Biography
Most famously tied to the Dazz Band remains their 1982 funk classic "Let It Whip." Among crossover funk successes, the track ranks alongside "Fire" and "Fight the Power," the respective Top Ten pop singles issued by fellow Buckeye State natives the Ohio Players and the Isley Brothers. Promptly spawning multiple rap renditions, "Let It Whip" delivered a Grammy to the Cleveland outfit while claiming the uncommon distinction of being arranged for both marching bands and a cappella ensembles, with samples and covers appearing in every decade that followed. Even without "Let It Whip," the Dazz Band's pivotal place in funk's progression would remain beyond dispute. Exceptionally adaptable, the ensemble has illuminated its vocal, horn, and rhythm sections with equal intensity since its late-'70s origins (then operating as Kinsman Dazz). Between 1980 and 1998 the group lodged 19 further singles on Billboard's R&B chart—including "On the One for Fun," "Joystick," and the Top 20 U.K. pop entry "Let It All Blow"—while also assembling four consecutive Top 20 R&B albums, chief among them the gold-certified Keep It Live, the LP that yielded "Let It Whip." The band has sustained active touring well into the 2020s, its roster still incorporating several founding and early members.
The Dazz Band traces its lineage to Mother Braintree and Bell Telephunk, sibling ensembles that operated from the early through mid-'70s. (Recordings from both surfaced only in 2017.) In 1976 the latter expanded into Kinsman Dazz, its name drawn from the Kinsman Grill Lounge—its longtime house-band venue—plus a shorthand for the "danceable jazz" approach it championed. Signed to 20th Century Fox, the act issued its 1978 debut Kinsman Dazz, produced by Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson alongside Tommy Vicari. The 1979 sequel Dazz followed, again involving Bailey, Vicari, and Pat Glasser. Ballads from each set—"I Might as Well Forget About Loving You" and the Bobby Harris composition "Catchin' Up on Love"—reached Billboard's R&B chart and settled inside its upper tier.
Following its two Kinsman Dazz albums, the group aligned with Motown and adopted the Dazz Band moniker. The roster included saxophonist Bobby Harris, lead vocalist and trumpeter Sennie "Skip" Martin, trumpeter Pierre DeMudd, trombonist Ed Myers, guitarists Michael Calhoun and Eric Fearman, keyboardist Kevin Kendrick, percussionist Kenny Pettus, and brothers Issac Wiley and Michael Wiley on drums and bass. From the outset most members also supplied background vocals, their collective harmonies forming a core element of the group's sound. The Motown transition initiated an extended collaboration with Reggie Andrews, the educator, producer, songwriter, and musician previously noted for his work with protégé Patrice Rushen (who coincidentally scored the strings on Kinsman Dazz). The Dazz Band's Motown bow arrived in 1980 with Invitation to Love, an album that began to lessen Earth, Wind & Fire comparisons through Harris and Calhoun's "Shake It Up" (number 65 R&B) and the Calhoun-DeMudd ballad "Invitation to Love" (number 51 R&B).
Reggie Andrews and associate Leon "Ndugu" Chancler subsequently supplied the group with a party anthem realized as the polished "Let It Whip" on the 1982 breakthrough Keep It Live. A crossover triumph, "Let It Whip" topped the R&B singles chart, nearly led the dance chart, and climbed to number five on the Hot 100, propelling the parent album to the summit of the R&B albums chart, number 14 on the Billboard 200, and eventual gold certification. The call-and-response follow-up "Keep It Live (On the K.I.L)" reached number 20 R&B, after which "Let It Whip" captured Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards. By the close of 1982 the Dazz Band had also delivered its third Motown album, On the One. The set produced three charting A-sides, among them the number nine R&B hit "On the One for Fun," another Andrews/Chancler composition. Rapid personnel shifts accompanied this period of growth. Before the breakthrough, Ed Myers, Michael Calhoun, and Kevin Kendrick departed, while synthesizer player Steve Cox arrived. Daytonian keyboardist Keith Harrison, previously of Faze-O and Heatwave, joined between the 1982 albums.
Three additional Motown full-lengths followed from the Dazz Band. Reggie Andrews continued producing alongside Bobby Harris for 1983's Joystick and 1984's Jukebox. Typically high-energy singles "Joystick," "Swoop (I'm Yours)," and "Let It All Blow," succeeded by the Andrews-Harris quiet-storm pivot "Heartbeat," all charted inside or just outside the R&B Top Ten. The high-tech "Let It All Blow," written by Harris and Keith Harrison, became the band's third Hot 100 single after "Let It Whip" and "Joystick," while performing even stronger on the U.K. pop chart at number 12. Harris produced the Dazz Band's final Motown release, Hot Spot. Issued in 1985, Hot Spot introduced ex-Pleasure guitarist Marlon McClain on a permanent basis in place of the departed Eric Fearman. The album narrowly missed becoming the group's fifth straight Top 20 R&B entry despite solid placement for the title track, which peaked at nearly the same R&B singles position.
After parting from Motown, the Dazz Band signed briefly with Geffen. They issued the Bobby Harris-produced Wild & Free in 1986, with former New Birth vocalist Jerry Bell assuming frontman duties from Skip Martin and Kenny Pettus shifting from his longstanding percussion role to replace Issac Wiley on drums. Reggie Andrews returned to arrange strings. The swinging "Love M.I.A." and rocking "Wild & Free" both reached the R&B chart's 40s. Two years later, amid the new jack swing era, Rock the Room emerged as the ninth Dazz Band album. The band's sole RCA outing generated three charting singles of varied production. "Anticipation," a collaboration with Eumir Deodato, spotlighted new co-lead vocalist Juan Lively, formerly half of Voyeur alongside Michael Calhoun. The Ish Ledesma-produced "Single Girls" proved most successful, marking the band's final Top 20 R&B hit.
Bobby Harris steered the Dazz Band through continued roster flux and occasional recording that updated its signature early-'80s funk approach. In the late '90s the group returned to the studio for the independent releases Under the Streetlights, Double Exposure, and Here We Go Again in successive years. During this stretch the band was co-fronted by newcomer Terry Stanton and Skip Martin, who rejoined after time with Kool & the Gang. Original Pleasure bassist Nathaniel Phillips rejoined Marlon McClain as a fitting replacement for Michael Wiley, who had died in 1993. Around the same period Harris assembled the UWF All-Stars ("United We Funk") with Dazz Band members and peers including the S.O.S. Band, Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, and the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson, with Tom Joyner serving as presenter. The Dazz Band resurfaced in 2001 with Time Traveler, a studio album led by a cover of Norman Connors' "You Are My Starship." Five years later Stanton was murdered in Los Angeles. Pierre DeMudd died in 2017, followed by Issac Wiley in 2023. The Dazz Band has extended its legacy with Harris, Skip Martin, Keith Harrison, and McClain forming the nucleus of its ongoing live configuration.
The Dazz Band traces its lineage to Mother Braintree and Bell Telephunk, sibling ensembles that operated from the early through mid-'70s. (Recordings from both surfaced only in 2017.) In 1976 the latter expanded into Kinsman Dazz, its name drawn from the Kinsman Grill Lounge—its longtime house-band venue—plus a shorthand for the "danceable jazz" approach it championed. Signed to 20th Century Fox, the act issued its 1978 debut Kinsman Dazz, produced by Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson alongside Tommy Vicari. The 1979 sequel Dazz followed, again involving Bailey, Vicari, and Pat Glasser. Ballads from each set—"I Might as Well Forget About Loving You" and the Bobby Harris composition "Catchin' Up on Love"—reached Billboard's R&B chart and settled inside its upper tier.
Following its two Kinsman Dazz albums, the group aligned with Motown and adopted the Dazz Band moniker. The roster included saxophonist Bobby Harris, lead vocalist and trumpeter Sennie "Skip" Martin, trumpeter Pierre DeMudd, trombonist Ed Myers, guitarists Michael Calhoun and Eric Fearman, keyboardist Kevin Kendrick, percussionist Kenny Pettus, and brothers Issac Wiley and Michael Wiley on drums and bass. From the outset most members also supplied background vocals, their collective harmonies forming a core element of the group's sound. The Motown transition initiated an extended collaboration with Reggie Andrews, the educator, producer, songwriter, and musician previously noted for his work with protégé Patrice Rushen (who coincidentally scored the strings on Kinsman Dazz). The Dazz Band's Motown bow arrived in 1980 with Invitation to Love, an album that began to lessen Earth, Wind & Fire comparisons through Harris and Calhoun's "Shake It Up" (number 65 R&B) and the Calhoun-DeMudd ballad "Invitation to Love" (number 51 R&B).
Reggie Andrews and associate Leon "Ndugu" Chancler subsequently supplied the group with a party anthem realized as the polished "Let It Whip" on the 1982 breakthrough Keep It Live. A crossover triumph, "Let It Whip" topped the R&B singles chart, nearly led the dance chart, and climbed to number five on the Hot 100, propelling the parent album to the summit of the R&B albums chart, number 14 on the Billboard 200, and eventual gold certification. The call-and-response follow-up "Keep It Live (On the K.I.L)" reached number 20 R&B, after which "Let It Whip" captured Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards. By the close of 1982 the Dazz Band had also delivered its third Motown album, On the One. The set produced three charting A-sides, among them the number nine R&B hit "On the One for Fun," another Andrews/Chancler composition. Rapid personnel shifts accompanied this period of growth. Before the breakthrough, Ed Myers, Michael Calhoun, and Kevin Kendrick departed, while synthesizer player Steve Cox arrived. Daytonian keyboardist Keith Harrison, previously of Faze-O and Heatwave, joined between the 1982 albums.
Three additional Motown full-lengths followed from the Dazz Band. Reggie Andrews continued producing alongside Bobby Harris for 1983's Joystick and 1984's Jukebox. Typically high-energy singles "Joystick," "Swoop (I'm Yours)," and "Let It All Blow," succeeded by the Andrews-Harris quiet-storm pivot "Heartbeat," all charted inside or just outside the R&B Top Ten. The high-tech "Let It All Blow," written by Harris and Keith Harrison, became the band's third Hot 100 single after "Let It Whip" and "Joystick," while performing even stronger on the U.K. pop chart at number 12. Harris produced the Dazz Band's final Motown release, Hot Spot. Issued in 1985, Hot Spot introduced ex-Pleasure guitarist Marlon McClain on a permanent basis in place of the departed Eric Fearman. The album narrowly missed becoming the group's fifth straight Top 20 R&B entry despite solid placement for the title track, which peaked at nearly the same R&B singles position.
After parting from Motown, the Dazz Band signed briefly with Geffen. They issued the Bobby Harris-produced Wild & Free in 1986, with former New Birth vocalist Jerry Bell assuming frontman duties from Skip Martin and Kenny Pettus shifting from his longstanding percussion role to replace Issac Wiley on drums. Reggie Andrews returned to arrange strings. The swinging "Love M.I.A." and rocking "Wild & Free" both reached the R&B chart's 40s. Two years later, amid the new jack swing era, Rock the Room emerged as the ninth Dazz Band album. The band's sole RCA outing generated three charting singles of varied production. "Anticipation," a collaboration with Eumir Deodato, spotlighted new co-lead vocalist Juan Lively, formerly half of Voyeur alongside Michael Calhoun. The Ish Ledesma-produced "Single Girls" proved most successful, marking the band's final Top 20 R&B hit.
Bobby Harris steered the Dazz Band through continued roster flux and occasional recording that updated its signature early-'80s funk approach. In the late '90s the group returned to the studio for the independent releases Under the Streetlights, Double Exposure, and Here We Go Again in successive years. During this stretch the band was co-fronted by newcomer Terry Stanton and Skip Martin, who rejoined after time with Kool & the Gang. Original Pleasure bassist Nathaniel Phillips rejoined Marlon McClain as a fitting replacement for Michael Wiley, who had died in 1993. Around the same period Harris assembled the UWF All-Stars ("United We Funk") with Dazz Band members and peers including the S.O.S. Band, Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, and the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson, with Tom Joyner serving as presenter. The Dazz Band resurfaced in 2001 with Time Traveler, a studio album led by a cover of Norman Connors' "You Are My Starship." Five years later Stanton was murdered in Los Angeles. Pierre DeMudd died in 2017, followed by Issac Wiley in 2023. The Dazz Band has extended its legacy with Harris, Skip Martin, Keith Harrison, and McClain forming the nucleus of its ongoing live configuration.
Albums
