Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat were a British pop music trio from the mid 80s. The members consisted of singer Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski, and Larry Steinbachek. All members of the trio were openly gay and their music reflected on gay-related issues.

The trio formed in 1983 when they shared a three-bedroom flat at Lancaster House in Brixton, South London, England. A year later, they signed a record deal with London Records after performing nine live gigs.

In June of 1984, Bronski Beat released their debut single, "Smalltown Boy" which became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song topped the charts in Italy and the Netherlands.

The song was about a young man discovering the joy and hardships of being gay in a small town and it addressed family rejection for being homosexual & homophobia in British society.

When it was released in 1985 in the United States, it peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and topped Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart for a week. 

The trio's follow-up single "Why?" peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart and became a top 10 hit in Australia. The song lyrically focused on anti-gay prejudice.

In December of 1984, Bronski Beat released their debut album, "The Age of Consent" which peaked at #4 on the UK Album Charts and the United States, it peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200.

The inner sleeve of the album listed the various ages of consent for consensual gay sex in different nations around the world. (At the time, the age of consent for sex between men in the United Kingdom was 21 years old).

Another single from the album, a cover version of George & Ira Gershwin's song, "It Ain't Necessary So" (from "Porgy and Bess) peaked at #16 on the UK Singles chart.

The song spiked some controversy centered around the lyric: "David was small but oh, my!" The band's focus on that lyric permits the song to accept the questioning of heterosexuality as part of the natural order of things.

Because Bronski Beat was openly gay and sex-positive, some listeners might've taken the reference as an allusion to sexual prowess in spite of size, thus turning an iconic biblical figure into a viable object of a gay sexual fantasy.

In 1985, Bronski Beat teamed up with singer Marc Almond to record a cover version of the late Donna Summer's song, "I Feel Love."

The full song version was a medley which incorporated snippets of Donna's song, "Love to Love You Baby" and singer John Leyton's song, "Johnny Remember Me." The song peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart.

In early 1985, the trio and their producer, Mike Thorne went back to the studio in record a new single, "Run From Love."

Polygram Records (London Records' parent company at the time) pressed numerous promotional singles and 12" versions of the song, sending them out to both radio & record stores in the United Kingdom.

Due to political and personal tensions within the band, the single was shelved. After that, Jimmy went on to form the Commundards and singer John Foster was recruited as his replacement.

The song was released on Bronski Beat's remix album, "Hundreds & Thousands" which was released after Jimmy's departure from the trio. The album peaked at #24 on the UK Albums chart.

In November of 1985, Bronski Beat released the single, "Hit That Perfect Beat" peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also successful in Australia and featured in the movie, "Letter to Brezhnev."

In March of 1986, the trio's third single, "C'mon C'mon" peaked at #20 on the UK Singles chart. The song was also successful in Ireland, peaking at #5 on the Irish Singles chart.

In May of that same year, Bronski Beat released their sophomore album, "Truthdare Doubledare" which peaked at #18 on the UK Albums chart.

During that time, they teamed up with music producer Mark Cunningham for the first-ever BBC Children in Need single which was a cover version of David Bowie's song, "Heroes" under the name "The Country Line."

In 1987, John left Bronski Beat and following his departure, Bronski Beat began working on their third album, "Out and About" which was recorded at the Berry Street Studios in London with music engineer, Brian Pugsley.

Steve and Larry toured extensively with the new music from their upcoming album which received great reviews, but the project was discontinued & they were dropped from London Records.

During that same year, Bronski Beat and Jimmy Somerville did a reunion concert for "International AIDS Day" at the Brixton Academy in London.

In 1989, Jonathan Hellyer became the lead singer for Bronski Beat and the trio toured extensively in the United States & Europe with back-up singer Annie Conway. 

They had a minor hit with the song "Cha Cha Heels" with singer\actress Eartha Kitt. The song was originally written for film & recording star, Divine, who wasn't able to record the song before his death in 1988.

From 1990 to 1991, Bronski Beat released three more singles on Zomba Records: "I'm Gonna Run Away," "One More Chance," and "What More Can I Say," but neither of them made the charts.

After that, nothing much was heard from them until 1994 when John Foster and Steve Bronski released a techno version of "Tell Me Why" and an acoustic version of "Smalltown Boy" on German record label, ZYX Music.

A year later in 1995, Bronski Beat released the album, "Rainbow Nation" with Jonathan Hellyer returning as the lead singer as John dropped out of the project.

After that, Bronski Beat went their separate ways.

Steve became a music producer for various artists. In 2007, he remixed the song "Stranger to None" by UK alternative rock band, All Living Fear and the song "Flowers in the Morning" by Northern Irish electronic music band, Electrobronze.

Larry Steinbachek became the musical director for Michael Laub's theatre company, "Remote Control Productions."

John Foster resides in London where he is still producing new music and performing live.

Jonathan Hellyer is currently a singer for the Dame Edna Experience & dabbles in acting & comedy.

Jimmy Somerville gained success with the Commundards and continues to be active in the music business today.

To follow Jonathan Hellyer on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/JonathanHellyer

To see the music video for "Smalltown Boy," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuz94ZIPfJk

To see the music video for "Why," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76u_ho4ay8

To see the music video for "It Ain't Necessarily So," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgIizpjVYiw

To see the music video for "I Feel Love," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z8jWGV4fR4

To see the music video for "Hit That Perfect Beat," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRnMfZyYrw

To see the music video for "C'mon C'mon," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LXk5fJMHtI

Bernard Wright

Bernard Wright (born on January 1, 1963 in Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an R&B\funk\jazz keyboardist from the 80s.

He began his career as a session musician and was offered a slot touring with musician Lenny White at the age of 13 and when he was 16 years old, he played with Tom Browne.

In 1981, Bernard was signed to GRP Records and he released his debut album, "Nard" when he was only 18 years old.

The album peaked at #116 on the Billboard 200, #23 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, and #7 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

The first single from the album, "Just Chillin' Out" peaked at #33 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks and #85 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart.

The follow-up single, "Haboglabotribin'" peaked at #78 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.

In 1983, Bernard released his second album, "Funky Beat" which peaked at #58 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

The first single from the album, "Won't You Just Let Me Love You" peaked at #88 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 2 weeks.

The title song peaked at #39 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks, faring better than the previous single.

In 1985, Bernard released his third album, "Mr. Wright" which peaked at #25 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

Bernard's well-known hit song, "Who Do You Love" peaked at #6 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart in December of 1985, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.

The song was sampled by rapper LL Cool J for the remix version of his song, "Loungin'." The music video for the song was featured on the New York music television program, "Video Music Box."

The follow-up single from the album, "After You" peaked at #23 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart in March of 1986, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

In 1990, Bernard released his first gospel album, "Fresh Hymns." It's unknown how or if the album made the charts.

Two years later, Bernard released his follow-up gospel album, "Fresh Hymns II." Since his recording days, he has continued to play keyboard in the Dallas, Texas area.

To see the music video for "Who Do You Love," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT48-LLs0tI

To see the music video for "After You," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot0mekfYBac

To see a fan-made video for "Haboglabotribin'," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obaK2mex2mY

To see a fan-made video for "Just Chillin' Out," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeNeucVDBQg

To see a fan-made video for "Won't You Let Me Love You," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaMV69zhnXI

To see a fan-made video for "Funky Beat," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIRWMszuSZU

Carla Bagnerise

Carla Bagnerise (pronounced Bon-Er-Rees) was an R&B singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to Hip Records.

In 1985, Carla released the single, "Special Thing." It's unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Carla has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since.

To see a fan-made video for "Special Thing," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlU70yTi6sY

Aqua People

Aqua People were an R&B\funk music act from the 80s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to Spido Records.

In 1983, they released the single, "I Like It Wet." It's unknown how or if the single made the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Aqua People have faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.

To see a fan-made video for "I Like it Wet," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c_KOvGkGMY

Alvin Fields

Alvin Fields was an R&B singer\songwriter from the 80s. He was famous for his falsetto voice and worked on music projects with Michael Zager & was a member of the M-Zee Band.

He has written music for artists such as Cissy Houston, Wild Cherry, Denny Greene, the Manhattans, the Afro-Cuban Band, Dionne Warwick and Gladys Knight.

In 1981, Alvin released his only solo album, "Special Delivery" on A&M Records. It's unknown how or if the album made the charts. The title song was released as the first single from the album, but didn't make the Billboard charts at all.

Aaron released two more singles: "Nothing Heavy" in 1985 and "Oniqa / Peace In Paradise" before fading into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.

To see a fan-made video for "Special Delivery," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsyWMuOUEIM

To see a fan-made video for "Nothing Heavy," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX-yFGQsVFs

To see a fan-made video for "Oniqa," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBUkZ8rFjso

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013, music fans! Rare and Obscure Music did very well last well: both the Blogspot & Wordpress versions.

Did you know that in total, Rare and Obscure Music has a total of 959 posts published since 2008?(Counting this post, of course.)

Once again, Happy New Year from the Music-Know-It-All!!!

Debbie Trusty

Debbie Trusty was a female R&B\dance singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to West End Records.

In 1982, Debbie released the single, "Searchin' For Some Lovin'." It's unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Debbie has faded into obscurity.

To see a fan-made video for "Searchin' For Some Lovin'," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7GM59k8zlc

Inez Brooks

Inez Brooks was an R&B singer from the early 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to West End Records.

In 1981, Inez released the single, "Chillin' Out." It's unknown how or if the single ever made the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Inez Brooks has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from Inez since the 80s.

[There are no videos available for this entry]

Wanda & The Way It Is

Wanda & The Way It Is is an R&B band that originally consisted of Wanda (whose real name is Janet Laing), Lily White, Pam Fleming and Jenny Hill.

The band's name is a reference to the character Wanda von Dunajew from Sacher Masoch's novel "Venus in Furs". The name was thought up by Stanley Crouch (who was a writer for the Village Voice) after he heard a song Janet recorded called "Go Get Him".

In 1980, Janet moved to New York City from Berkeley, California to pursue a singing career and was part of a band called the Funktionaries. After getting kicked out of the band, she started her own band.

Wanda & The Way It Is formed in 1984 and their first gig was opening up for singer Martha Reeves. After performing all over in Manhattan, they signed to 4th & Broadway Records in 1987.

During that same year, they released the single "We Got the Feeling" which didn't appear to make the Billboard charts at all.

After that, the A&R guy for Wanda & the Way It Is passed away and Janet struggled with an alcohol addiction which she beat years later.  She later began writing stories under the pseudonym "Wanda von Dunagoy".

According to a comment I received back in 2013, the band was back in the studio, working on a new album and in 2014, they released the album "Epiphany" which is available on iTunes, Amazon.com and CD Baby.

The current line-up for the band consists of Wanda, Dionne McClain-Freeney, Sherryl Marshall, Deborah Berg, Bernice Brooks, Pam Fleming, Jenny Hill, Lily White, Sean Dixon and Mark Unthank.

To see the band's official website, go to:
http://www.wandaandthewayitis.com

[Updated on 04\06\2016]

Clubhouse Orchestra

Clubhouse Orchestra was a pop\dance music act from the 80s. Not much information is given about them, but they were signed to 4th & Broadway Records.

In 1987, Clubhouse Orchestra released the single, "Jump Right On the Case" which didn't appear to make the charts. It was written and produced by Alan George & Fred McFarlane.

After that, it seems as if Clubhouse Orchestra has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.

[There are no videos available for this entry.]

Debra Dejean

Debra Dejean (from Memphis, Tennessee) was a female dance singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about Debra, but she was signed to the Handshake Records And Tapes label.

In 1981, Debra release her only self-titled album. It's unknown how or if the album ever made the charts at all. 

The first single, "Are You Lovin Somebody/You've Really Got A Hold On Me" was released, but didn't make the charts.

Debra's second single, "Goosebumps/Underfire" was released, but once again, it failed to make impact on the charts.

The last single, "Strange Love" failed to make the charts at all. After that, it seems as if Debra Dejean has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since the 80s.

To see a fan-made video for "Strange Love," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81OsiMP3Vgg

To see a fan-made video for "Are You Lovin' Somebody," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ZNXMOzCY4

To see a fan-made video for "Goosebumps," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7vkG2TjWs

Connie Brighton

Connie Brighton was a female R&B\soul singer from the 80s. Not much information is given about her, but she was signed to The Handshake Records and Tapes label.

In 1984, Connie released the single, "The Clapping Song\Keep on Clappin'." It's unknown how or if the single ever made the charts. After that, it seems as if Connie has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from her since.

[There are no videos available for this entry]

The Tamperer featuring Maya

The Tamperer featuring Maya was an Italian dance music group that consisted of Italian record producers Mario Fargetta & Alex Farolfi and American female singer, Maya Days.

Later on, Guiliano Saglia and GianLuca Mensi joined the project. In 1998, they released their debut album "Fabulous" on Jive Records.

Their first single "Feel It" (which sampled The Jacksons' song "Can You Feel It") peaked at #4 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in September of 1998 and #43 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom (where it was certified gold), Belgium, Ireland and the dance charts in Canada.

The group's follow-up single "If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (which sampled Madonna's song "Material Girl") peaked at #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in May of 1999 and #16 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

It was successful in the United Kingdom where it peaked at #3 on the U.K. Singles chart and was certified silver.

In 2000, the group returned to released their final single, "Hammer to the Heart" (which was based on ABBA's song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)") peaked at #6 on the U.K. Singles chart and was moderately successful internationally.

After that, nothing much was heard from The Tamperer featuring Maya and they faded into obscurity.

Today, Mario Fargetta (now under the name "Fargetta") continues to DJ and appears to be active in the music business. Maya Days is an actress and has appeared on the television show "Damages."

To see the music video for "Feel It," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht-m4vMWRqA

To see the music video for "If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFNcBB3nZok

To see the music video for "Hammer to the Heart," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSiuOoCh9g

Dakota Moon

Dakota Moon was a pop rock, R&B, and country band from Los Angeles, California that consisted of Ray Artis, Joe Dean, Mike Malloy and singer Ty Taylor. Ray & Ty were from New York and Joe & Malloy were from California.

All four of them sang vocals, but Joe played guitar, Ray played bass and Malloy played percussion.

The quartet met at a recording session in Los Angeles for music producers Andrew Logan and Mike More. They had such chemistry, they decided to form a band.

Ray & Ty moved to Los Angeles and the band began to play regularly on the L.A. club circuit.

After Sylvia Rhone (the head of Elektra Records) spotted Dakota Moon in concert, she offered them a recording contract which they accepted.

Before making their debut album, the band toured as the opening act for Tina Turner in 1997. By the end of the year, they recorded their debut album.

In April of 1998, Dakota Moon released their self-titled debut album which didn't appear to make the Billboard 200 chart.

The first single "A Promise I Make" peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1998, #19 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in May of 1998 and #37 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart.

The follow-up single "Another Day Goes By" peaked at #19 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in November of 1998 and #36 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart.

Dakota Moon released two more singles from the album: "She Knows" and "Your Smiling Face" which didn't appear to make the Billboard charts at all.

In 2002, Dakota Moon released their last album to date "A Place to Land" which also didn't make the Billboard 200.

The only single to chart was "Looking For a Place to Land" which peaked at #30 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in February of 2002 and #27 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart.

After that, it seems as if Dakota Moon has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.

To see a fan-made video for "A Promise I Make," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2y5xh_-JFg

To see a fan-made video for "Another Day Goes By," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7eHOiON6w

To see a fan-made video for "Looking For a Place to Land," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1XfpXep7k0