Lakeside

Stephen Shockley, a Dayton, Ohio native, launched the Young Underground in 1969 after leaving the Monterreys. Mark Woods, previously a vocalist with the Nomads, teamed with Shockley to steer the ensemble toward a more mature sound. A Chicago talent contest victory earned the group a Curtom Records contract, but the label collapsed soon afterward. During their Chicago period the band adopted the name Lakeside Express in tribute to the Lakeside Express Newspaper.

Both Lakeside Express and Liquid Funk, whose drummer was Dallas native Fred Alexander, Jr., reached Los Angeles in 1974. Over the next two years the acts performed frequently across the greater L.A. area and occasionally crossed paths. When Liquid Funk’s other members returned to Dallas, Alexander stayed behind. Lakeside, having dropped “Express” from its name, held two auditions before inviting Alexander to join.

A Motown deal produced no chart impact. The group next placed a ballad on ABC Records, only to see that label fold. Success arrived instead at Dick Griffey’s Solar Records, where the band signed and scored its first major hit with “It’s All the Way Live,” which rose to number four on the Billboard R&B charts.

Although later singles continued to register on the R&B lists without displacing other artists, 1980 brought a self-produced number-one smash, “Fantastic Voyage.” The band followed that breakthrough with a Top Ten R&B remake of the Paul McCartney and John Lennon classic “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Additional Billboard Top Ten entries arrived with “Raid” and “Outrageous,” accompanied by a steady stream of R&B party songs and ballads.