Silk Degrees
Encyclopedia
Silk Degrees is the seventh album by Boz Scaggs
, released on the Columbia Records
label in 1976. The album reached #2 on the U.S. pop albums chart
.
/Soul
hit "Lowdown". The album is a mix of straight pop rock
tracks ("Jump Street" and "Lido Shuffle"), smooth soul compositions ("What Can I Say" and "Lowdown") and appealing ballads ("Harbor Lights" and "We're All Alone
"; the latter was later a hit for Rita Coolidge
).
"Lowdown" reached the top 5 on the club play, black, disco and pop charts and also did respectably on the AC chart, with its peak at #3 on the pop chart. The song is an airplay staple to this day, particularly on AC, oldies and smooth jazz radio stations. "It's Over", "What Can I Say" and "Lido Shuffle" reached #38, #42 and #11, respectively, on the pop chart. The album was recorded at Davlen Sound Studios and Hollywood Sound Studios, Los Angeles. Among the accompanying musicians, David Paich
, Jeff Porcaro
, Steve Porcaro
, and David Hungate
would go on to form the band Toto
.
Ultimately, "Lowdown" earned a Grammy Award
, as the Best R&B Song at the Grammy Awards of 1976
. Scaggs also received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Best LP Package, Best Pop Vocal by a Male and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Male for "Lowdown".
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, released on the Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label in 1976. The album reached #2 on the U.S. pop albums 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...
.
Reception
The album marked Scaggs' commercial zenith, mainly spearheaded by the R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
hit "Lowdown". The album is a mix of straight pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
tracks ("Jump Street" and "Lido Shuffle"), smooth soul compositions ("What Can I Say" and "Lowdown") and appealing ballads ("Harbor Lights" and "We're All Alone
We're All Alone
"We're All Alone" is a song written by Boz Scaggs, who introduced it on his 1976 album Silk Degrees; in 1977, "We're All Alone" was a top-ten hit for Rita Coolidge in the US and the UK.-Early versions:...
"; the latter was later a hit for Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
).
"Lowdown" reached the top 5 on the club play, black, disco and pop charts and also did respectably on the AC chart, with its peak at #3 on the pop chart. The song is an airplay staple to this day, particularly on AC, oldies and smooth jazz radio stations. "It's Over", "What Can I Say" and "Lido Shuffle" reached #38, #42 and #11, respectively, on the pop chart. The album was recorded at Davlen Sound Studios and Hollywood Sound Studios, Los Angeles. Among the accompanying musicians, David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
, Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
, Steve Porcaro
Steve Porcaro
Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
, and David Hungate
David Hungate
David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
would go on to form the band Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
.
Ultimately, "Lowdown" earned a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, as the Best R&B Song at the Grammy Awards of 1976
Grammy Awards of 1976
The 18th Grammy Awards were held February 28, 1976, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1975.- Award winners :*Record of the Year...
. Scaggs also received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Best LP Package, Best Pop Vocal by a Male and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Male for "Lowdown".
Track listing
All tracks composed by Boz Scaggs; except where indicated- "What Can I Say" (Scaggs, David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
) – 3:01 - "Georgia" – 3:57
- "Jump Street" (Scaggs, Paich) – 5:14
- "What Do You Want the Girl to Do" (Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
) – 3:53 - "Harbor Lights" – 5:58
- "LowdownLowdown (Boz Scaggs song)"Lowdown" is a Billboard hit originally recorded in 1976 by Boz Scaggs for his mainstream-breakthrough album, Silk Degrees. The song was co-written by Scaggs and David Paich...
" (Scaggs, Paich) – 5:18 - "It's Over" (Paich, Scaggs) – 2:52
- "Love Me Tomorrow" (Paich) – 3:17
- "Lido ShuffleLido ShuffleLido Shuffle is a song by Boz Scaggs from the 1976 album Silk Degrees. The single reached #11 on the pop chart and #13 in the UK singles chart...
" (Scaggs, Paich) – 3:44 - "We're All AloneWe're All Alone"We're All Alone" is a song written by Boz Scaggs, who introduced it on his 1976 album Silk Degrees; in 1977, "We're All Alone" was a top-ten hit for Rita Coolidge in the US and the UK.-Early versions:...
" – 4:14
Personnel
- Boz Scaggs - vocals, guitar, background vocals
- Fred TackettFred TackettFred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Louis SheltonLouis SheltonLouis Shelton , also known as Louie Shelton, is an American musician and music producer....
- guitar - Les DudekLes DudekLes Dudek is an American guitarist.-Early years:Les Dudek's father, Harold, was born in Campbell, Nebraska, and was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy. His mother, Alma, born in Brooklyn, was a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Les has one older sister, Sandy, who was born in...
- Slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles... - David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Steve PorcaroSteve PorcaroSteven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
- keyboards - Bud ShankBud ShankClifford Everett "Bud" Shank, Jr. was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and throughout the decade worked in various small jazz combos. He spent the 1960s as a first...
- alto saxophone - Plas JohnsonPlas JohnsonPlas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
- Saxophone - Dick Hyde, Jim HornJim HornJim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio...
, Paul Hubinon, Tom ScottTom Scott (musician)Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
, Vincent DeRosa - Horns - Chuck FindleyChuck FindleyChuck Findley is an American session musician. Most widely-known as a trumpet player, he also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone...
- FlugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - David HungateDavid HungateDavid Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
- DrumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s, PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Joe PorcaroJoe PorcaroJoseph Porcaro is an American jazz drummer, percussionist and educator....
- Additional Percussion - Sid Sharp - String Arrangements & Conducting
- Augie Johnson, Carolyn Willis, Jim Gilstrap, Marty McCall, Maxine Green, Pepper Swenson - Backing Vocals
Production
- Produced By Joe Wissert
- Recorded, Engineered & Mixed By Tom Perry
- Mastered By Doug Sax
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US R&B 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... |
||
| 1976 | Silk Degrees Silk Degrees Silk Degrees is the seventh album by Boz Scaggs, released on the Columbia Records label in 1976. The album reached #2 on the U.S. pop albums chart.-Reception:The album marked Scaggs' commercial zenith, mainly spearheaded by the R&B/Soul hit "Lowdown"... |
2 | 6 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US R&B 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,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1976 | "Lowdown" | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| "What Can I Say" | 42 | 68 (1977) | — | |
| 1977 | "Lido Shuffle" | 11 | — | — |