Blue Magic is an American R&B and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

group, and one of the more popular

Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...

groups of the 1970s. Founded in 1972, the group's original members included lead singer Ted Mills with Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt. From 1972 to 1976 they had 6 top twenty hits on Billboard's R&B chart. Their most notable song was a number one R&B hit single entitled, "

Sideshow In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. They historically featured human oddity exhibits (so-called “Freak show, freak shows”), pr ...

", which peaked at number 8 on Billboard's pop chart. "Sideshow" sold over one million units and was awarded an RIAA gold record certification. Other notable songs included, "Spell", "What’s Come Over Me", "Three Ring Circus", "Look Me Up", "Welcome To The Club" and " Stop to Start". Blue Magic was inducted into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame, Presented by The National R&B Music Society, on April 28, 2025.

History

Origins

Blue Magic was formed in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1972 when former member of

The Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include " La-La (Means I Love You)", " Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "Bre ...

, Randy Cain, brought in singer-songwriter Ted Mills to do some writing with the Philly-based WMOT production company to create a new band. A short time later the group Shades of Love, featuring Keith Beaton, Richard Pratt, Vernon Sawyer and his brother Wendell, came in to audition. (According to Marc Taylor in his book ''A Touch of Classic Soul of the Early 1970s'', "although the group performed admirably, they lacked a standout lead singer".) The execs decided to replace the Toppicks, the act Mills recorded with. They inserted Shades of Love (which they owned contractually) with Ted Mills and retitled the group Blue Magic. They were signed with Atco Records through WMOT in the same year.

First album

The group was one of the earliest acts produced by Norman Harris, a Philadelphia recording veteran. The group's harmonies were supported by the

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...

studio house band. Their first song release in 1973 was "Spell" which went onto the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...

peaking at No. 30 (it was written and co-produced by Mills). They were known for making dreamy ballads and their choreographed stage moves. Their second release was the uptempo "Look Me Up"; which reached number 36, stayed on the R&B chart for 11 weeks, and was popular on the early disco scene. Their next single was the ballad "Stop to Start". This hit was even more successful, reaching number 14 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 74 on the pop chart. The next single release became their first Billboard US top 10 R&B and Pop hit, "

". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on August 16, 1974. It climbed to number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. The ''Blue Magic'' album also went gold. In addition to the four hit singles, it also included another Richard Dickson inspired creation, the hit ballad "What's Come Over Me", a seven-minute rendition of the Main Ingredient million seller "

Just Don't Want to Be Lonely "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" is a song written by Bobby Eli, John Freeman and Vinnie Barrett, originally recorded in 1973 by Ronnie Dyson and popularized internationally by The Main Ingredient. Dyson's version reached No. 60 in the US Pop cha ...

", the solid album closer "Tear It Down", and the uptempo "Welcome to the Club". The first single from their 1975 follow-up album ''

The Magic of the Blue ''The Magic of the Blue'' is the second album by American soul group Blue Magic, produced by Norman Harris and Bobby Eli and released in 1974 on the Atco label. History The album was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and features ...

'', entitled "Three Ring Circus", also sold well, reaching number 36 in the pop chart and number 5 R&B. MFSB guitarist

Bobby Eli Bobby Eli (born Eli Tatarsky; March 2, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. He was a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio band MFSB. Overview Bobby ...

and

Vinnie Barrett Vinnie Barrett (born Gwendolyn Hines Woolfolk; 1945) is an American songwriter and musician. Career Barrett graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C. She studied music at Howard University and the University of the District of Colu ...

co-wrote both "Sideshow" and "Three Ring Circus". Because their biggest hits were slower songs, the group became known mostly for their ballads.

Success and third album

The album ''

Thirteen Blue Magic Lane ''Thirteen Blue Magic Lane'' is the third album by American soul group Blue Magic, produced by Norman Harris and Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey and released in 1975 on the Atco label. History The album was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philade ...

'' in 1975 maintained the group's popularity, and spawned their version of the popular dance number "We're on the Right Track", as well as the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

"Chasing Rainbows". The song "What's Come Over Me" from their debut album was re-worked as a duet with

Margie Joseph Margaret Marie Joseph (born August 19, 1950) is an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. Her greatest success came in the 1970s with a duet with Blue Magic on " What's Come Over Me" and her versions of Paul McCartney's " My Love" and The Supre ...

dubbed in alongside Mills' original lead vocals. The new approach saw the song climb to number 11 on the R&B chart again in 1975. In total, the group had two R&B chart singles in 1975 and four in 1976. The group had their first world tour that year which lasted for 42 weeks. The tour included 48 states in the United States, five countries in Europe and a 10-day stay in the Philippines. They concluded their tour with a two-week engagement in the Virgin Islands. Blue Magic were known also for their choreography. As a visually oriented group, they had several major television appearances, including ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

,'' ''The Mike Douglas Show,'' ''The Jerry Blavat Show,'' ''

Dancin' on Air ''Dancin' On Air'' was a 1980s television dance music reality show. It was the forerunner of the TV show '' Dance Party USA'' of the same genre. Both shows were produced and created by Michael Nise and his father Frank. The show started with US ...

,'' and ''A.M. Philadelphia.'' In April 1975, they were chosen as the best new group of the year which earned two Ebony Awards. The first was presented in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, the second in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

by the female recording artist

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness compared to others. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as ...

. They have shared the stage with other performers such as

The Jacksons The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

The Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

The Four Tops ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, The Spinners,

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

New Edition New Edition is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Pop music, pop group from the Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson ...

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

and others. The group also contributed background vocals for

Alyson Williams Alyson Williams (born May 11, 1961) is a R&B singer and on air radio personality who had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some notable tracks include "Just Call My Name", "Sleep Talk", "My Love Is So Raw" and "I Need Y ...

and the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

(on the song "If You Really Want To Be My Friend" from the album ''

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the twelfth studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last album to feature guitarist Mick Taylor; the songwriting and recording of the ...

'').

Decline in popularity

By 1977, the group's popularity had faded with the rise of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and changing music styles, and despite the group continuing to record consistently they failed to chart. Subsequent label moves to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

for a reunion with Norman Harris (who had left two years earlier) and then the smaller label Mirage resulted in some smaller R&B charting, but no major success.

Disbanding and regrouping

Background singer Richard Pratt left in the early 1980s. After sibling singers Vernon and Wendell Sawyer left, the remaining two members Mills and Beaton hired two other singers and traveled to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to record with

Skip Scarborough Clarence Alexander "Skip" Scarborough (November 26, 1944 – July 3, 2003) was an American songwriter, best known for romantic ballads. Biography Scarborough was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He lived in Los Angeles most of his life. A prol ...

and some members of the popular group

Earth Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling b ...

on the album ''Message from the Magic''. In 1988, the original group got back together and had some renewed popularity in late 1989 with the album '' From Out of the Blue''. Also in 1989, they appeared on the song "To Be Your Man", the third single from

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American Rapping, rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influe ...

's second album, ''

It's a Big Daddy Thing ''It's a Big Daddy Thing'' is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 19, 1989, by Cold Chillin' Records and Warner Bros. Records. Background Unlike his debut album, which was solely produ ...

''. In 1990, ''

The Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

'' carried the story of Mills' near-fatal car accident. After surgery in 1996, Mills returned to the music scene as a solo act, recording an album for

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label focuses ...

that year entitled '' This Magic Is Real'', featuring the remake of "Tear It Down". The other members of the group brought in new lead Rod Wayne (real name Roderick Bronaugh), who remained with the group until 2004. Bronaugh went on to teach at

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

The 2000s–present

Mills appeared in the touring play, ''Girl, He Ain't Worth It'' with

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American R&B vocal group. Their songs " Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, including tw ...

Meli'sa Morgan Joyce Melissa Morgan (usually spelled Meli'sa; born December 6, 1964) is an American R&B/Soul singer–songwriter. Morgan had a string of urban contemporary hits from the mid–1980s to the mid–1990s. Most notable include her cover version of ...

and

Tito Jackson Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (October 15, 1953 – September 15, 2024) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons), a group who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown la ...

, and appeared in the play ''Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places''. In 2007, Mills recorded the album ''3 Tenors of Soul'' with

Russell Thompkins, Jr. Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. (born March 21, 1951) is an American soul music, soul singer, best known as the original lead singer of the vocal group The Stylistics and noted for his high tenor, countertenor, and falsetto vocals. With Russell as ...

, original lead singer of

, and William Hart of

released on

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey–based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word '' seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distr ...

and produced by

. Mills appeared and gave two concerts for the audiences at the 2014 Soul Train Cruise in February 2014 on the Holland America Eurodam. On March 11, 2018, Blue Magic reunited to appear on the television series, '' Unsung'' on TV One season 12, episode 4. On July 14, 2018, Mills rescued a man from a burning car on route 22 in Hillside, New Jersey. "I knew it was somebody trapped in there and needed help getting out," said Mills, a Summit resident. "It was flipping in the direction that I was driving." Former lead Ted Mills continues to pursue a solo career. The name was formally

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

ed by Wendell Sawyer and Keith Beaton some years earlier. Vernon Sawyer has his own version of the group, while Richard Pratt led another one at the time of his death in 2022. Former lead vocalist Rod Wayne died in 2016. Richard Pratt (born on June 30, 1952) died on March 1, 2022, at the age of 69. Keith Beaton (born on July 30, 1950) died on January 13, 2023, at the age of 72. On April 28, 2025 Blue Magic were inducted into the Atlantic City Walk of Fame Presented by, The National R&B Music Society. The

Stylistics Stylistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the study and interpretation of texts of all types, but particularly literary texts, and spoken language with regard to their linguistic and tonal style, where style is the particular variety of l ...

Ray, Goodman & Brown Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B human voice, vocal band (music), group. The group originated as the Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with chart-topper, hits including "Love on a Two-Way S ...

Jean Carne Jean Carn, also spelled Jean Carne (born Sarah Jean Perkins; March 15, 1947) is an American R&B/soul and jazz singer. In mid-career, she added a final ''e'' to her name. Carn is a vocalist credited with a five-octave vocal range. Biography Carn ...

and the late

Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman's music career spanned the late 1970s through the early 1990s, and she was best known for her expansive contralto range. Some of her most ...

were also inducted.

Original members

*Ted Wizard Mills - lead tenor *Wendell Sawyer – lead baritone *Keith "Duke" Beaton – tenor *Richard Pratt - bass *Vernon Sawyer- baritone

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

*''Live!'' (with Major Harris &

) (1976,

WMOT WMOT (89.5 FM) is a public radio station serving the metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee market. Licensed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it is owned by the Middle Tennessee State University alongside WMTS-FM (88.3 FM), with studios for both stati ...

)

Compilation albums

*''Greatest Hits'' (1986, Omni) *''The Magic of the Blue: Greatest Hits '' (1990,

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

) *''The Best of Blue Magic: Soulful Spell'' (1996,

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

)

Singles

References

External links

* *
Blue Magic
on Soul Tracks * as The Blue Magic * as Blue Magic {{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Magic American rhythm and blues musical groups Vocal quintets African-American musical groups Musical groups from Philadelphia Atlantic Records artists Atco Records artists Strut Records artists Musical groups established in 1972 1972 establishments in Pennsylvania