 1969 and soon joined Earth, Wind & Fire. The rhythm section of the Watts Band -- drummer James Gadson, bassist Melvin Dunlap, trombonist/arranger Ray Jackson, and both guitarists Al McKay and later Benorce Blackmon -- also played on several Dyke & the Blazers recordings, including "We Got More Soul" and "Let a Woman Be a Woman, Let a Man Be a Man." Gadson, Dunlap, Jackson, and Blackmon left the Watts Band to work with Bill Withers, playing on the Still Bill (1972) and Live at Carnegie Hall (1973) albums. Charles Wright went on to record three solo records after the departure of the Watts Band's core rhythm section, Rhythm and Poetry (1972), Doin' What Comes Naturally (1973), and Ninety Day Cycle People (1974).
[edit] Band members
- Charles Wright - Guitars, Piano
- Al McKay - Guitar
- Benorce Blackmon - Guitar (replaced Al McKay)
- Gabe Flemings - Piano, Trumpet
- Melvin Dunlap - Bass
- James Gadson - Drums
- Big John Rayford - Saxophone
- Bill Cannon - Saxophone
- Ray Jackson - Trombone
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- “Grits ‘n’ Cornbread.” Keymen ?? (1967)
- “Spreadin’ Honey” b/w “Sorry Charley.” Keymen K-108 (1967)
- “Brown Sugar” b/w “Caesar’s Palace.” Warner Brothers 7175 (1968)
- “Bottomless” b/w “65 Bars and a Taste Of Soul.” Warner Brothers 7222 (1968)
- “Do Your Thing” b/w “A Dance, a Kiss, and a Song.” Warner Brothers 7250 (1969)
- “Till You Get Enough” b/w “Light My Fire.” Warner Brothers 7298 (1969)
[edit] (As Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band)
- “Comment (If All Men Are Truly Brothers)” b/w “Must Be Your Thing.” Warner Brothers 7338 (1969)
- “Love Land” b/w “Sorry Charlie.” Warner Brothers 7365 (1970)
- “Express Yourself” b/w “Living On Borrowed Time.” Warner Brothers 7417 (1971)
- “Solution For Pollution” b/w “High As Apple Pie.” Warner Brothers 7451 (1971)
- “Your Love (Means Everything To Me)” b/w ‘What Can You Bring Me?” Warner Brothers 7475 (1971)
- “Nobody (Tellin’ Me ‘Bout My Baby)” b/w “Wine.” Warner Brothers 7504 (1972)
- “I Got Love” b/w “Let’s Make Love Not War.” Warner Brothers 7577 (1972)
[edit] Albums
- Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Warner Brothers 1741 (1967)
- Together. Warner Brothers 1761 (1968)
[edit] (As Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band)
- In The Jungle, Babe. Warner Brothers 1801 (1969)
- Express Yourself. Warner Brothers 1864 (1970)
- You’re So Beautiful. Warner Brothers 1904 (1971)
[edit] References
Morthland, John (1993). Express Yourself: The Best Of Charles Wright And The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band [CD liner notes]. Warner Bros. Records.
[edit] Trivia
The song Express Yourself was used in the videogame Driver: Parallel Lines.
And despite the rumors circulating, Charles Wright is not the father of the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, who was a pioneering record producer, rapper, and record company owner.
