Biography
The funk and soul ensemble Pieces of Peace assembled in Chicago during the mid-1960s, carrying enough personnel and promise to pursue national recognition. The Reed brothers Bernard and Danny anchored the lineup, and Danny’s link to Carl Davis soon placed the musicians alongside the former OKeh producer and A&R representative on his newly established Brunswick Records and the associated JaLynne Sound venture, together with drummer Quinton Joseph and songwriters Eugene Record and Barbara Acklin. Momentum gathered in 1967 once trumpeter Michael Davis—who would later appear with Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins, sometimes credited as Rahm Lee—and alto saxophonist Jerry Wilson joined; the resulting quintet cut “Soulful Strut,” a track promptly issued under the Young-Holt Unlimited name, before touring in support of other Brunswick artists. During those travels drummer Harold “Heavy” Nesbitt replaced Joseph, guitarist John Bishop was added, and co-founder Danny Reed exited after voicing frustration at his limited authority.
Widespread discontent with Carl Davis’s leadership prompted the entire group, after backing Gene Chandler, to sever ties with Brunswick and Davis, adopt the name Pieces of Peace, and relocate to Twinight Records, home of Syl Johnson. Serving as house band, the musicians recorded and co-produced singles for Johnson as well as Josephine Taylor, Annette Poindexter, and Elvin Spencer. In 1971, with the addition of drummer Fred White—who would also join Earth, Wind & Fire—and singer King Johnson, Pieces of Peace issued their first single, “Pass It On, Pts. 1-2.” By then firmly established in the Windy City, the band recruited keyboardist Benjamin Wright, later responsible for string arrangements on releases by Michael and Janet Jackson, and began close collaboration with the Pharaohs and their Scarab label, on which the group made its sole attempt at a full-length album.
A further change in personnel brought drummer Fred Crutchfield and flutist Joel Brandon aboard, augmented by Pharaohs members Willie Woods, Derf Recklaw-Raheem, and Aaron Dodd, and the album was tracked in 1972. The accompanying tour, however, proved unsustainable; the band dissolved in Singapore, leaving the self-titled Scarab LP indefinitely shelved. Only after crate-digger DJ Shadow joined forces with funk and soul specialists Dante Carfagna and Rob Sevier to locate the recordings and arrange a reissue through Quannum did the public finally hear Pieces of Peace in fall 2007, although the track “Pass It On, Pt. 1” had already surfaced earlier that year on Numero Group’s Eccentric Soul compilation Twinight’s Lunar Rotation.
Widespread discontent with Carl Davis’s leadership prompted the entire group, after backing Gene Chandler, to sever ties with Brunswick and Davis, adopt the name Pieces of Peace, and relocate to Twinight Records, home of Syl Johnson. Serving as house band, the musicians recorded and co-produced singles for Johnson as well as Josephine Taylor, Annette Poindexter, and Elvin Spencer. In 1971, with the addition of drummer Fred White—who would also join Earth, Wind & Fire—and singer King Johnson, Pieces of Peace issued their first single, “Pass It On, Pts. 1-2.” By then firmly established in the Windy City, the band recruited keyboardist Benjamin Wright, later responsible for string arrangements on releases by Michael and Janet Jackson, and began close collaboration with the Pharaohs and their Scarab label, on which the group made its sole attempt at a full-length album.
A further change in personnel brought drummer Fred Crutchfield and flutist Joel Brandon aboard, augmented by Pharaohs members Willie Woods, Derf Recklaw-Raheem, and Aaron Dodd, and the album was tracked in 1972. The accompanying tour, however, proved unsustainable; the band dissolved in Singapore, leaving the self-titled Scarab LP indefinitely shelved. Only after crate-digger DJ Shadow joined forces with funk and soul specialists Dante Carfagna and Rob Sevier to locate the recordings and arrange a reissue through Quannum did the public finally hear Pieces of Peace in fall 2007, although the track “Pass It On, Pt. 1” had already surfaced earlier that year on Numero Group’s Eccentric Soul compilation Twinight’s Lunar Rotation.
Albums