SLAYD5000 DAZZ BAND LET IT WHIP CRACKED

The combination of technology and live musicians paid off: вЂњLet It WhipвЂќ cracked the top of the Billboard R&B best-seller lists for five weeks in mid-1982 вЂ“ and, better still, reached the Top 5 of the pop charts. вЂњReggie had the 808 and I had the Linn Drum, and we used a mini-Moog bass.вЂќ вЂњAt that time, we were using the Roland 808,вЂќ explained Chancler.

вЂњI think part of it was we knew all the guys, and we knew what they could do and how they would do it.вЂќ With the help of drum machines. Together, the pair sparkled вЂ“ and the Dazz Band liked what they heard. Chancler, his вЂњLet It WhipвЂќ co-writer, had previously produced George Duke. вЂњA song that was different in that it would be something that no one had ever really talked about on a record.вЂќ He added, вЂњWhat kind of lyric content could we talk about that could end up being a dance? And Reggie came up with the idea of a whip.вЂќДЄndrews was known for his work with Patrice Rushen, but in 1980, he was an A&R assistant at Motown. вЂњWe wanted to create a song that they could make a dance out of,вЂќ said Leon вЂњNduguвЂќ Chancler in The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. Record buyers accepted the вЂњinvitationвЂќ on a modest scale, giving the Dazz Band a couple of minor R&B chart entries before вЂњLet It Whip,вЂќ from their third album, blew the doors off. HarrisвЂ™ combo came to MotownвЂ™s attention in 1980, signing up and spending almost six months rehearsing their first album for the company, Invitation To Love, before hitting the 24-track Recording Connection studio in Cleveland to put the results on tape. вЂњBut to expand our audience, we started playing Top 40 songs and developed our live set into more of an entertaining show, as opposed to just musicians standing on a stage.вЂќ

вЂњWeвЂ™d been playing an intricate jazz/fusion kind of music,вЂќ he said of his pre-Dazz days. Bobby Harris, the singer and saxman who led the Dazz Band, continued the tradition, gigging at LeoвЂ™s behind Lou Rawls in the 1970s, then forming the first group of musicians through which he gained experience, an audience and, eventually, chart success. SONGWRITERS: Reggie Andrews, Leon вЂњNduguвЂќ ChanclerД«ACKSTORY: LeoвЂ™s Casino in Cleveland was a music venue with strong links to any number of top Motown artists who performed there during the 1960s. DAY & DATE: Number One on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart in the week ending Saturday, May 29, 1982.

Slayd5000 dazz band let it whip