Impact

Members of the ensemble that eventually became known as Impact first entered the studio under the moniker the Young Tempts, issuing material via the Isley Brothers' T-Neck imprint. Their opening release paired "I've Been Good to You" with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," both numbers drawn directly from the Temptations' Gettin' Ready LP that featured Eddie Kendricks in the lead role. The group's own falsetto, supplied by Otis Robert Harris Jr., delivered a richer timbre than Kendricks yet never matched the original's distinctive bite. Motown promptly sought an injunction against the name, forcing the record's withdrawal; T-Neck then reissued the same tracks under the revised billing the Young Vandals. Two additional T-Neck singles appeared in 1970 before the Baltimore natives dissolved once Harris accepted an invitation to join the Temptations later that year, adopting the name Damon because, as he observed, "the group already had an Otis." The position he expected to hold indefinitely lasted only four years. Undeterred, he reassembled the former Young Vandals and christened the quartet Impact, retaining the original lineup of Damon Harris, John Quinton Simms, Charles Timmons, and Donald Tighman (born Earlington Tighman and related to Sonny Til of the Orioles).

A Philadelphia production company placed the act with Atco Records, resulting first in the album Impact and then the 1976 disco single "Happy Man." The ensemble devoted equal attention to its layered backing vocals, a trait common among D.C./Baltimore-area ensembles, allowing the background parts to rival the lead for prominence and heighten the overall energy. Alongside Harris's smooth falsetto, the group included a tenor reminiscent of David Ruffin, creating a compelling vocal contrast. The identical approach shaped the follow-up singles "Love Attack" and "One Last Memory," yet despite the records' appeal, commercial returns fell short of expectations and the Atco relationship ended. In 1977 Impact resurfaced on Fantasy with the album The Pac Is Back; the label issued "Rainy Days" and "Smile Awhile," but both achieved only modest chart placement and limited sales, marking the group's final releases. Harris subsequently pursued a solo career, recording a pair of well-regarded albums that nonetheless failed to find a wide audience. He later withdrew from performing, relocated to Reno, NV, to complete his education, and continues to reside there. The remaining members' current locations remain undocumented, though all are thought to live in the Baltimore/D.C. region.