Formed in Cleveland, Ohio during 1976, the ensemble that became Kinsman Dazz took its first name from the avenue and the Kinsman Grill, the lounge at East 128th and Kinsman Road that employed them as house band. The second half of the name echoed “jazz,” the style they favored, while also nodding to the catchphrase in Brick’s chart-topping single “Dusic.” Although commonly described as a loose merger of Bell Telephunk and Mother Braintree, the band actually cycled through nearly thirty personnel shifts between its formation and the release of its self-titled debut album in 1978. Neither predecessor outfit ever entered a studio; Mother Braintree did, however, spend more than a year on the road backing Edwin Starr. Larry Ross, Mother Braintree’s leader, never appeared with Kinsman Dazz or its later incarnation, the Dazz Band. Brothers Michael and Isaac Wiley did participate, and another former Mother Braintree member, Pierre DeMudd, came aboard only after the group signed with Motown and therefore did not play on the two albums issued by 20th Century Records. Sennie “Skip” Martin, the San Francisco native later known for “Let It Whip,” likewise joined at the Motown juncture; before that he had been part of Mighty Generation, a Youngstown, Ohio outfit that traveled as far as San Jose, California, where Martin linked up with them. Upon the group’s return to Youngstown he encountered the Kinsman Dazz musicians during one of their local engagements.
Bobby Harris functioned as the band’s de facto leader, while Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey served as mentor, co-writing material, handling arrangements, contributing backing vocals, and producing both 20th Century LPs. Membership remained fluid even after the first album appeared; by the time the follow-up Dazz reached stores, guitarist and songwriter Michael Calhoun had already departed. He subsequently issued a pair of little-known singles on small Cleveland labels before vanishing from view.
