T-Connection

Emerging in the late 1970s and extending into the early 1980s, T-Connection distinguished itself from most contemporaries by seamlessly merging funk with disco. The ensemble originated in the Bahamas, where Theophilus "T" Coakley handled lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Kirkwood Coakley covered bass and drums, David Mackey handled guitars, and Anthony Flowers took care of drums and percussion. Formed in 1975, the group soon moved to Miami, FL, and secured a deal with Dash, a subsidiary of the city’s T.K. Disco imprint. That association yielded four albums issued from 1977 through 1979, the most successful being the 1977 release “Do What You Wanna Do,” which topped Billboard’s Disco Singles chart and reached number 15 on the R&B chart. After parting with T.K., the band moved to Capitol and relocated to New York, where four additional albums of synthesized funk appeared before the members chose to disband. The title track of the 1981 album Everything Is Cool climbed to number 15 on the R&B chart. Several compilations have appeared since, with Classic Masters—issued by Capitol in 2002—standing as the strongest overview.