Shalamar - Biography
By Nick Castro
Shalamar were one of the top soul groups of the late 70 and early 80's and are probably most famous for being the launching pad of singer Jody Watley. The group was created by Soul Train talent buyer, Dick Griffey, who had a vision for a band and actually originally formed them with session musicians before hiring Watley, Jeffery Daniels and Gerald Brown. Even the Soul Train host, Don Cornelius, helped to promote and sculpt the group, when he saw their potential as dancers. The began to get styled in the latest fashions and were soon seen as fashion forward innovators.
The first hit for Shalamar was the song, "Uptown Festival", which was actually recorded without Watley, Daniels or Howard Hewett, who would later replace Brown. Shalamar was aiming to capitalize on the new disco dance craze and released the album Uptown Festival (1977 - Soul Train) to commercial acclaim. Many soul fans would criticize the band because the song, "Uptown Festival" was a medley of old Motown songs, performed on top of a repetitive disco beat. Although the record was considered a great party record for its time, it can now sound rather dated and therefore does not receive as much attention as subsequent Shalamar efforts. The album did go to number 22 on the r&b charts and number 48 on the national charts.
The second record by Shalamar, Disco Gardens (1978 - RCA) more than made up for the shallowness of their previous effort in the eyes of the music critics. They released the single, "Take That to the Bank", in support of the album and the single went up to number 11 on the r&b charts. Meanwhile, Disco Gardens had a fresh sound and was turning many heads in their direction. This was the last record recorded with Brown as a vocalist. Although the album did well for the band, once Hewett arrived on the scene the band would be catapulted into stardom.
Soon, Shalamar began to work with producer Leon Sylvers III, of the group The Sylvers and who was also known for his work with The Whispers and The Brothers Johnson. Sylvers would hone the band's sound into a hit making machine that began with the single "Second Time Around", from their third album, Big Fun (1979 - Solar). The single went to number 1 on the r&b charts and to number 8 on the national charts. By this time Hewett had joined the group and was quickly dominating the attention for his suave demeanor and smooth voice. The band also began to cultivate a large following in the UK during this time, which culminated with an appearance on the Top of the Pops show. Amongst fans of Shalamar's music, this album is often cited as the highlight of their career.
By 1981, Shalamar were international stars and were now becoming famous for their body popping dance, which they demonstrated on television in England, solidifying their place there as taste makers and trend setters. Their first album of the year was Three for Love (1981 - Solar). the album was a big success for the band, reaching the top ten on the r&b charts. Sylvers III was still in control and was bringing many funk elements into the music. They released the singles, "Full of Fire" and "Make that Move", both of which did pretty well on the r&b circuit. Alongside Big Fun, this is often considered one of their strongest records made. Before the year was out, they released the album, Go For It (1981 - Solar) to further critical acclaim, but although the album did very well, reaching number 18, was not the top ten success of their previous efforts. The band would begin to suffer from interpersonal conflicts and artistic differences and soon Watley and Daniels would leave the group, but not before releasing the album, Friends (1982 - Solar). Friends was a number one hit on the r&b charts for the band and they had a huge hit with the song, "A Night to Remember", which featured a popular video on television, which featured Daniel and Hewett in competition over Watley. The band had adapted to the changing styles of soul music and were now pioneering the new slick new wave styled funk which was taking over after disco died out. Sylvers III was able to guide the band through several hit records and Friends serves as further proof of that.
Waltey and Daniel's final album for Solar and Shalamar was The Look (1983 - Solar). by this time the band very much performing material in the vein of the burgeoning new wave scene. the album did well but Shalamar were beginning to lose many of their soul fans who felt that they were straying too far from their r&b leanings of previous efforts.
The record label struggled to find a new lineup to replace Watley and Hewett bt found Delisa Davis and Micki Free to occupy the empty seats. Shalamar would go on the find continued success with the song "Dancing in the Sheets", which was featured in the film Footloose. They released the album Heartbreak (1984 - Solar) with the new lineup, which seemed to not suffer from the loss of two of their core members. Hewett's charisma was able to carry the band, along with the supporting members and they did well with their latest release. The band continued to delve into rock and new wave territories. the album went to number 32 on the r&b charts. It would also be the last to feature Hewett on vocals, who left to pursue his solo career.
The band tried to continue for a while without any of the original members, but the fans seemed to be dissapointed with their latest efforts and they were failing to garner new fans in the face of changing musical tastes in the country. Watley went on to have a very successful solo career for herself.
Shalamar had a brief reunion in 2005, in the UK, where they had at least half of their overall success. Shalamar is largely forgotten by many of today's younger soul fans, but they are forever etched in the minds of those who were there.
