Biography
In the opening years of the 1970s, the performers appearing on Don Cornelius’ popular Soul Train broadcast were first identified as the Soul Train Gang. Their designation shifted to Soul Train Dancers once Cornelius and Dick Griffey established Soul Train Records in 1975—an enterprise that later became Solar Records and housed acts such as Lakeside, Shalamar and the Whispers—while simultaneously assigning the same name to a newly assembled R&B vocal quintet.
The lineup featured Gerald Brown, Terry Brown, Judy Jones, Patricia Williamson (who was succeeded by Denise Smith in 1976) and Hollis Pippin. That year the ensemble cut its first long-player, Don Cornelius Presents the Soul Train Gang, under the supervision of Cornelius and Griffey; among its tracks was “Soul Train ’75,” one entry in the program’s ongoing series of theme recordings that had earlier included MFSP’s well-known “TSOP,” issued by Philadelphia International.
The following year the same artists returned with a second collection titled The Soul Train Gang, helmed by Norman Harris and tracked largely in Philadelphia. Although Cornelius and Griffey counted on the visibility of Soul Train itself to elevate the quintet, the pair of releases—solid specimens of mid-seventies soul and funk—failed to generate widespread recognition. The group disbanded in 1977.
Gerald Brown subsequently entered Shalamar in 1978, stepping in for founding member Gary Mumford; he contributed to the album Shalamar Disco Gardens and its successful single “Take That to the Bank” before Howard Hewett assumed his place in 1979.
The lineup featured Gerald Brown, Terry Brown, Judy Jones, Patricia Williamson (who was succeeded by Denise Smith in 1976) and Hollis Pippin. That year the ensemble cut its first long-player, Don Cornelius Presents the Soul Train Gang, under the supervision of Cornelius and Griffey; among its tracks was “Soul Train ’75,” one entry in the program’s ongoing series of theme recordings that had earlier included MFSP’s well-known “TSOP,” issued by Philadelphia International.
The following year the same artists returned with a second collection titled The Soul Train Gang, helmed by Norman Harris and tracked largely in Philadelphia. Although Cornelius and Griffey counted on the visibility of Soul Train itself to elevate the quintet, the pair of releases—solid specimens of mid-seventies soul and funk—failed to generate widespread recognition. The group disbanded in 1977.
Gerald Brown subsequently entered Shalamar in 1978, stepping in for founding member Gary Mumford; he contributed to the album Shalamar Disco Gardens and its successful single “Take That to the Bank” before Howard Hewett assumed his place in 1979.