"Boogie Down" is a 1973 song which was recorded by

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptati ...

for

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

' Tamla label. The song was co-written by

Leonard Caston Jr. Leonard Caston Jr. (born November 13, 1943) is an Americans, American rhythm and blues songwriter, record producer, pianist and singer. He recorded for both the Chess Records, Chess and Motown Records, Motown labels in the 1960s and 1970s, and co ...

, Anita Poree and Frank Wilson, the same songwriting team that had composed " Keep on Truckin'", Kendricks' first major hit as a solo artist. Caston and Wilson co-produced the song and the arrangement was handled by Caston, Wilson and

David Van De Pitte David J. Van De Pitte (October 28, 1941 – August 9, 2009) was an American music arranger and bass player. He is best known for his work at Motown Records during the 1960s and early 1970s, when he was responsible for arranging many of the b ...

Chart performance

Like "Keep on Truckin'", "Boogie Down" is an up-tempo, disco, dance number that saw heavy rotation in dance clubs. Released as a single from the album of the same name, "Boogie Down" became Kendricks' second consecutive single to top the Billboard's R&B Singles Chart, holding the number one position for three weeks. It just missed becoming his second straight #1 on the

Billboard Pop Singles Chart The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in ...

, peaking at number two for two straight weeks, behind "

Seasons in the Sun "Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond" (in English "The Dying Man") by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dying ...

" by

Terry Jacks Terrence Ross Jacks (born March 29, 1944) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer and environmentalist, best known for his 1974 hit song " Seasons in the Sun". Early life Terry Jacks was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His fa ...

. However, it was Kendricks' second #1 single on the Cash Box Top 100 chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the #30 Pop single of 1974. Outside the US, it was a Top 40 hit in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

as well, hitting #39 on the UK Charts.

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits''. *

Ed Greene Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician. In 1971 he recorded with Donald Byrd (''Ethiopian Knights'', 1972), together with Thurman Green, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Sample, Bobbye Porter Hall, David T. Walker, and Wilton ...

– drums *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Ch ...

– guitar *Greg Poree – guitar *

Gary Coleman Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid S ...

– percussion,

vibes Vibes may refer to: * Vibes (percussion) or vibraphone, a musical instrument * Vibes (company) a mobile marketing company * The aura or energy given off by someone Media * ''Vibes'' (film), a 1988 comedy * ''Vibes'' (video game), a 2010 video ...

King Errisson King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

–

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s *

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases ...

– bass *

Jerry Peters Jerry Peters is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor and arranger. He is best known for writing the hit songs " Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" and " Going In Circles" by The Friends of Distinction. Career Peters ...

– organ *

Leonard Caston Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston (June 2, 1917 – August 22, 1987) was an American blues pianist and guitarist. He is best noted for the tracks "Blues at Midnight" and "I'm Gonna Walk Your Log". Life and career Leonard Caston Sr. was born in Sum ...

– piano, clavinet, writer, producer *Anita Poree – writer * Frank Wilson – writer, producer

References

1973 singles 1974 singles Songs written by Frank Wilson (musician) Tamla Records singles Songs written by Leonard Caston Jr. Songs written by Anita Poree 1973 songs Song recordings produced by Frank Wilson (musician) Eddie Kendricks songs Cashbox number-one singles {{1970s-pop-song-stub