One Way (American band)
Encyclopedia
One Way was an American
R&B
/funk band
that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s.
as the newer incarnation of a band originally known as Soul Partners. Al Hudson, Alicia Myers, guitarist
s Dave Roberson and Cortez Harris, bassist
Kevin McCord, drummer
Gregory Green and keyboardist
Jonathan Meadows were the original members. They first recorded
as "Al Hudson and the Partners", scoring an R&B hit
on the ABC
label
called "You Can Do It" in 1979.
as part of a buyout, and when the band moved to the MCA label, they subsequently changed their name to One Way featuring Al Hudson before becoming One Way. They were on MCA from 1980 to 1988. They scored five Top 10 U.S.
R&B
chart
hits, with the biggest being "Cutie Pie," which reached number four in 1982. Original frontwoman Alicia Myers left the band in the early 1980s
to pursue a solo career. She was replaced by Candye Edwards, who served as female lead of the group from 1981 to 1985. Edwards' debut was on the Fancy Dancer album
, and she remained with the group throughout the biggest successes, including "Cutie Pie."
They had minor hits on the UK Singles Chart
with "Music" (1979) and "Let's Talk About Shhh" (1985).
They moved to Capitol Records
in 1988, where they released their final album, A New Beginning, later that same year. By this time, only Hudson, Roberson, and Meadows remained from the original line-up.
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 band
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...
that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s.
Al Hudson and the Partners
One Way was formed in 1979 in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
as the newer incarnation of a band originally known as Soul Partners. Al Hudson, Alicia Myers, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s Dave Roberson and Cortez Harris, bassist
Bassist
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...
Kevin McCord, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Gregory Green and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Jonathan Meadows were the original members. They first 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...
as "Al Hudson and the Partners", scoring an R&B hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
on the ABC
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
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,...
called "You Can Do It" in 1979.
The 1980s
At that time, however, ABC Records was in the process of being taken over by MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
as part of a buyout, and when the band moved to the MCA label, they subsequently changed their name to One Way featuring Al Hudson before becoming One Way. They were on MCA from 1980 to 1988. They scored five Top 10 U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
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....
hits, with the biggest being "Cutie Pie," which reached number four in 1982. Original frontwoman Alicia Myers left the band in the early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
to pursue a solo career. She was replaced by Candye Edwards, who served as female lead of the group from 1981 to 1985. Edwards' debut was on the Fancy Dancer 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...
, and she remained with the group throughout the biggest successes, including "Cutie Pie."
They had minor hits on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with "Music" (1979) and "Let's Talk About Shhh" (1985).
They moved to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1988, where they released their final album, A New Beginning, later that same year. By this time, only Hudson, Roberson, and Meadows remained from the original line-up.
Credited to Al Hudson and the Soul Partners
- Especially For You (1976)
- Cherish (1977)
- Spreading Love (1978)
- Wrap your Body (1985)
One Way
- 1979: One Way Feat. Al Hudson (six-track EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
featuring the twelve-inch version of "You Can Do It") (1979) - 1980: One Way Feat. Al Hudson (full-length albumAlbumAn 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...
) (1980) - 1981: Love Is...One Way
- 1981: Fancy Dancer
- 1982: Who's Foolin' WhoWho's Foolin' Who (One Way album)Who's Foolin' Who is a 1982 album by the Detroit R&B band One Way.-Reception:The album includes the band's biggest stateside hit, "Cutie Pie", which peaked at #61 on the Hot 100 , #29 on the dance charts, and #4 on the R&B charts...
- 1982: Wild Night
- 1983: Shine On Me
- 1984: Lady
- 1985: Wrap Your Body
- 1986: IX
- 1988: A New Beginning
Compilation albums
- Push (1995)
- The Best of One Way: Featuring Al Hudson and Alicia Myers (1996)
- 20th Century Masters- Millennium Collection (2005)