Hot (band)
Encyclopedia
Hot was a vocal
trio
from Los Angeles
, California
, United States, formed in 1976. Its original members were Gwen Owens (born 19 June 1953), Cathy Carson (born 8 October 1953) and Juanita Curiel (born 25 February 1953). In 1987, Hot was reborn with former members Owens and Carson and new member Sandra Starks.
s from the mid 1960s. In 1969 a track she recorded, "Keep on Living," was picked up by Josie Records
and reached #40 on the Billboard
Best Selling Soul Singles Chart
. Owens also performed in local concerts mostly headlined by Motown
artists such as Marvin Gaye
, Stevie Wonder
, the Originals
, and Edwin Starr
; she also performed with Al Green
.
Relocating to Los Angeles
in the early 1970s, Owens began a session
singing career backing David Axelrod
, Randy Brown, Stanley Clarke
, Randy Crawford
, Coke Escovedo
, Willie Hutch
, Billy Preston
, and Al Wilson
; she provided live support for Ann-Margret
, Jose Feliciano
, the O'Jays
, Lou Rawls
, Nancy Sinatra
and Raquel Welch
. In 1972, Owens was signed to a production contract with Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
session men Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford, who recorded Owens at Muscle Shoals as the inaugural artist for a projected southern division of Motown Records
. Ultimately Motown decided not to proceed with "Motown South," dropping Owens. Her five completed Muscle Shoals tracks were shopped to other labels, with the newly-formed Casablanca Records
picking up the tracks "You Better Watch Out" and "Everybody Needs Love" for release in 1973; the same single was re-issued in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records
- then a Casablanca affiliate - without commercial success.
In 1975, Owens and Cathy Carson, a native of Kansas, began performing in a trio completed by a Mexican singer; this outfit toured with the Wolfman Jack
Shock & Rock Review under the name Sweet Talk and, in 1976, appeared on television on The Diahann Carroll Show and Cos
, billed on the latter show as Sugar & Spice. Owens was still signed with Ivey and Woodford but, as Motown was not interested in Owens, Ivey and Woodford were unable to record her until after ending their affiliation with the label in 1976. At this point, Ivey and Woodford opened their own Muscle Shoals
recording facility, Wishbone Studios, where Owens, Carson, and the newly-recruited Juanita Curiel began work on an album as Hot. The Mexican-born Curiel, who had grown up in Nevada and spent three years as a singer/dancer in Wayne Newton
's Vegas
show, replaced the original third member of the trio, who had opted out of the group. Ivey was the keyboardist and Mac McAnally
played guitar.
"Angel in Your Arms
" - which Ivey and Woodford had written with local songwriter Tommy Brasfield - was given to the group to record after Gwen Owens asked if they could record a C&W
song. Picked up by Big Tree Records
for release, "Angel in Your Arms" broke in Florida in February 1977, debuting that month on the Billboard Hot 100
at #97, gradually accruing sufficient airplay to enter the Pop Top 40 that April and proceed to number 6 that July. The track also charted R&B (#29) and Easy Listening (#9). Certified a RIAA certification
gold record for U.S. sales of one million units, "Angel in Your Arms" was also a hit for Hot in Australia (#27), Canada (#3), and New Zealand (#7).
Although Hot's membership: the African-American Owens, the white Carson and the Hispanic Curiel, had assembled on the assumption that this multiracial personnel would attract attention, the group received little noticeable promotion, beyond their million selling single "Angel in Your Arms". The single's success did briefly boost its parent album Hot on to the charts with a #125 peak, and two other tracks released as singles appeared in the lower half of the Hot 100: "Right Feeling at the Wrong Time" and "You Brought the Woman Out of Me" (the latter a minor hit for Evie Sands
in 1975).
Hot had two more album releases, both recorded at Wishbone Studios with Ivey and Woodford producing, before Big Tree Records was closed by its parent company Atlantic Records
in 1980. Woodford & Ivey also produced a solo single by Owens: "I Don't Want to Dance No More / Hold Me Like You Never Had Me", released on Big Tree in 1979.
In 1980, Owens, Carson, and Curiel starred in a B-movie about a female vocal group alternately known as 'Makin It', 'Runnin' Hot' and 'Smokey and the Judge'.
In 1982, Boardwalk Records released the single "Tonight" credited to Hot; of the original lineup, only Curiel's participation can be verified.
In the late 80's, Owens met Sandra Starks when they toured with legendary vocalist, Lou Rawls. Owens, Curiel and Starks, under new management, entered into separate negotiations with both Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) and Barry White who were interested in producing the group.
After returning to session work, Owens retired as a professional musician but remained active singing in her local church in the San Fernando Valley
; in 1999 she and three fellow choir members formed the group Melodious who had the CD Ephesian 5:19 released in 2004. In 2008, Owens was reported to be employed in the music industry in a non-performing capacity working for HDH Records
.
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
from Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States, formed in 1976. Its original members were Gwen Owens (born 19 June 1953), Cathy Carson (born 8 October 1953) and Juanita Curiel (born 25 February 1953). In 1987, Hot was reborn with former members Owens and Carson and new member Sandra Starks.
Career
The lead singer Gwen Owens was a native of Detroit where she had begun singing in church and, after being discovered at a high school talent show, recorded for local record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s from the mid 1960s. In 1969 a track she recorded, "Keep on Living," was picked up by Josie Records
Josie Records
Josie Records was a subsidiary of Jubilee Records in New York and was active from 1954 through to 1971. Single records were numbered from 760 through to 1031.Their best sellers were The Cadillacs, Bobby Freeman and The Meters....
and reached #40 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Best Selling Soul Singles Chart
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,...
. Owens also performed in local concerts mostly headlined by Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
artists such as Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, the Originals
The Originals
The Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm For Real", "The Bells" and the disco classic, "Down to Love Town"...
, and Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
; she also performed with Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
.
Relocating to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the early 1970s, Owens began a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
singing career backing David Axelrod
David Axelrod (musician)
David Axelrod is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.-Biography:...
, Randy Brown, Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
, Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...
, Coke Escovedo
Coke Escovedo
Coke Escovedo was an American percussionist born April 30, 1941 in Los Angeles, California. Coke Escovedo first rose to prominence in 1969 as a member of Santana. Coke would be a featured on Santana's) Santana III album. In early 1972 Coke formed Azteca along with his brother Pete Escovedo...
, Willie Hutch
Willie Hutch
Willie McKinley Hutchison, known professionally as Willie Hutch was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s....
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, and Al Wilson
Al Wilson
Aldra Kauwa Wilson is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 31st overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
; she provided live support for Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, Jose Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
, the O'Jays
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
, Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
and Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
. In 1972, Owens was signed to a production contract with Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,in 1969 when musicians Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood left FAME Studios to create their own studio...
session men Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford, who recorded Owens at Muscle Shoals as the inaugural artist for a projected southern division of Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. Ultimately Motown decided not to proceed with "Motown South," dropping Owens. Her five completed Muscle Shoals tracks were shopped to other labels, with the newly-formed Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
picking up the tracks "You Better Watch Out" and "Everybody Needs Love" for release in 1973; the same single was re-issued in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
- then a Casablanca affiliate - without commercial success.
In 1975, Owens and Cathy Carson, a native of Kansas, began performing in a trio completed by a Mexican singer; this outfit toured with the Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
Shock & Rock Review under the name Sweet Talk and, in 1976, appeared on television on The Diahann Carroll Show and Cos
Cos (TV series)
Cos was an American sketch comedy/variety TV series that debuted on the ABC Network in September 1976. It was hosted by comedian Bill Cosby and featured an ensemble cast who would perform sketches each week...
, billed on the latter show as Sugar & Spice. Owens was still signed with Ivey and Woodford but, as Motown was not interested in Owens, Ivey and Woodford were unable to record her until after ending their affiliation with the label in 1976. At this point, Ivey and Woodford opened their own Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
recording facility, Wishbone Studios, where Owens, Carson, and the newly-recruited Juanita Curiel began work on an album as Hot. The Mexican-born Curiel, who had grown up in Nevada and spent three years as a singer/dancer in Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
's Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
show, replaced the original third member of the trio, who had opted out of the group. Ivey was the keyboardist and Mac McAnally
Mac McAnally
Lyman Corbitt "Mac" McAnally, Jr. is an American country music singer-songwriter, session musician and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his singles were hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and six more on the Hot Country Songs charts...
played guitar.
"Angel in Your Arms
Angel in Your Arms
"Angel in Your Arms" is the title of a 1977 Top Ten hit for Hot - also a Top Ten country music 1985 hit for Barbara Mandrell - composed by Herbert Clayton Ivey, Terrence Woodford and Herbert Thomas Brasfield Jr....
" - which Ivey and Woodford had written with local songwriter Tommy Brasfield - was given to the group to record after Gwen Owens asked if they could record a C&W
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song. Picked up by Big Tree Records
Big Tree Records
Big Tree Records was a record label founded by current Sony Music Entertainment chairman Doug Morris in 1970. They were best known for releases by Lobo, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Brownsville Station and British R&B group Hot Chocolate....
for release, "Angel in Your Arms" broke in Florida in February 1977, debuting that month on the 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...
at #97, gradually accruing sufficient airplay to enter the Pop Top 40 that April and proceed to number 6 that July. The track also charted R&B (#29) and Easy Listening (#9). Certified a RIAA certification
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...
gold record for U.S. sales of one million units, "Angel in Your Arms" was also a hit for Hot in Australia (#27), Canada (#3), and New Zealand (#7).
Although Hot's membership: the African-American Owens, the white Carson and the Hispanic Curiel, had assembled on the assumption that this multiracial personnel would attract attention, the group received little noticeable promotion, beyond their million selling single "Angel in Your Arms". The single's success did briefly boost its parent album Hot on to the charts with a #125 peak, and two other tracks released as singles appeared in the lower half of the Hot 100: "Right Feeling at the Wrong Time" and "You Brought the Woman Out of Me" (the latter a minor hit for Evie Sands
Evie Sands
Evie Sands is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career began as a young teenager in the mid-1960s...
in 1975).
Hot had two more album releases, both recorded at Wishbone Studios with Ivey and Woodford producing, before Big Tree Records was closed by its parent company Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1980. Woodford & Ivey also produced a solo single by Owens: "I Don't Want to Dance No More / Hold Me Like You Never Had Me", released on Big Tree in 1979.
In 1980, Owens, Carson, and Curiel starred in a B-movie about a female vocal group alternately known as 'Makin It', 'Runnin' Hot' and 'Smokey and the Judge'.
In 1982, Boardwalk Records released the single "Tonight" credited to Hot; of the original lineup, only Curiel's participation can be verified.
In the late 80's, Owens met Sandra Starks when they toured with legendary vocalist, Lou Rawls. Owens, Curiel and Starks, under new management, entered into separate negotiations with both Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) and Barry White who were interested in producing the group.
After returning to session work, Owens retired as a professional musician but remained active singing in her local church in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
; in 1999 she and three fellow choir members formed the group Melodious who had the CD Ephesian 5:19 released in 2004. In 2008, Owens was reported to be employed in the music industry in a non-performing capacity working for HDH Records
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
.
Albums
- Hot (Big Tree RecordsBig Tree RecordsBig Tree Records was a record label founded by current Sony Music Entertainment chairman Doug Morris in 1970. They were best known for releases by Lobo, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Brownsville Station and British R&B group Hot Chocolate....
, 1977) U.S. #125, U.S. Black Albums #28 - If That's the Way You Want It...You Got It (Big Tree, 1978)
- Strong Together (Big Tree, 1980)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Pop Singles 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... |
U.S. Black Singles | Various | ||
| 1977 | "Angel in Your Arms Angel in Your Arms "Angel in Your Arms" is the title of a 1977 Top Ten hit for Hot - also a Top Ten country music 1985 hit for Barbara Mandrell - composed by Herbert Clayton Ivey, Terrence Woodford and Herbert Thomas Brasfield Jr.... " |
6 | 29 | A/C Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... #9  #27  #3  #7 |
| "The Right Feeling at the Wrong Time" | 65 | 58 | ||
| 1978 | "You Brought the Woman Out of Me" | 71 | ||