Crown Heights Affair
Encyclopedia
Crown Heights Affair was an American
R&B
/ funk
/ disco
group
from New York
, founded in the early 1970s.
Donnie Linton, the group took their new name from a district of their native Brooklyn
, and consisted of Phillip Thomas, William Anderson, Howard Young, Bert Reid, James Baynard, Raymond Reid, Arnold 'Muki' Wilson, Julius Dilligard Jr., and Raymond Rock. Signed by RCA
they recorded
a self titled debut album
in 1974.
Personnel changes followed, along with a shift in 1975 to De-Lite Records
, the then home of Kool and the Gang. The record label
's subsequent liaison with Polygram Records saw the group gain worldwide audiences for singles
such as "Dreaming A Dream", "Every Beat of My Heart", "Foxy Lady" and "Dancin'".
"Dreaming A Dream" reached Number one on the Hot Dance Club Play
chart
in 1975, (plus Billboard Hot 100
#43); and they topped out at #2 on the Dance chart later that year with "Every Beat Of My Heart" (Billboard Hot 100 #83). In the UK
they made the Top 40 in 1978 with "Galaxy Of Love", and #10 in 1980 with "You Gave Me Love".
In the 1980s they were successful record producer
s for some Prelude Records
acts like France Joli
("Gonna Get Over You"), and they produced two songs for Amii Stewart
in 1981.
on December 12, 2004, at the age of 48. Thomas joined The Flamingos
in 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/ funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/ disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, founded in the early 1970s.
Career
Originally known as Ben Iverson and the Nue Dey Express on Britne Records, founded by then bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Donnie Linton, the group took their new name from a district of their native Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, and consisted of Phillip Thomas, William Anderson, Howard Young, Bert Reid, James Baynard, Raymond Reid, Arnold 'Muki' Wilson, Julius Dilligard Jr., and Raymond Rock. Signed by RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
they recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a self titled debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
in 1974.
Personnel changes followed, along with a shift in 1975 to De-Lite Records
De-Lite Records
De-Lite Records whose formal name was De-Lite Recorded Sound Corporation was a record label specializing in R&B music. It was founded in 1969 by music producer Gene Redd and one of the label's first signings was Kool and the Gang whose self-titled instrumental was their first big R&B hit in that...
, the then home of Kool and the Gang. The record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
's subsequent liaison with Polygram Records saw the group gain worldwide audiences for singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
such as "Dreaming A Dream", "Every Beat of My Heart", "Foxy Lady" and "Dancin'".
"Dreaming A Dream" reached Number one on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1975, (plus Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#43); and they topped out at #2 on the Dance chart later that year with "Every Beat Of My Heart" (Billboard Hot 100 #83). In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
they made the Top 40 in 1978 with "Galaxy Of Love", and #10 in 1980 with "You Gave Me Love".
In the 1980s they were successful record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s for some Prelude Records
Prelude Records
Prelude Records is a classical music specialist CD shop, located in Norwich, England.Staffed by musicians, the shop has been in business since 1985....
acts like France Joli
France Joli
France Joli is a Canadian singer, born 1963, who is best known for the disco classic "Come to Me."-Teen stardom:A native of Montreal, Quebec, Joli grew up in the Montreal suburb of Dorion...
("Gonna Get Over You"), and they produced two songs for Amii Stewart
Amii Stewart
Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...
in 1981.
Footnote
Bert Reid died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on December 12, 2004, at the age of 48. Thomas joined The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
in 2007.
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- Crown Heights Affair biography
- [ Crown Heights Affair biography (and discography)] at Allmusic
- Bert Reid death notification at the "Dead Rock Stars Club"