Night

An ad hoc collective of Los Angeles session musicians calling itself Night counted among its ranks Stevie Lange, a vocalist who had previously backed Graham Bonnet and Elton John; Chris Thompson, whose résumé already included War of the Worlds and extended service with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band; and keyboard virtuoso Nicky Hopkins, whose credits spanned countless recordings. The group’s debut move was a reading of Walter Egan’s modestly successful “Hot Summer Nights,” which reached the Top 20 yet proved to be the ensemble’s solitary entry on the charts. Auteur producer Richard Perry placed the self-titled debut album on his Planet imprint in 1979. The follow-up, Long Distance, surfaced the next year and soon vanished from view. Thompson rejoined Manfred Mann’s Earth Band while Night dissolved in 1982. Lange later added her voice to Thompson’s solo outing High Cost of Living and collaborated with Gang of Four, Johnny Hates Jazz, the Mighty Lemon Drops, and Swing Out Sister.