B.T. Express

Formed in Brooklyn by Jeff Lane during the 1970s, the ensemble began in 1972 under the name King Davis House Rockers before adopting the Brooklyn Trucking Express moniker. Its lineup featured saxophonist/vocalist Bill Risbrook, percussionist Dennis Rowe, guitarist Rick Thompson, saxophonist/flutist Carlos Ward, keyboardist Michael Jones (Kashif), lead guitarist/vocalist Wesley Hall, drummer Leslie Ming, bassist/organist/vocalist Louis Risbrook, and vocalist Barbara Joyce Lomas. The first album, Do it ('Til You're Satisfied), delivered a pair of number-one R&B and Top Ten pop singles in its title track and “Express.” Follow-up releases added two further R&B Top Ten entries, “Give It What You Got/Peace Pipe” in 1975 and “Can't Stop Groovin' Now, Wanna Do It Some More” in 1976. The 1977 single “Shout It Out” reached number 12 on the R&B chart, yet the accompanying Shout! album marked a commercial downturn that kept the group off the charts until 1980. A modest return arrived that year via B.T. Express 1980, although only “Give Up the Funk (Let's Dance)” charted inside the Top 40 at number 24. Subsequent efforts on Record Shack, Earthtone, and King Davis failed to restore earlier momentum. Kashif later achieved separate success as a producer, performer, and songwriter throughout the 1980s.