The name of the band is a portmanteau of the description "danceable jazz". Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include the Grammy Award-winning " Let It Whip" (1982), " Joystick" (1983), and "Let It All Blow" (1984). The Dazz Band is an American R&B, funk band most popular in the early 1980s. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn, 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7.↑ a b Chart sources: Singles UK US1 US2.1982 : for Let It Whip as "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal".1979: I Searched Around (as Kinsman Dazz).1979: Keep On Rockin ' (as Kinsman Dazz).
1978: Get Down with the Feelin ' (as Kinsman Dazz).(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) Top ranking, total weeks, award Chart placements Chart placements Keith Harrison - keyboards (1985 for Frederick).Marlon McClain - guitar (1985 for Fearman).Kevin Frederick - keyboards (for Steve Cox).Pierre DeMudd - background vocals, trumpet.Steve Cox - keyboards (only in the early stages).Mike Calhoun - songwriter, guitar (until 1980).įurther albums did not appear on various labels until 1996, 19, but there was no commercial success. The last album Rock the Room followed in 1988. It was followed by a label change to Geffen Records in 1986 and the last chart album Wild and Free, after which the band signed with RCA Records. In 1985 Marlon McClain and Keith Harrison joined the Dazz Band for Fearman and Friedrich. The singles Joystick and Let It All Blow reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. The Dazz Band received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Singing Group ( Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ).Īlthough the group was unable to repeat this huge success, they still had five more successive albums by 1986, which were able to place in the top 100 of the American album charts. The single Let It Whip from the long player Keep It Live, which rose to number 14 on the Billboard 200 and even number 1 on the R&B album chart in 1982, came to position 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the second album, the style changed from more melodic, pop-oriented dance music to more groove-oriented funk, which was also a success. In 1980 the first album Invitation to Love was released. In 1980, when Calhoun left the band, the musicians signed a record deal with Motown and changed the name to Dazz Band. This is how the first band name "Kinsman Dazz" was born, under which the group had two small hits in the USA in 19. The concept of Harris and songwriter Mike Calhoun saw "danceable jazz" (danceable jazz ) before and style. After various line-up changes, an eight-member band was established in 1977, consisting of Bobby Harris, Skip Martin III, Pierre DeMudd, Eric Fearman, Michael Wiley, Isaac Wiley, Kevin Frederick and Kenny Pettus. Bobby Harris formed the Dazz Band in the late 1970s through the merger of "Bell Telefunk" and "Mother Braintree", two funk bands from Cleveland.