Biography
Dick Griffey, the booking agent behind the R&B television showcase Soul Train, joined British R&B producer Simon Soussan in launching Shalamar. The act’s debut release, the 1977 Motown medley “Uptown Festival,” was cut by an assortment of anonymous session players; after the track caught on, Griffey assembled a live performing unit that retained the Shalamar name. Drawing from Soul Train contacts, Griffey recruited vocalists Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel, and Gerald Brown; Howard Hewitt stepped in for Brown before the close of 1978.
The ensemble’s run of buoyant dance-soul successes commenced in 1979 with “Take That to the Bank,” followed later that year by the Top Ten entry “The Second Time Around.” During the opening years of the 1980s the trio remained a steady presence on the U.S. R&B circuit while also logging multiple British singles-chart entries. Watley and Daniel exited in 1982, yielding their places in 1984 to Delisa Davis and Micki Free; Watley subsequently built a prominent solo career. In 1985 Shalamar received a Grammy for “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills,” the song contributed to Beverly Hills Cop. Hewitt departed for solo work in 1986, marking the close of the group’s hit-making era. Sidney Justin took Hewitt’s spot, and the revised lineup issued 1987’s Circumstantial Evidence, which failed to connect commercially. Activity dwindled after the appearance of 1990’s Wake Up.
The ensemble’s run of buoyant dance-soul successes commenced in 1979 with “Take That to the Bank,” followed later that year by the Top Ten entry “The Second Time Around.” During the opening years of the 1980s the trio remained a steady presence on the U.S. R&B circuit while also logging multiple British singles-chart entries. Watley and Daniel exited in 1982, yielding their places in 1984 to Delisa Davis and Micki Free; Watley subsequently built a prominent solo career. In 1985 Shalamar received a Grammy for “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills,” the song contributed to Beverly Hills Cop. Hewitt departed for solo work in 1986, marking the close of the group’s hit-making era. Sidney Justin took Hewitt’s spot, and the revised lineup issued 1987’s Circumstantial Evidence, which failed to connect commercially. Activity dwindled after the appearance of 1990’s Wake Up.
Albums
