G.Q.

Originating in the Bronx, GQ skillfully blended East Coast disco and Chicago soul covers alongside their own material throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. The ensemble first formed in 1968 under the name Sabu & the Survivors. Its founding lineup consisted of lead singer Emmanuel Rahiem LeBlanc together with Keith Crier, Herb Lane, and Paul Service. After Service exited, GQ continued as a trio by 1980. That year the group scored two singles that reached the R&B Top Ten and the pop Top 20; one of them, the 1979 release “Disco Nights (Rock-Freak),” topped the R&B chart and climbed to number 12 on the pop side, earning GQ an American Music Award. Also in 1979 and 1980, their covers of Billy Stewart’s “I Do Love You” and “Sitting in the Park” peaked at number five and number nine on the R&B listings, respectively, while “I Do Love You” additionally reached number 20 pop. The 1981 track “Shake” supplied one further Top 30 R&B entry. Every chart success appeared on Arista between 1979 and 1982. Members reunited briefly to record the independently released A Tribute to Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart in 1999. Crier passed away in 2013.