Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

- and

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

-influenced disco band that was formed in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

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 * '' ...

. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit " Cherchez La Femme/ C'est si bon," from its self-titled debut album.

History

The band was conceived by brothers Stony Browder Jr. (February 7, 1949 – October 6, 2001) and Thomas Browder (also known as

August Darnell Thomas August Darnell Browder (born August 12, 1950), known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently f ...

, born August 12, 1950), with the former writing music and the latter lyrics. They started the band in 1974 with singer Cory Daye (born April 25, 1952), drummer Mickey Sevilla, and percussionist Andy Hernandez ( Coati Mundi). They released three albums between 1976 and 1979. Their music blended disco beats with rhythms from genres including calypso,

rhumba Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and ballroom dance, dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cub ...

, cha-cha-chá, and

compas Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses i ...

. The Browders, who were both multiracial, wrote songs embracing

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

over stories about

tragic mulatto The tragic mulatto is a stereotypical fictional character that appeared in American literature during the 19th and 20th centuries, starting in 1837. The "tragic mulatto" is a stereotypical mixed-race person (a "mulatto"), who is assumed to be dep ...

es. A smaller lineup known as Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band (omitting the word "original") also released a fourth album in 1984. They were frequent performers at

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater ...

. Darnell and Hernandez went on to form Kid Creole and the Coconuts and

Elbow Bones and the Racketeers Elbow Bones and the Racketeers was an American big band-era styled male/female vocal group, created by August Darnell, and best known for their hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song ...

. Cory Daye also pursued a successful solo career. In 1979, she released the album ''Cory and Me''. The album produced a single, "Pow Wow" b/w Green Light", which peaked on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #76 later that year. The track "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" became a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands. Stony Browder Jr. died in 2001.

Members

*Stony Browder Jr. - music, piano, vocals (1976–79, 1984) * Thomas Browder - lyrics, bass, vocals (1976–79) *Cory Daye - vocals (1976–79, 1984) *Mickey Sevilla - drums (1976–79, 1984) * Andy Hernandez - percussion (1976–79)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

* ''

The Very Best of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band that was formed in the Bronx, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit " Cherchez La Femme/ C'est si bon," from its self-titled debut ...

'' (1996,

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

) * ''The Disco Kids'' (2005,

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

)

Singles

Copyright lawsuit

In 2022, songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer filed a copyright lawsuit against

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy ...

claiming that her song "

Levitating Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...

" infringed on their 1979 song "Wiggle and Giggle All Night".

References

Notes

External links

"Savannah Band Is Waiting for You, American"
by Kevin McMahon
The band's MySpace page

Coati Mundi's MySpace page

August Darnell interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Buzzard's Original Savannah Band American disco groups American dance music groups