Brooklyn Dreams were an American singing

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 iden ...

of the late 1970s, mixing R&B harmonies with contemporary dance/disco music and best known for a number of collaborations with singer

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

. The band consisted of Joe "Bean" Esposito, Eddie Hokenson and

Bruce Sudano Bruce Charles Sudano (born September 26, 1948) is an American musician and songwriter noted for creating songs for artists such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and his wife, the Grammy Award-winning singer Donna Summer. Sudano i ...

. Esposito provided lead vocals for the band and played guitar, while Sudano played keyboards and Hokenson played drums and occasionally sang lead vocals.

Biography

The group formed in the 1970s in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Their biggest hit was the single " Heaven Knows", a single by

, featuring Joe Esposito on second lead and the group singing backup. Released on

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 ...

in January 1979, the single reached # 4 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The band's version of the song appears on their 1979 album ''Sleepless Nights'', but, on this version, Esposito is singing lead vocal and Summer is singing second lead, with the group again contributing backing vocals. This version is credited as Brooklyn Dreams with Donna Summer. It is one of the few recording scenarios where two acts duet on a song, and switch their vocal parts for the same exact song and production, and have both versions released simultaneously. The band sang backup on other tracks from several Summer albums during this period. Their self-titled debut album ''Brooklyn Dreams'' (1977) received positive reviews, comparing the group's harmonies to those of

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the L ...

. Singles "Sad Eyes" and the dance track "Music, Harmony and Rhythm" were modest hits. The latter song has been sampled over the years by various

Hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artists. While the album was a modest hit, the group gained public awareness via an appearance, along with

Kenny Vance Kenny Vance (born Kenneth Rosenberg, December 9, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer who was a founding member of Jay and the Americans. His career spans from the 1950s to today, with projects ranging from starting doo-wo ...

of Jay and the Americans, as "Professor La Plano and the Planotones" in the 1978 film ''

American Hot Wax ''American Hot Wax'' is a 1978 biographical film directed by Floyd Mutrux with a screenplay by John Kaye from a story by John Kaye and Art Linson. The film tells the story of pioneering disc jockey Alan Freed, who in the 1950s helped introduce ...

''. Their sophomore effort ''Sleepless Nights'' (1979) was a greater commercial success for the group as it featured their musical collaboration with their label mate Summer. The group toured as opening act for Summer and also hosted '' The Midnight Special'' musical TV showMidnight Special complete episode guide
/ref> and performing on the popular talk shows ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...

'' and ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

'', as well as Dick Clark's ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

'', '' Solid Gold'' and "

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later ...

". That year, the band co-wrote the song " Bad Girls" with Summer, and the single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100,

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

, and Hot Disco charts. Their own single "Make It Last", however, was not a major hit. Their third album ''Joy Ride'' (1979) was a solid effort but moved them further away from their R&B roots. Produced by recording engineer Juergen Koppers, who also worked with Summer on occasion, it did not have the major support of Casablanca Records, which was having financial difficulties at the time. The album did not generate a chart single and had a much more Euro dance sound. Casabalanca (which distributed the band's label, Millennium Records) had changed direction by 1980 with the demise 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 ...

with which the label was closely related, and Casablanca's chairman

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz i ...

's departure. "Won't Let Go" (1980) was the last album by the group which was moving away from the label's push to disco, and closer to an R&B/pop sound they originally intended to produce. By this time, members of the group were pursuing other projects separately or together, but not under the name Brooklyn Dreams. "Deez Hollywood Knights", a track on

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's 2008 album '' Ego Trippin'', samples the group's title track for the soundtrack for the 1980 film '' The Hollywood Knights''.

Solo careers

Esposito went on to a solo career, with songs appearing on numerous movie soundtracks, notably ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer, Alex Owens, who aspires to become a professional ballerina, alongside Michael Nouri, who plays her ...

'', ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...

'', and ''

Coming To America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis, based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, and starring Murphy (in various roles), Arsenio ...

'' for which he recorded a duet with singer

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking a ...

. He also released three solo albums "Solitary Man" with

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

, followed by "Joe, Bruce and 2nd Avenue" a collaboration with a former bandmate, and '' Treated and Released''. In 2013, Esposito became the lead singer of The Brooklyn Bridge, formerly known as Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge. Sudano and Donna Summer later married. Sudano notably co-wrote the

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

hit " Starting Over Again", and a number of album tracks for Summer. Sudano released his first solo album, ''Fugitive Kind'', for Millennium/RCA in 1981, which included his recording of "Starting Over Again". The song was recorded again in 1997 by

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

and was the title song of her CD. Sudano released his second solo album, ''Rainy Day Soul'', 23 years later, in 2004. Sudano was voted AC artist of the year by ''New Music Weekly''. Sudano's next CD, ''Life & the Romantic'', was set to be released in March 2009.

Discography

Albums

* ''Brooklyn Dreams'' (1977) * ''Sleepless Nights'' (1978) * ''Joy Ride'' (1979) * ''Won't Let Go'' (1980)

Soundtracks

* ''

'' (1978) * '' The Hollywood Knights'' (1980) * ''

Foxes Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

'' (1980)

Singles

References

External links

Brooklyn Dreams Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooklyn Dreams (Group) American soul musical groups Casablanca Records artists Donna Summer Musical groups from Brooklyn