Sheila (and) B. Devotion

Sheila and B. Devotion (also credited as Sheila B. Devotion, Sheila and the Black Devotion or S.B. Devotion) was a disco group fronted by French singer Sheila between 1977 and 1980. This formation briefly reached popularity in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era. The group recorded two albums (Love Me Baby and King of the World) before dissolving in 1980 when Sheila returned to her solo career.

History

Formation

Before the group's formation, Sheila (born Annie Chancel in Créteil, France on August 16, 1945) scored numerous hits in her homeland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Among her chart toppers were "L'École est Finie" (1963), "Vous les Copains" (the French cover version of Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" in 1964), "'Petite Fille de Français Moyens" (1968) and "Les Rois Mages" (the cover of "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" originally performed by Middle of the Road in 1971). Her success helped her producer Claude Carrere to launch his label Carrere Records. The Yé-yé artist was initially presented as a girl next door. In 1977, she completely changed her public image when Sheila & B Devotion was formed. She attempted to convey a more mature style in her music. Three American back-up singers/dancers (Dany Mac Farlane, Freddy Stracham and Arthur Wilkins) known as B. Devotion were hired to accompany her. She updated her bubblegum repertoire by performing disco tracks sung in English.

Breakthrough and success

Because Carrere did not want to shock Sheila's public and the French media, the debut single of the group ("Love Me Baby") was released anonymously in May 1977 in France. The first pressings of the record mentioned the obscure name of S.B Devotion. The song was a radio and club hit. The identity of the group was rapidly revealed and the quartet was officially named Sheila B. Devotion. "Love Me Baby" became a mainstream Top 10 hit in Europe. The follow-up single was a disco version of "Singin' in the Rain" and was more successful. In early 1978, it was licensed to Casablanca Records to be released in the United States where it became a club hit.

The group name was altered in some markets to "Sheila & B. Devotion", while in others the name Sheila B. Devotion was maintained. Essentially, the US market knew the act as "Sheila & B. Devotion", while Canada, Australia, the UK, Ireland and the European markets stuck with the name Sheila B. Devotion. In 1979, the name was officially changed to Sheila & B. Devotion across all markets internationally. In the meantime, the Love Me Baby album (featuring the two above-mentioned hits) came out. The group promoted their records on the major European TV shows (Musikladen, Disco and Top of the Pops).

Sheila & B. Devotion scored other songs on the charts including "I Don't Need A Doctor", "Hôtel De La Plage", "You Light My Fire" and "Seven Lonely Days."

Collaboration with Chic

In 1979, Sheila collaborated with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic on the King of the World album, which featured "Spacer" (which peaked at #18 on the UK Singles Chart and sold well world-wide, being credited with 4 million copies in total by Le Monde in an article a few years ago). "Spacer" made it to most national charts on a global scale, from South America to Australia via Scandinavia. It is Sheila & B Devotion's true international hit: Alcazar's hit "Crying at the Discotheque" sampled it. So did Frank 'O Moiraghi with his dancesmash "Show Me (Spacer)" and dance-act Plaything with "Into space."

Break-up

Shortly after the release of the "King Of The World" single, Sheila & B. Devotion disbanded. Due to the disco backlash, Sheila chose a pop-rock style and recorded in 1981 an album, Little Darlin', produced by Keith Olsen. It was her last international project.

Record charts

Singles

Discography

Albums

• Singin' in the Rain or Love Me Baby (in certain countries) (1977)
• King of the World (1980)

Compilation albums

• Disque d'or (1979)
• The Disco Singles (2007)

Singles

• "Love Me Baby" (1977)
• "Singin' in the Rain" (1977)
• "I Don't Need a Doctor" (1978)
• "Hôtel De La Plage" (OST) (1978)
• "You Light My Fire" (1978)
• "Seven Lonely Days" (1979)
• "No No No No" (1979)
• "Spacer" (1979)
• "King of the World" (1980)
• "Your Love Is Good" (US promo - 1980)

The Disco Singles was released in one-disc and two-disc editions; the latter also contains all of the group's album cuts, and so effectively represents their complete recordings, except for the omission of some 7" edits. It was reported that a 3-CD edition would also be released with additional remixes, but it never appeared.

References

External links

• Discogs webpage about Sheila & B. Devotion