Big Fun (Shalamar album)
Encyclopedia
Big Fun is the third album by American
R&B group Shalamar
, released in 1979 on the SOLAR
label. Big Fun was produced by Leon Sylvers III
and is the first album to feature what is considered the 'classic' Shalamar line-up (Jeffrey Daniel
, Howard Hewett
and Jody Watley
), with Hewett having replaced Gerald Brown.
Big Fun has been certified Gold
in the United States for sales of over 500,000. It peaked at #4 on the R&B chart
and #23 on the Billboard chart
(Shalamar's highest-placing album on this chart). In the UK
it reached #45.
In 2002, Big Fun was re-released by Sanctuary Records
in the United Kingdom in a two-for-one CD format with Shalamar's following album Three for Love
.
Side Two
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B group Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, released in 1979 on the SOLAR
SOLAR Records
S.O.L.A.R. Records was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius.-Company history:In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey and...
label. Big Fun was produced by Leon Sylvers III
Leon Sylvers III
Leon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
and is the first album to feature what is considered the 'classic' Shalamar line-up (Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel is an American dancer, singer-songwriter and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar. In Nigeria he is best known as an Idol series judge...
, Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
and Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
), with Hewett having replaced Gerald Brown.
Big Fun has been certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the United States for sales of over 500,000. It peaked at #4 on the R&B chart
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and #23 on the Billboard chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
(Shalamar's highest-placing album on this chart). In the UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
it reached #45.
In 2002, Big Fun was re-released by Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
in the United Kingdom in a two-for-one CD format with Shalamar's following album Three for Love
Three for Love
Three for Love is the fourth album by American R&B group Shalamar, released in 1980 on the SOLAR label. It was produced by Leon Sylvers III and features the 'classic' Shalamar line-up ....
.
Track listing
Side One- "The Right Time for Us" (Dick GriffeyDick GriffeyRichard Gilbert "Dick" Griffey was an American record producer and promoter who founded SOLAR Records, an acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records", which played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s...
/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
) 5:53 - "Take Me to the River" (Benson/PaytonLawrence PaytonLawrence Albert Payton was an American tenor, songwriter and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops....
) 4:57 - "Right in the Socket" (Dick GriffeyDick GriffeyRichard Gilbert "Dick" Griffey was an American record producer and promoter who founded SOLAR Records, an acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records", which played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s...
/Kevin Spencer/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
) 6:51
Side Two
- "The Second Time AroundThe Second Time Around (Shalamar song)"The Second Time Around" is a 1979 hit by Los Angeles-based R&B group, Shalamar. The song is the first single from their album, Big Fun. The single went to number one on the soul chart and was their most successful hit on the Hot 100 pop chart, reaching number eight in early 1980.. "The Second Time...
" (William Shelby/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
) 4:15 - "I Owe You One" (Joey Gallo/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
) 5:11 - "Let's Find the Time for Love" (Kevin Spencer/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
) 4:36 - "Girl" (Kossi Gardner) 5:24
Personnel
- Bass – Ernest Biles, James Davis, Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
- Cello – Christine Ermacoff, Edgar Lustgarten, Harry Shlutz, Marie Fera
- Clavinet – Kevin Spencer, William Shelby
- Congas – Greg "Popeye" Dawkins
- Drums – Freeman Brown, Gerald Thompson, Wardell Potts
- Electric Piano (Fender Rhodes) – Kossi Gardner, William Shelby
- Guitar – Ernest Reed, Fred Rheimert, Steve Shockley
- Keyboards – "Gip" Nobels, Gene Dozier, Joey Gallo, John Barnes, Kevin Spencer, Kossi Gardner, Ron Artists, William Shelby
- Organ – Kossi Gardner
- Percussion – Fred Lewis, Greg "Popeye" Dawkins, Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
- Violin – Brian Leanord, David Johnson, Jerry Vinci, Ilkka Talvi, Irma Newman, Norman Carr, Norman Leonard, Reginald Hill, Ronald Fulsom, Sheldon Sanou
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | U.S. Album Chart Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
23 |
| 1980 | Top R&B/Black Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
4 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | I Owe You One | Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
60 |
| 1980 | The Second Time Around The Second Time Around The Second Time Around is the second studio album by American Blues artist, Etta James. The album was released in 1961 on Argo Records and was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess, who also produced her previous album.-Background:... |
Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
8 |
| 1980 | The Second Time Around The Second Time Around The Second Time Around is the second studio album by American Blues artist, Etta James. The album was released in 1961 on Argo Records and was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess, who also produced her previous album.-Background:... |
Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
1 |
| 1980 | Right in the Socket | Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
60 |