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Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul,[1] and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through 1985.
Brass Construction | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Funk, disco |
| Years active | 1968–1985 |
| Labels | United Artists Records, Capitol Records, Epic Records |
| Past members | Wade Williamston Sandy Billups Morris Price Larry Payton (deceased) Jesse Ward Jr. (deceased) Michael "Micky" Grudge Wayne Parris Alvin Haskin Duane Cahill Joseph Arthur-Wong (deceased) Randy Muller |
Signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former United Artists Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two US Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976, the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. They had much more success on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'", which reached #1. Singer, pianist, flautist and arranger Randy Muller went on to score a number of R&B hits with Skyy and B. T. Express.[2]
Over the years, Brass Construction members have included Wade Williamston (bass), Sandy Billups (percussion), Morris Price (trumpet), Larry Payton (drums), Jesse Ward Jr. (saxophone), Michael "Micky" Grudge (saxophone), Wayne Parris (trumpet), Alvin Haskin (original trombone player on "Movin'"), Duane Cahill (trombone), Joseph Arthur-Wong (guitar), and Randy Muller (lead vocals),[3] later joined by Lee Evans on keyboards.
Brass Construction reunited for a concert on November 28, 2005, at the Bataclan Arena in Paris, France.[3]
Joseph Arthur-Wong died in 1998. Jesse Ward Jr. died in 2016.[4] Drummer Larry Payton died on March 21, 2016.[5][6]
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Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
CAN [8] |
UK [9] | |||||||||||
| 1975 | Brass Construction | 10 | 1 | 55 | 9 | United Artists | ||||||||
| 1976 | Brass Construction II | 26 | 3 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1977 | Brass Construction III | 66 | 16 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1978 | Brass Construction IV | 174 | 24 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1979 | Brass Construction 5 | 89 | 18 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1980 | Brass Construction 6 | 121 | 32 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1982 | Attitudes | 114 | 21 | — | — | Liberty | ||||||||
| 1983 | Conversations | 176 | 29 | — | — | Capitol | ||||||||
| 1984 | Renegades | — | 31 | — | 94 | |||||||||
| 1985 | Conquest | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- Golden Classics (1991, Collectables)
- The Best of Brass Construction: Movin' & Changin' (1993, EMI)
- Get Up to Get Down: Brass Construction's Funky Feeling (1997, Capitol)
- Classic Masters (2002, EMI/Capitol)
- Something for the Weekend: 10 Extended Soul Weekender Classics (2006, Stateside)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US Dan [7] |
BEL [12] |
CAN [8] |
NLD [13] |
NZ [14] |
UK [9] | |||||||
| 1970 | "Two Timin' Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1976 | "Movin'" | 14 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 47 | 10 | — | 23 | |||||
| "Changin'" | — | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)" | 51 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 37 | ||||||
| 1977 | "The Message (Inspirational)" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "What's on Your Mind (Expression)" | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "We" / "Celebrate" | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1978 | "L-O-V-E-U" | 104 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Celebrate" | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Help Yourself" | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Get Up" | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1979 | "Right Place" | — | 41 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1980 | "Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | |||||
| "I'm Not Gonna Stop" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "How Do You Do (What You Do to Me)" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1982 | "Can You See the Light" | — | 23 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Attitude" | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1983 | "Walkin' the Line" | — | 28 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 47 | |||||
| "We Can Work It Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1984 | "Never Had a Girl" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Partyline" | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | ||||||
| "International" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | ||||||
| 1985 | "Give and Take" | — | 76 | 28 | — | — | — | — | 62 | |||||
| 1988 | "Movin' 1988" | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | 41 | 24 | |||||
| "Ha Cha Cha" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
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- Randy Muller – Keyboards/ Lead vocals
- Wade Williamston – Bass
- Joseph Arthur-Wong (d.1998) – Guitar
- Larry Payton (1955 – March 21, 2016) – Drums
- Jesse Ward Jr. (d.2016) – Saxophone
- Michael "Micky" Grudge – Saxophone
- Wayne Parris – Trumpet
- Morris Price – Trumpet
- Sandy Billups – Percussion
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