Champaign is an American R&B

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, best known for their 1981

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

, " How 'Bout Us".

Background

The septet, who named themselves after their hometown of

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

, United States, included Pauli Carman and Rena Jones (later Day) on vocals; Michael Day and Dana Walden on keyboards; Leon Reeder on guitar; Michael Reed on bass; and Rocky Maffit on percussion and drums.

Career

The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

from their 1981 debut album, "How 'Bout Us," was a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, reaching No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart, No. 4 on 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 ...

, and No. 12 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the 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), ...

. Reed had left the group by the release of their second album, '' Modern Heart'', which appeared in 1983 and contained the No. 2 R&B hit " Try Again" (No. 23 on the Hot 100). Another follow-up, 1984's ''Woman in Flames'', included the Top 10 R&B song "Off and On Love". Other songs include "Party People" and "Walkin'". Carman released his first solo album, ''Dial My Number'' in 1986. The title track was an R&B hit, peaking at No. 26. His second album, ''It's Time'' was released the following year. It featured the single "In the Heat of the Night", which peaked at No. 72 on the R&B charts. Rena Jones and Michael Day eventually married. In 1990, Champaign (including Carman) reconvened to record, and the ''Champaign IV'' album was released the following year. In addition to Carman, the album featured contributions/production from Michael Lane (MicoWave), Rena and Michael Day, Dana Walden, and Rocky Maffit. Although the album was not widely successful, it did herald a brief return to the US R&B chart, with the single "Trials of the Heart". Former band member Michael Day died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

on June 7, 2001. In 2003, a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

was released and included most of the group's hits, though several (most notably "Try Again") were absent. By 2008, Pauli Carman, the original lead singer, continued to represent the group. The ''Carma'' album, released in 2008, included original songs along with a remake of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' "

And I Love Her "And I Love Her" is a ballad recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album '' A Hard Day's Night'' and was releas ...

" and the

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

track "I Love, I Love." In 2010, ''Get Back 2 Love'' was released (included a remaster of "How 'Bout Us"). The title track "Get Back 2 Love" made reference to Champaign's top hits. The same year, the single "Mercy" was released (a remake of the

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 ...

hit "

Mercy Mercy Me "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is the second single from American singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, '' What's Going On''. Following the breakthrough of the title track's success, the song, written solely by Gaye, became regarded as one ...

"). This single was to assist those affected by the oil spill in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. A portion of the proceeds was donated to various agencies assisting with the clean up and restoration in the area. In November 2010, Carman produced ''The Pauli Carman Show'' (a television pilot online show). In 2011, the single "Share" was released. In 2013, the CD album ''Love Kind'' was released. On September 15, 2013, Pauli Carman was presented the National R&B Music Society 'Unsung Hero Award'. In 2014, the album ''Eyes of the Spirit'' was released. In 2022, the single "Can't Let You Go" was released. In 2025, the single "Heart" was released.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Compilation albums

*2003: ''Greatest Hits''

References

External links

Champaign
— official website * * * {{Authority control American contemporary R&B musical groups Musical groups from Champaign, Illinois Musical groups established in 1981