Champaign

Deriving its moniker from the Illinois municipality of Champaign, the ensemble originated as an interracial septet whose lineup featured vocalists Pauli Carman and Rena Jones, guitarist Howard Reeder, keyboardists Michael Day and Dana Walden, bassist Michael Reed, and percussionist Rocky Maffitt. Commercial success crested with the band’s first full-length release, the 1981 album How 'Bout Us, whose title song climbed to Top Five status both in the U.K. and on the U.S. R&B chart. Later projects comprised Modern Heart (1983), which yielded the Top Ten R&B single “Try Again,” and Woman in Flames (1984), spotlighting the R&B Top Ten hit “Off and On Love.”