Although they got a bit of a slow start, Tulsa, Oklahoma's the Gap Band became one of the most popular funk/R&B outfits of the early-to-mid 1980s. The band relied heavily on synth-based, hands-in-the-air party jams of the P-Funk variety, with the occ…

Kool & The Gang were one of the most popular outfits to emerge from the '70s funk/R&B movement. They began as a hard-grooving funk band, hitting big with "Jungle Boogie," but they later incorporated disco and pop into their sound. Their greatest succ…

Earth, Wind & Fire was the brainchild of musical Renaissance man Maurice White, a successful ex-session drummer who recorded with everyone from Chuck Berry to John Coltrane. Essentially an R&B group, Earth, Wind & Fire expanded its sound to include e…

Rick James got an early start on his music career, forming the Mynah Birds with future Buffalo Springfield members Neil Young and Bruce Palmer while still in his teens. Though signed to Motown, the group fell apart when James got in trouble for draf…

One of the most talented and successful R&B groups of the '70s, the Commodores appealed to a mainstream audience with a string of well-crafted, energetic hit singles and a dynamic live act. Most importantly, however, the group included Lionel Richie …

Formed in 1969, US vocalists Tiemeyer McCain, Thomas Oliver Shelby, Otis Stokes and Mark Woods were augmented by an instrumental unit consisting of Steve Shockley (guitar), Norman Beavers (keyboards), Marvin Craig (bass), Fred Alexander (drums) and F…