Fatback Band
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| - | The '''first [[rap music|rap]] record''' is generally acknowledged to have been "King Tim III" by the [[Fatback Band]] in [[1979]] (Toop, 1991), followed by rapping's namesake: [[Sugarhill Gang]]'s ''Rapper's Delight'' (Toop, 1991), but there were many predecessors and early indicators of the possibilities of chanting rhymes over a musical background. | ||
| - | [[Hip hop]], including [[rapping]] and [[scratching]], emerged from [[1970s]] [[block party|block parties]] in [[New York City]], specifically [[The Bronx]] (Toop, 1991). In the 1930's more than a fifth of Harlem residents were from the West Indies, and the block parties of the 80's were closely similar to [[sound system]]s in [[Jamaica]](Toop, 1991). These were large parties, originally outdoors, thrown by owners of loud and expensive stereo equipment, which they could share with the community or use to compete among themselves, who began speaking lyrics or [[toasting]]. | + | The '''Fatback Band''' (later, simply '''Fatback''') is an [[United States|American]] [[funk]] and [[disco]] band. Most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, The Fatback Band is most known for their Top Ten [[R&B]] hits, "[[(Do The) Spanish Hustle]]", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", and "Backstrokin'". Their 1979 single "[[King Tim III (Personality Jock)]]" is considered by many to be the first rap single. |
| - | Rap music emerged from block parties after ultra-competitive DJs isolated percussion [[break (music)|break]]s, those being the favorites among dancers, and MCs began speaking over the [[beat (music)|beat]]s (Toop, 1991); in Jamaica, a similar musical style called [[dub (music)|dub]] developed from the same isolated and elongated percussion breaks. However, "most rappers will tell you that they either disliked reggae or were only vaguely aware of it in the early and middle '70s." (Toop, 1991) | + | ==Biography== |
| + | Formed in [[New York City]] in 1970, The Fatback Band was the concept of [[Bill Curtis]], an experienced session drummer, inspired to merge the "fatback" [[jazz]] beat of [[New Orleans]] into a [[funk]] band. In addition to Curtis, the band's initial line-up included guitarist Johnny King, bassist Johnny Flippin, trumpet player George Williams, saxophonist Earl Shelton, flautist George Adams, and keyboardist Gerry Thomas. The band specialized in playing "street funk". The group also later included conga player Wayne Woolford, vocalists Jayne and Gerry, [[Deborah Cooper]] saxophonist Fred Demerey, and guitarist George Victory. | ||
| - | Lastly, most existing hip hop acts were shocked when King Tim III's throwback to radio DJs rhyming jive and the Sugarhill Gang's appropriation of rap on their remake, not sample, of [[Chic]]'s "Good Times" were released, as most DJs and MCs knew each other and many had been attempting to record (Toop, 1991). Early rap records are a mix bag of quality material by party veterans and poorer material quickly produced for a profit. | + | The Fatback Band signed to Perception Records and had a hit single that summer with "[[Street Dance (Fatback Band)|Street Dance]]". The single reached the Top 30 on the Rhythm & Blues chart but failed to cross over to the pop chart, a pattern the group would follow for the rest of their career. The band released the albums ''Let's Do It Again'', ''People Music'', and ''Feel My Soul'' before signing to Event Records in 1974. |
| - | [[Lil Rodney Cee]], of [[Funky Four Plus One More]] and [[Double Trouble]], cites Cowboy, of [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]], as, "the first MC that I know of...He was the first MC to talk about the DJ." (Toop, 1991) | + | In the mid-1970s, the band incorporated jazz elements and moved more towards a [[disco]] sound resulting in the singles, "Keep On Steppin'", "Yum, Yum (Give Me Some)", and "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop". The singles proved popular in dance clubs but didn't do as well on R&B charts until the spring of 1976 when "(Do The) Spanish Hustle" came close to the Top Ten. "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop" birthed the development of [[Line dance|line dancing]]. |
| - | ==Earlier styles that contributed to rap== | + | Now recording for Spring/Polydor, the group continued with the singles, "Party Time", "The Booty", and "Double Dutch". Late 1977 brought a name change to Fatback, and in 1978 they found their first Top Ten single with "I Like Girls". The song "[[King Tim III (Personality Jock)]]" is often considered to be the first commercially released [[hip hop music|rap]] single, having shipped just a week before [[The Sugarhill Gang|The Sugarhill Gang's]] "[[Rapper's Delight]]" in October 1979. |
| - | * [[West Africa]]n [[griot]]s, wandering poets and "praise-singers" | + | |
| - | * [[spirituals]] and other forms of [[Christian music]], as well as certain [[Protestant]] [[preacher]]s' [[sermon]]s | + | |
| - | *[[Voice instrumental music|Voice instrumental]], long-standing tradition in world music of many varieties and across peoples | + | |
| - | * [[scat singing]], using the voice to imitate a musical instrument. | + | |
| - | * [[toasting]], traditional [[African-American]] and [[Afro-Caribbean]] entertainment, long, rhymed tales of great heroes, [[Stagger Lee]] and [[Jack Johnson (boxer)|Jack Johnson]] among others (see [[dub (music)|dub]]) | + | |
| - | * [[Dirty Dozens]], stylized exchange of insults. | + | |
| - | *"[[Signifying Monkey]]", long series of rhymed tales in which the weaker monkey triumphs through tricks over the more powerful beasts of the jungle, a ruder version of the ''[[Brer Rabbit]]'' stories. | + | |
| - | * [[talking blues]], popularized by [[Woodie Guthrie]], featuring rhyming talking with ironic asides to the audience. | + | |
| - | * Late [[1960s]] and early [[1970s|70s]] poets like [[Gil Scott-Heron]] and the [[Last Poets]] | + | |
| - | * [[jump rope]] and [[schoolyard rhymes]], such as the following: | + | |
| - | ::One bright day in the middle of the night, | + | |
| - | ::Two dead boys got up to fight. | + | |
| - | ::Back to back they faced each other, | + | |
| - | ::drew their swords and shot each other. | + | |
| - | *[[Doo wop]], using voices to imitate an entire band. | + | |
| - | ==Individual performances that prefigured rap== | + | In 1980, Fatback had a pair of their biggest hits with "Gotta Get My Hands On Some (Money)" and "Backstrokin'". Also finding the charts in the 1980s were "Take It Any Way You Can't It", "I Found Lovin'", and "Spread Love", with singer Evelyn Thomas, in 1985. |
| - | While rap as a musical genre started in the [[1980s|80s]], there have been many black and white performers who succeeded with rap-style performances in early [[jazz]], [[blues]], [[pop music|pop]], and [[country music|country]] performances. | + | Keyboardist Gerry Thomas was simultaneously a member of [[The Jimmy Castor Bunch]], so the band elected to remain close to the New York area instead of extensive touring. They had substantial success in [[South America]], especially in [[Brazil]] (with "Money", and "Backstrokin'"). The band is still currently touring and actively recording new material. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Selected discography== | ||
| + | ===Singles=== | ||
| + | ====As The Fatback Band==== | ||
| + | *"Soul March" (1973), Perception - #69 R&B | ||
| + | *"Street Dance" (1973), Perception - #26 R&B | ||
| + | *"Njia (Nija) Walk" (1973), Perception - #56 R&B | ||
| + | *"[[Keep On Steppin']]" (1974), Event - #50 R&B | ||
| + | *"[[Wicki Wacky]]'" ([[1974]]), Event - #94 R&B | ||
| + | *"(Hey I) Feel Real Good (part one)" (1975), Event | ||
| + | *"Yum Yum (Gimme Some)" (1975), Event - #80 R&B | ||
| + | *"(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop" (1975), Event - #37 R&B | ||
| + | *"(Do The) Spanish Hustle" (1976), Event - #12 R&B/#101 pop | ||
| + | *"Party Time" (1976), Spring - #84 R&B | ||
| + | *"The Booty" (1976), Spring - #32 R&B | ||
| + | *"Double Dutch" (1977), Spring - #22 R&B | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====As Fatback==== | ||
| + | *"Master Booty" (1977), Spring - #88 R&B | ||
| + | *"I Like Girls" (1977), Spring - #9 R&B/#101 pop | ||
| + | *"Freak the Freak Funk (Rock)" (1977), Spring - #36 R&B | ||
| + | *"You're My Candy Sweet" (#67 R&B)/"[[King Tim III (Personality Jock)]]" (1979), Spring - #26 R&B | ||
| + | *"Love in Perfect Harmony" (1979), Spring - #59 R&B | ||
| + | *"Gotta Get Some Hands On Some (Money)" (1979), Spring - #6 R&B | ||
| + | *"Backstrokin'" (1980), Spring - #3 R&B | ||
| + | *"Let's Do It Again" (1980), Spring - #55 R&B | ||
| + | *"Angel" (1981), Spring - #67 R&B | ||
| + | *"Take It Anyway You Want It" (1981), Spring - #19 R&B | ||
| + | *"Kool Whip" (1981), Spring - #64 R&B | ||
| + | *"Rockin' to the Beat" (1981), Spring - #50 R&B | ||
| + | *"She's My Shining Star" (1982), Spring - #76 R&B | ||
| + | *"The Girl is Fine (So Fine)" (1983), Spring - #28 R&B | ||
| + | *"Is This the Future?" (1983), Spring - #43 R&B | ||
| + | * "I Found Lovin" (1984) - global re-releases in 1986 and 1987 | ||
| + | *"Call Out My Name" (1985), Cotillion - #70 R&B | ||
| + | *"Lover Undercover" (1985), Cotillion | ||
| + | *"Girls on My Mind" (1985), Cotillion - #79 R&B | ||
| + | *"The Legendary Fatback Band-Second Generation" (2005) | ||
| + | ====Fatback/Evelyn Thomas==== | ||
| + | *"Spread Love" (1985), Spring - #88 R&B | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | *Marymont, Mark (1996). Fatback Band - Let's Do It Again / The Perception Years [CD liner notes]. Collectables Records. | ||
| + | *Thompson, Dave (2001). ''Funk''. Backbeat Books, pp 245-247. ISBN 0879306297 | ||
| - | * [[Pinetop Smith|Pinetop Smith's]] "[[Pinetop's Boogie Woogie]]" ([[1929]]) in which the "girl with the red dress on" was first told "when I say stop, don't you move a peg, when I say go I want you to shake your leg". | ||
| - | *[[W.C. Handy]]'s talking celebration of "Long John Dean, the bold bank robber from Bowling Green". | ||
| - | * [[Rosalind Russell]], "Swing" ([[1953]]), a "patter song" written by [[Leonard Bernstein]] for the [[Broadway musical]] ''[[Wonderful Town]]'' that's just full of rappish talk -- "Old man Mose, kicked that bucket, down in the well, well, well, well ... Fish, it's my favorite dish" | ||
| - | *[[Ray Charles]]'s "Greenbacks" ([[1953]]), in which he raps out a sad story of how he got taken by a golddigger, "If you wanna have fun in this man's land, let Lincoln and Jackson start shaking hands". | ||
| - | *[[Champion Jack Dupree]]'s "Big Leg Emma's" (1956), rhyming tale of a barrelhouse raid over slow blues piano: "I went down to Big Leg Emma's house, to get myself a drink of gin, but before I got in the house good, the law walked in". | ||
| - | * [[Bo Diddley|Bo Diddley's]] "Who do you love?", ([[1956]]) a maniacal boast, "I got a tombstone hand and graveyard mind, just 22 and I don't mind dyin'". | ||
| - | * Many [[funk]] songs by [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]]-[[Funkadelic]], such as the spoken-sung [[call and response (music)|call and response]] poetry of "[[Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo-Doo Chasers)]]" (Funkadelic, ''[[One Nation Under a Groove]]'', [[1978]]) | ||
| - | * [[Napoleon XIV]], "They're coming to take me away ha-ha" ([[1966]]), just one demented rhymer, a trap set, and a variable speed tape drive. And, on the B-side, the whole thing in reverse. | ||
| - | * [[Bob Dylan]] "[[Subterranean Homesick Blues]]" [[1960s]] vocal exercise, "Short pants, romance, learn to dance, Get dressed, get blessed, Try to be a success", etc. | ||
| - | * [[Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band|Bonzo Dog Band]], "Humanoid Boogie" ([[1969]]): "Well, the humanoid boogie's gonna get to number one on the cha-cha-charts voted by the people-eeple-eeple of the record-buying publicoid". | ||
| - | * Numerous [[novelty songs]] of the [[1950s|50s]] and [[1960s|60s]] featuring rhythmic readings of rhymed verse (often with melodic choruses), such as Larry Verne's "Please Mr. Custer", the tale of a reluctant Indian fighter; "All American Boy", the story of [[Elvis Presley]], "Gitarzan" by [[Ray Stevens]], "He's free as the breeze, He's always at ease, He lives in the jungle and hangs by his knees". | ||
| - | ==Source== | ||
| - | *[[Toop, David|David Toop]] (1984/1991). ''Rap Attack II: African Rap To Global Hip Hop''. New York. New York: Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1852422432. | ||
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The Fatback Band (later, simply Fatback) is an American funk and disco band. Most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, The Fatback Band is most known for their Top Ten R&B hits, "(Do The) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", and "Backstrokin'". Their 1979 single "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is considered by many to be the first rap single.
Contents |
[edit]
Biography
Formed in New York City in 1970, The Fatback Band was the concept of Bill Curtis, an experienced session drummer, inspired to merge the "fatback" jazz beat of New Orleans into a funk band. In addition to Curtis, the band's initial line-up included guitarist Johnny King, bassist Johnny Flippin, trumpet player George Williams, saxophonist Earl Shelton, flautist George Adams, and keyboardist Gerry Thomas. The band specialized in playing "street funk". The group also later included conga player Wayne Woolford, vocalists Jayne and Gerry, Deborah Cooper saxophonist Fred Demerey, and guitarist George Victory.
The Fatback Band signed to Perception Records and had a hit single that summer with "Street Dance". The single reached the Top 30 on the Rhythm & Blues chart but failed to cross over to the pop chart, a pattern the group would follow for the rest of their career. The band released the albums Let's Do It Again, People Music, and Feel My Soul before signing to Event Records in 1974.
In the mid-1970s, the band incorporated jazz elements and moved more towards a disco sound resulting in the singles, "Keep On Steppin'", "Yum, Yum (Give Me Some)", and "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop". The singles proved popular in dance clubs but didn't do as well on R&B charts until the spring of 1976 when "(Do The) Spanish Hustle" came close to the Top Ten. "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop" birthed the development of line dancing.
Now recording for Spring/Polydor, the group continued with the singles, "Party Time", "The Booty", and "Double Dutch". Late 1977 brought a name change to Fatback, and in 1978 they found their first Top Ten single with "I Like Girls". The song "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is often considered to be the first commercially released rap single, having shipped just a week before The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in October 1979.
In 1980, Fatback had a pair of their biggest hits with "Gotta Get My Hands On Some (Money)" and "Backstrokin'". Also finding the charts in the 1980s were "Take It Any Way You Can't It", "I Found Lovin'", and "Spread Love", with singer Evelyn Thomas, in 1985.
Keyboardist Gerry Thomas was simultaneously a member of The Jimmy Castor Bunch, so the band elected to remain close to the New York area instead of extensive touring. They had substantial success in South America, especially in Brazil (with "Money", and "Backstrokin'"). The band is still currently touring and actively recording new material.
[edit]
Selected discography
[edit]
Singles
[edit]
As The Fatback Band
- "Soul March" (1973), Perception - #69 R&B
- "Street Dance" (1973), Perception - #26 R&B
- "Njia (Nija) Walk" (1973), Perception - #56 R&B
- "Keep On Steppin'" (1974), Event - #50 R&B
- "Wicki Wacky'" (1974), Event - #94 R&B
- "(Hey I) Feel Real Good (part one)" (1975), Event
- "Yum Yum (Gimme Some)" (1975), Event - #80 R&B
- "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop" (1975), Event - #37 R&B
- "(Do The) Spanish Hustle" (1976), Event - #12 R&B/#101 pop
- "Party Time" (1976), Spring - #84 R&B
- "The Booty" (1976), Spring - #32 R&B
- "Double Dutch" (1977), Spring - #22 R&B
[edit]
As Fatback
- "Master Booty" (1977), Spring - #88 R&B
- "I Like Girls" (1977), Spring - #9 R&B/#101 pop
- "Freak the Freak Funk (Rock)" (1977), Spring - #36 R&B
- "You're My Candy Sweet" (#67 R&B)/"King Tim III (Personality Jock)" (1979), Spring - #26 R&B
- "Love in Perfect Harmony" (1979), Spring - #59 R&B
- "Gotta Get Some Hands On Some (Money)" (1979), Spring - #6 R&B
- "Backstrokin'" (1980), Spring - #3 R&B
- "Let's Do It Again" (1980), Spring - #55 R&B
- "Angel" (1981), Spring - #67 R&B
- "Take It Anyway You Want It" (1981), Spring - #19 R&B
- "Kool Whip" (1981), Spring - #64 R&B
- "Rockin' to the Beat" (1981), Spring - #50 R&B
- "She's My Shining Star" (1982), Spring - #76 R&B
- "The Girl is Fine (So Fine)" (1983), Spring - #28 R&B
- "Is This the Future?" (1983), Spring - #43 R&B
- "I Found Lovin" (1984) - global re-releases in 1986 and 1987
- "Call Out My Name" (1985), Cotillion - #70 R&B
- "Lover Undercover" (1985), Cotillion
- "Girls on My Mind" (1985), Cotillion - #79 R&B
- "The Legendary Fatback Band-Second Generation" (2005)
[edit]
Fatback/Evelyn Thomas
- "Spread Love" (1985), Spring - #88 R&B
[edit]
References
- Marymont, Mark (1996). Fatback Band - Let's Do It Again / The Perception Years [CD liner notes]. Collectables Records.
- Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books, pp 245-247. ISBN 0879306297
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Fatback Band" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
