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Motor City Funk
Featuring The Funk Brothers |
Throughout the 20th century dance fads have made a lasting and more often
than not - a passing but indelible impression on the musical landscape. From the
Charleston and the jitterbug, the twist and the frug, to today's macarena, these
crazes sweep the airwaves and dance floors, and for a time, declare their place in
pop music history. Such is the legacy of the funky, street-smart boogaloo (or
boo-ga-loo if you prefer).
Spawned in the streets of the vital musical hub of Detroit, the boogaloo was
simply the thing to do from 1965 to 1969. And no one captured the exuberant
feel of the dance as well as Boo-Ga-Loo Records under the tutelage of
entrepreneur Sammy Kaplan, and DJ/promoter-turned recording artist Jerryo.
The label's biggest break came in 1967. After emerging as a local smash hit,
Jerryo's pivotal single "Karate Boogaloo" went nationwide when Boo-Ga-Loo
distributed the song on Bang Records Shout imprint. More than 400,000 copies
of the single were sold as the boogaloo danced its way into the pop lexicon.
(Background note: the single's back-up vocals were provided by a pair of local
teenagers, Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent, who would later gain fame as
members of Dawn with Tony Orlando).
Born in St. Louis, Jerry Jerome Murray (AKA Jerryo) worked as a Chicago DJ
and promoter before moving to Detroit in the early '60s. Upon arrival, he put
together a band, often working as a duo with Robert 'Tommy Dark" Tharp.
Billed as Tom & Jerryo, the pair recorded a 1965 single "Boogaloo" for ABC
Paramount Before joining Kaplan's new label the following year.
Party music, to be sure, the boogaloo via Jerryo, Tom & Jerryo, and a handful
of others, turned out such infectious pop ditties as "Papa Chew Do The
Boogaloo," "Popcorn Boogaloo," "Soul L-0-V-E-R" and "Funky Four Corners,"
all of which are featured on Motor City Funk.
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©2004 Lovelane Music Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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