Lipps Inc.

Minneapolis barely registered on the national music map before funk trailblazers Prince and the Time or alternative rock forerunners Hüsker Dü and the Replacements arrived. That situation shifted when Lipps, Inc. delivered “Funkytown,” a towering disco single that reached number one. Producer and songwriter Steven Greenberg masterminded the outfit, whose name functioned as a pun on “lip sync.” Though the group proved to be one-hit wonders, the track remains a disco landmark. Its synthesized textures and stripped-down arrangement stood in marked contrast to the genre’s customary extravagance, while its theme of escape from Minneapolis—still an undeveloped music town—captured the prevailing mood and anchored the top spot for an entire month in 1980.

A multi-instrumentalist, Greenberg had performed in several bands and long sought a production contract. He finally attracted Casablanca’s attention with the locally successful disco track “Rock It.” The label then commissioned a full album, for which Greenberg assembled session players that included guitarists David Rivkin and Tom Riopelle, keyboardist Ivan Rafowitz, and bassist Terry Grant. Lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson, crowned 1976 Miss Black Minnesota and formerly a member of an early version of the Time, proved the most significant addition. Released nationally in late 1979, “Rock It” made little impact. The debut album Mouth Music appeared in early 1980; once “Funkytown” was issued as the second single, it became an immediate hit, climbing to number one within months and remaining there for four weeks. A subsequent re-release of “Rock It” again failed to register. The six-song follow-up Pucker Up included a disco remake of Ace’s hit ballad “How Long,” which reached number four on Billboard’s club chart. The next album, Designer Music, drew scant notice. Johnson’s role diminished as Melanie Rosales took on additional vocals, and Johnson departed permanently in 1983, the year the group released its final album, 4. By the time Lipps, Inc. disbanded, it had begun to invigorate Minneapolis’s music scene and supplied early experience to several musicians who later joined Prince’s band the Revolution. Greenberg later entered web design and now runs a thriving Minneapolis-based company.