Brass Construction was an American
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
formed in
Brooklyn,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
, United States, in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul,
and went on to record a string of
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
s and
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
s through to 1985.
Career
Signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B.
History Genres
In 1959, ...
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
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
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 and
B. T. Express.
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),
later joined by Lee Evans on keyboards.
Brass Construction reunited for a
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...
on November 28, 2005, at the
Bataclan Arena in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France.
Joseph Arthur-Wong died in 1998. Jesse Ward Jr. died in 2016. Drummer Larry Payton died on March 21, 2016.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
*''Golden Classics'' (1991,
Collectables
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
)
*''The Best of Brass Construction: Movin' & Changin (1993,
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
)
*''Get Up to Get Down: Brass Construction's Funky Feeling'' (1997,
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerou ...
)
*''Classic Masters'' (2002, EMI/Capitol)
*''Something for the Weekend: 10 Extended Soul Weekender Classics'' (2006,
Stateside)
Singles
Band members
*Randy Muller – Keyboards/ Lead vocals
*Wade Williamston – Bass
*Joseph Arthur-Wong (d.1998) – Guitar
*Larry Payton (1955 – March 21, 2016) – Drums
*Jesse Ward Jr. (d.2016) – Saxophone
*Michael "Micky" Grudge – Saxophone
*Wayne Parris – Trumpet
*Morris Price – Trumpet
*Sandy Billups – Percussion
See also
*
List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
This is a list of number-one dance hits as recorded by ''Billboard'' magazine's Dance Club Songs chart – a weekly national survey of popular songs in U.S. dance clubs. It began on October 26, 1974, under the title ''Disco Action'' chart. It is ...
*
References
External links
Official website*
Randy Muller's official websiteBBC.co.uk review
{{Authority control
American funk musical groups
American dance music groups
American soul musical groups