Biography
In the mid-'70s, Augie Johnson of Side Effect assembled the Boppers in Los Angeles to support his flamboyantly dressed ensemble, already signed to Fantasy Records. The lineup featured Robert Griffin, Kenny Davis, Ed Riddick, Ed Luna, and Vance Tenort, who recorded the 1978 Fantasy release The Boppers. Neither that album nor the accompanying singles "Everybody Wants to be a Star" and "Something Missing" gained traction.
By 1980 the group had moved to Mercury Records and adopted the name L.A. Boppers, while the roster shifted to place Tenort upfront alongside Gerry Davis, Riddick, Kenny Styles, Michael Stanton, and Stan Martin; Augie Johnson, still affiliated with Side Effect, added further contributions. Issued that same year, the Mercury album L.A. Boppers benefited from input by Miki Howard, and its opening single, "Is This the Best (Bop-Doo-Wah)," reached the R&B Top 30 to become the act’s signature track. Follow-ups such as the jazzy "Watching Life" and "Be-Bop Dancer" failed to match that response. Their second Mercury set, Bop Time! (1981), included a fresh reading of the Delfonics’ “La La Means I Love You.”
The final MCA Records outing, Make Mine Bop (1982), yielded the commercially unsuccessful couplings “Where Do the Bops Go” b/w “Well Deserved Rest” and “How Strong Love Can Be” b/w “Dog House,” after which the L.A. Boppers dissolved. Today, devotees of soul, funk, and jazz celebrate overlooked album tracks such as “Give Me Some” and “Funk It Out.” ~ Andrew Hamilton
By 1980 the group had moved to Mercury Records and adopted the name L.A. Boppers, while the roster shifted to place Tenort upfront alongside Gerry Davis, Riddick, Kenny Styles, Michael Stanton, and Stan Martin; Augie Johnson, still affiliated with Side Effect, added further contributions. Issued that same year, the Mercury album L.A. Boppers benefited from input by Miki Howard, and its opening single, "Is This the Best (Bop-Doo-Wah)," reached the R&B Top 30 to become the act’s signature track. Follow-ups such as the jazzy "Watching Life" and "Be-Bop Dancer" failed to match that response. Their second Mercury set, Bop Time! (1981), included a fresh reading of the Delfonics’ “La La Means I Love You.”
The final MCA Records outing, Make Mine Bop (1982), yielded the commercially unsuccessful couplings “Where Do the Bops Go” b/w “Well Deserved Rest” and “How Strong Love Can Be” b/w “Dog House,” after which the L.A. Boppers dissolved. Today, devotees of soul, funk, and jazz celebrate overlooked album tracks such as “Give Me Some” and “Funk It Out.” ~ Andrew Hamilton
Albums