Sun (R&B band)
Encyclopedia
Sun is an R&B
, disco
, and funk band that was active mainly during the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Originating from Dayton, Ohio
, Sun recorded prolifically for Capitol Records
from 1976 to 1984. Sun was a brainstorm of Byron Byrd, a young Ohioan given to stargazing and eventual pursuits of Aerospace engineering and research science. He's the one who developed the use of wireless microphones and guitars for the stage. But music began for him as a hobby. "My first instrument was alto sax," he says, speaking of the horn he played at Dayton's Roosevelt High School. "Then I picked up bass, guitar and keyboards. Ohio was a fertile stomping ground for scores of musicians in jazz, rock and, particularly, soul and funk. The list includes the Isleys Brothers, Slave, Heatwave, Midnight Star, Lakeside and Faze-0, to name only a few."
Byron's first bands were Overnight Low and the Ohio Majestics, which gigged around the area and as support for acts like The O'Jays
and The Spinners. The horn section even cut a session for James Brown at King Studios for VP Henry Glover
. Members of this band included James "Diamond" Williams, Marvin "Merv" Pierce and Clarence "Chet" Willis, all of whom went on to The Ohio Players. It was in 1974 that Overnight Low, while opening for Mandrill at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus caught the attention of record producer Beau Ray Fleming, who'd worked with Mandrill, Jon Lucien and Zulema up to this point. He heard them on stage and came from the dressing room to peep the scorching band - up close. At the after party, Beau was doubly surprised to see them again. Determined to connect he went backstage, met the players and they exchanged numbers. In under a year, he flew back to Dayton from his New York offices with contracts in his briefcase.
Sensing the need for a stronger band concept, Byron, Beau and the group began searching for a new name, something that would give them a more universal and cosmic vibe. Beau said Celestial Sun, but band member John Wagner suggested they make it less of a mouthful and just call it Sun. "We thought surely somebody already had that name," Byron chuckles, "but they didn't." Thus, Sun was born. "The Sun is a universally accepted symbol of energy," Byron explains. "And as time went on, we brought people of different cultures into the band to show how international it could be." Sun was interracial with black and white American members, as well as members of Island and European descent.
After being signed to Capitol by Larkin Arnold, Sun was faced with an immediate problem: an incomplete band. "I didn't have all my musicians together on the first album," Byron states, "because they didn't believe I was getting a deal with Capitol. A few guys on the back cover of the first album didn't play a note on it!"
The black hole was in the rhythm section, so Byron recruited some local talent, in to Cincinnati's Counterpart Recording Studio that would, a few short years later, become superstars of funk. "I called Roger and Lester Troutman," Byron begins," and paid them to do some sessions so I could get the album finished. We had been on shows together when they were little Roger then Roger and The Human Body, so we knew each other quite well." Lester laid drum tracks with Roger on bass, then Roger overdubbed guitar for four songs on the album, including the rousing "Live On, Dream On" But it was on "Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My BIC)" that history was made when it became the first national funk hit to feature Roger on his trademark talkbox device.
Roger had already recorded with the talkbox on a regional single called "Freedom" by Roger & The Human Body on Troutman Brothers Records), which he and his brothers sold out of the trunks of their cars. But “Wanna Make Love” made the whole country take notice of the novel new sound. Byron state, “I directed Roger to sing the ‘I just want to make love to you’ melody. The way we were doing it at first was we were mimicking it. The talkbox effect really made it happen. Roger was brilliant at it.”
Detailing the experience further, Roger himself relates, “What I remember is Byron telling me and Lester how he wanted the track to go, and Beau Ray making quick , strong suggestions. Nowadays, the voicebox is something people know of and call me to put in a song. But twenty years ago, you can imagine how ridiculous I looked totin’ that thing around trying to advocate it for a record. When I was first trying to make records with it, people were like, ‘I can’t understand a word you’re sayin’. Sounds like you’ve got something’ in yo’ mouth! That ain’t sangin’!’ Once I got it set up and gave them a reasonable facsimile of what it would sound like, they were like, ‘Hey, let’s put this down!’ I’m appreciative to Byron, who has always been very, very cool. He had a wide variety of pickers and drummers to choose from in Dayton back then, and he chose us.” Because they were not official SUN members, Roger and Lester’s contribution were credited vaguely as “rhythm assistance.” But with Zapp’s “More Bounce To The Ounce” four years later in 1980, Roger Troutman went from incognito to indispensable!
As the first single from the debut LP, Live On, Dream On (1976), “Wanna make Love” became SUN first hit, peaking at #31 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It was subtitled “Come Flick My BIC” because of a racy, closing vamp hook which incorporated the catchy slogan used by the BIC Pen Corporation for its line of cigarette lighters. “That was a pure gimmick,” Byron confesses. BIC even manufactured some limited edition, promotional gold-plated lighters with the SUN logo that were sent to DJs. Of the song in general, Byron concludes, “When I wrote it, I was trying to prove a point. I knew I could get a song on the charts by taking ingredients from different songs and plotting out the market. The bassline was like something the Ohio Players would do. Other bits were like the Commodores and Kool & The Gang.” It was a practice Byrd would continue throughout Sun’s career.
The entire album was eventually renamed after it when the original cover art was changed from a generic sunburst to a literally steaming photo of black Playboy playmate, Azizi Johari
. Other standouts from the album were Byron’s uplifting opener “Live On, Dream On” and short-lived member Chris Jones’ sprawling and prophetic crowd-pleaser, “They’re Calling For More.” “There was a lot of positiveness in songs by the band then, “ Byron reflects. “We picked up on those vibes during the early days, like all musicians do, and reflected it in our music as well.”
With a hit on his hands, Byron was forced to let go of the last of his outside musical activities: road manager for the Commodores (under Benny Ashburn). “I’ll never forget it,” Byron said. “Johnnie Taylor’s ‘Disco Lady’ was #2 in L.A. and ‘Wanna Make Love was #1. I was still working at Poinsettia studios, helping the Commodores. They couldn’t believe what was happening with SUN. They’d worked so long (five years) before they got a hit. We got our’s the first time out.”
With the release of their second album, Sun Power (pressed on orange vinyl in 1977), SUN sprang into a ten-piece configuration of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists that consisted of Byron Byrd, John Hampton Wagner, Christopher D. Jones, Hollis Melson, Dean Hummons, Kym Yancey, Shawn Sandridge, Bruce Hastell, Gary King and Ernie Knisley. The album also contained the though-provoking “Conscience,” the dramatic "Time Is Passing,” (with strings arranged by Byron), plus the driving instrumental “We’re So Hot,” which was used in many sports telecasts.
A sizable overhaul in the band occurred before the release of its third album, Sunburn (!978), recorded in Cyberteknics Recording Studio in Dayton. Half of the band, unhappy with the musical direction of Sun, were dismissed by Fleming. Led by Shawn Sandridge and Chris Jones (who, together, were initially Magum), those six members resurfaced as the band Dayton, recording three albums. Their highest charting single was a 1982 remake of Sly & The Family Stone’s “Hot Fun In The Summertime.”
Five new members were welcomed aboard the “Sunship”: guitarist Keith Cheatham, keyboardist Sonnie Talbert, bassist Curtis Hooks, and brass men Nigel Boulton and Robert Arnold. This was one of the best units in Sun’s history, particularly with Cheatham who was a strong vocalist, player and writer. On Sunburn, he continued the tight and classy “Dance (Do What You Wanna Do)” and co-wrote the turntable hit love ballad, “I Had a Choice,” a slow dance classic (dig the dreamy sax and keyboards). The smash of the album, however was “Sun Is Here,” the slammin, chant that could revive a party under any circumstance! The Yancey-Byrd concoction was their highest charting single ever, peaking at *18 R&B, helping make this album a RIAA certified gold-seller. It became their official theme and kicked-off most Sun shows with a big bang from this point on. Major tours followed, including dates with label mates Tavares, Peabo Bryson, Maze, The Sylvers and Ms. Natalie Cole.
Aside from the obvious sequel, “Radiation Level,” and the horn section showcase “Pure Fire” the next Lp, Destination: Sun (1979), contained some of the band’s finest artistic moments in Cheatham’s semi-acoustic, Earth, Wind & Fire-esque inspirer “Light Of The Universe,” as well as the smoky, jazzy beg ballad, “Baby I Confess.” The album also found the band taking its concept to loftier levels. Byron explains, “I did some research and found that all the colors in the rainbow represent different frequencies. By finding out your star sign and it’s related color, you can find our your “star tone” and what note it is on the keyboard. So everyone picked a star name (a ‘solar nomen’) which had something to do with their star sign and their personality . Mine was ‘Pax Amantis,’ which means ‘lover of peace.’’’ The intricate album was done by Shusei Nagaoka, who also illustrated the Sun Power Lp as well as Earth, Wind & Fire’s All ‘N All, I Am and Raise. For the stage, Byron came up with the idea of robots. And to design them, they had the Oscar-winning designers (led by Jemy Shourts) that created “R2-D2” and “C3-PO” for Star Wars!
Staying ahead of the pack, Sun had people from NASA do the cover animation for their fifth album, Sun Over The Universe (1980). “We had some of the first pictures if Jupiter incorporated into that moon landing picture,” Byron says. “We put everything we could into our show and art.” This album also marks the entrance of keyboardist Dean Francis and guitarist Sheldon Reynolds, the latter of whom who would go on to join two other supergroups: The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire. Prior to Sun, Sheldon was backing jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire. You can check his chops on Byron’s instrumental, “Quest.” And just after Sheldon joined Sun, Keith Cheatham left, giving Sheldon an opportunity to sing as well.
“The talent in Sun was Incredible,” Sheldon states. But citing behind-the–scenes, he adds, “Unfortunately, we never got a chance to fully express it. But it was great. I was 19 then, traveling the country and a bit of the world. We went out on a package with Heatwave and others which gave me a lot of great experience.” Though Sun had fan bases in countries as diverse as Nigeria, Holland and South Africa, among the most loyal was Brazil. Sun once headlined a show for the provinces of Brazil and South America. On the sixth album, Sun: Force of Nature (1981), they showed their appreciation with the salute “Jammin In Brazil.” featuring the explosive bass playing of new member, Don Taylor. “The rhythms in Brazil are very, very heavy,” Byrd shares. “For the people there to respect us was an honor.”
Brazil was the spot of another memorable anecdote. As Sheldon recalls, “When we got to the airport in Rio, the equipment was coming through for Earth, Wind & Fire and people thought we were them. Hundreds of people were flipping out! I don’t know if that was an omen for me or what, but that was the first time I’d gotten close to anything like that.” Reflecting on the good fortune of having been in the three of the 70’s best soul bands, Sheldon humbly replies, “God has blessed me with a lot and I appreciate it.” Sun treats fans to two more party cuts from this album with the concert staple “Reaction Satisfaction (Jam Ya’ll: Funk It Up)” and the mid tempo groover “This Is What You Wanted,” featuring rhythm guitarist Anthony Thompson and Sheldon.
Sun’s final album for Capitol was Let There Be Sun (1982). The single “Slamm Dunk The Ffunk” charted at #81. A ray of hope was held out for “Super Duper Super Star”.” Byron’s old friend Benjamin Ashburn was on the Olympic committee that year. “We had that song in a position to be used during the games,” Byron laments, ”but America boycotted the Seoul Olympics.” Byron released another single on the Air City label two years later titled “Leggs Bring Out The Wolf In Me.”
Byron Byrd is presently scheduling SUN for international touring and completing a new SUN Album in 2010.
Rhythm 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...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, and funk band that was active mainly during the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Originating from Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Sun recorded prolifically for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
from 1976 to 1984. Sun was a brainstorm of Byron Byrd, a young Ohioan given to stargazing and eventual pursuits of Aerospace engineering and research science. He's the one who developed the use of wireless microphones and guitars for the stage. But music began for him as a hobby. "My first instrument was alto sax," he says, speaking of the horn he played at Dayton's Roosevelt High School. "Then I picked up bass, guitar and keyboards. Ohio was a fertile stomping ground for scores of musicians in jazz, rock and, particularly, soul and funk. The list includes the Isleys Brothers, Slave, Heatwave, Midnight Star, Lakeside and Faze-0, to name only a few."
Byron's first bands were Overnight Low and the Ohio Majestics, which gigged around the area and as support for acts like 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...
and The Spinners. The horn section even cut a session for James Brown at King Studios for VP Henry Glover
Henry Glover
Henry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label...
. Members of this band included James "Diamond" Williams, Marvin "Merv" Pierce and Clarence "Chet" Willis, all of whom went on to The Ohio Players. It was in 1974 that Overnight Low, while opening for Mandrill at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus caught the attention of record producer Beau Ray Fleming, who'd worked with Mandrill, Jon Lucien and Zulema up to this point. He heard them on stage and came from the dressing room to peep the scorching band - up close. At the after party, Beau was doubly surprised to see them again. Determined to connect he went backstage, met the players and they exchanged numbers. In under a year, he flew back to Dayton from his New York offices with contracts in his briefcase.
Sensing the need for a stronger band concept, Byron, Beau and the group began searching for a new name, something that would give them a more universal and cosmic vibe. Beau said Celestial Sun, but band member John Wagner suggested they make it less of a mouthful and just call it Sun. "We thought surely somebody already had that name," Byron chuckles, "but they didn't." Thus, Sun was born. "The Sun is a universally accepted symbol of energy," Byron explains. "And as time went on, we brought people of different cultures into the band to show how international it could be." Sun was interracial with black and white American members, as well as members of Island and European descent.
After being signed to Capitol by Larkin Arnold, Sun was faced with an immediate problem: an incomplete band. "I didn't have all my musicians together on the first album," Byron states, "because they didn't believe I was getting a deal with Capitol. A few guys on the back cover of the first album didn't play a note on it!"
The black hole was in the rhythm section, so Byron recruited some local talent, in to Cincinnati's Counterpart Recording Studio that would, a few short years later, become superstars of funk. "I called Roger and Lester Troutman," Byron begins," and paid them to do some sessions so I could get the album finished. We had been on shows together when they were little Roger then Roger and The Human Body, so we knew each other quite well." Lester laid drum tracks with Roger on bass, then Roger overdubbed guitar for four songs on the album, including the rousing "Live On, Dream On" But it was on "Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My BIC)" that history was made when it became the first national funk hit to feature Roger on his trademark talkbox device.
Roger had already recorded with the talkbox on a regional single called "Freedom" by Roger & The Human Body on Troutman Brothers Records), which he and his brothers sold out of the trunks of their cars. But “Wanna Make Love” made the whole country take notice of the novel new sound. Byron state, “I directed Roger to sing the ‘I just want to make love to you’ melody. The way we were doing it at first was we were mimicking it. The talkbox effect really made it happen. Roger was brilliant at it.”
Detailing the experience further, Roger himself relates, “What I remember is Byron telling me and Lester how he wanted the track to go, and Beau Ray making quick , strong suggestions. Nowadays, the voicebox is something people know of and call me to put in a song. But twenty years ago, you can imagine how ridiculous I looked totin’ that thing around trying to advocate it for a record. When I was first trying to make records with it, people were like, ‘I can’t understand a word you’re sayin’. Sounds like you’ve got something’ in yo’ mouth! That ain’t sangin’!’ Once I got it set up and gave them a reasonable facsimile of what it would sound like, they were like, ‘Hey, let’s put this down!’ I’m appreciative to Byron, who has always been very, very cool. He had a wide variety of pickers and drummers to choose from in Dayton back then, and he chose us.” Because they were not official SUN members, Roger and Lester’s contribution were credited vaguely as “rhythm assistance.” But with Zapp’s “More Bounce To The Ounce” four years later in 1980, Roger Troutman went from incognito to indispensable!
As the first single from the debut LP, Live On, Dream On (1976), “Wanna make Love” became SUN first hit, peaking at #31 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It was subtitled “Come Flick My BIC” because of a racy, closing vamp hook which incorporated the catchy slogan used by the BIC Pen Corporation for its line of cigarette lighters. “That was a pure gimmick,” Byron confesses. BIC even manufactured some limited edition, promotional gold-plated lighters with the SUN logo that were sent to DJs. Of the song in general, Byron concludes, “When I wrote it, I was trying to prove a point. I knew I could get a song on the charts by taking ingredients from different songs and plotting out the market. The bassline was like something the Ohio Players would do. Other bits were like the Commodores and Kool & The Gang.” It was a practice Byrd would continue throughout Sun’s career.
The entire album was eventually renamed after it when the original cover art was changed from a generic sunburst to a literally steaming photo of black Playboy playmate, Azizi Johari
Azizi Johari
Azizi Johari is an American model and actress. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its June 1975 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Ken Marcus.-Filmography:...
. Other standouts from the album were Byron’s uplifting opener “Live On, Dream On” and short-lived member Chris Jones’ sprawling and prophetic crowd-pleaser, “They’re Calling For More.” “There was a lot of positiveness in songs by the band then, “ Byron reflects. “We picked up on those vibes during the early days, like all musicians do, and reflected it in our music as well.”
With a hit on his hands, Byron was forced to let go of the last of his outside musical activities: road manager for the Commodores (under Benny Ashburn). “I’ll never forget it,” Byron said. “Johnnie Taylor’s ‘Disco Lady’ was #2 in L.A. and ‘Wanna Make Love was #1. I was still working at Poinsettia studios, helping the Commodores. They couldn’t believe what was happening with SUN. They’d worked so long (five years) before they got a hit. We got our’s the first time out.”
With the release of their second album, Sun Power (pressed on orange vinyl in 1977), SUN sprang into a ten-piece configuration of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists that consisted of Byron Byrd, John Hampton Wagner, Christopher D. Jones, Hollis Melson, Dean Hummons, Kym Yancey, Shawn Sandridge, Bruce Hastell, Gary King and Ernie Knisley. The album also contained the though-provoking “Conscience,” the dramatic "Time Is Passing,” (with strings arranged by Byron), plus the driving instrumental “We’re So Hot,” which was used in many sports telecasts.
A sizable overhaul in the band occurred before the release of its third album, Sunburn (!978), recorded in Cyberteknics Recording Studio in Dayton. Half of the band, unhappy with the musical direction of Sun, were dismissed by Fleming. Led by Shawn Sandridge and Chris Jones (who, together, were initially Magum), those six members resurfaced as the band Dayton, recording three albums. Their highest charting single was a 1982 remake of Sly & The Family Stone’s “Hot Fun In The Summertime.”
Five new members were welcomed aboard the “Sunship”: guitarist Keith Cheatham, keyboardist Sonnie Talbert, bassist Curtis Hooks, and brass men Nigel Boulton and Robert Arnold. This was one of the best units in Sun’s history, particularly with Cheatham who was a strong vocalist, player and writer. On Sunburn, he continued the tight and classy “Dance (Do What You Wanna Do)” and co-wrote the turntable hit love ballad, “I Had a Choice,” a slow dance classic (dig the dreamy sax and keyboards). The smash of the album, however was “Sun Is Here,” the slammin, chant that could revive a party under any circumstance! The Yancey-Byrd concoction was their highest charting single ever, peaking at *18 R&B, helping make this album a RIAA certified gold-seller. It became their official theme and kicked-off most Sun shows with a big bang from this point on. Major tours followed, including dates with label mates Tavares, Peabo Bryson, Maze, The Sylvers and Ms. Natalie Cole.
Aside from the obvious sequel, “Radiation Level,” and the horn section showcase “Pure Fire” the next Lp, Destination: Sun (1979), contained some of the band’s finest artistic moments in Cheatham’s semi-acoustic, Earth, Wind & Fire-esque inspirer “Light Of The Universe,” as well as the smoky, jazzy beg ballad, “Baby I Confess.” The album also found the band taking its concept to loftier levels. Byron explains, “I did some research and found that all the colors in the rainbow represent different frequencies. By finding out your star sign and it’s related color, you can find our your “star tone” and what note it is on the keyboard. So everyone picked a star name (a ‘solar nomen’) which had something to do with their star sign and their personality . Mine was ‘Pax Amantis,’ which means ‘lover of peace.’’’ The intricate album was done by Shusei Nagaoka, who also illustrated the Sun Power Lp as well as Earth, Wind & Fire’s All ‘N All, I Am and Raise. For the stage, Byron came up with the idea of robots. And to design them, they had the Oscar-winning designers (led by Jemy Shourts) that created “R2-D2” and “C3-PO” for Star Wars!
Staying ahead of the pack, Sun had people from NASA do the cover animation for their fifth album, Sun Over The Universe (1980). “We had some of the first pictures if Jupiter incorporated into that moon landing picture,” Byron says. “We put everything we could into our show and art.” This album also marks the entrance of keyboardist Dean Francis and guitarist Sheldon Reynolds, the latter of whom who would go on to join two other supergroups: The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire. Prior to Sun, Sheldon was backing jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire. You can check his chops on Byron’s instrumental, “Quest.” And just after Sheldon joined Sun, Keith Cheatham left, giving Sheldon an opportunity to sing as well.
“The talent in Sun was Incredible,” Sheldon states. But citing behind-the–scenes, he adds, “Unfortunately, we never got a chance to fully express it. But it was great. I was 19 then, traveling the country and a bit of the world. We went out on a package with Heatwave and others which gave me a lot of great experience.” Though Sun had fan bases in countries as diverse as Nigeria, Holland and South Africa, among the most loyal was Brazil. Sun once headlined a show for the provinces of Brazil and South America. On the sixth album, Sun: Force of Nature (1981), they showed their appreciation with the salute “Jammin In Brazil.” featuring the explosive bass playing of new member, Don Taylor. “The rhythms in Brazil are very, very heavy,” Byrd shares. “For the people there to respect us was an honor.”
Brazil was the spot of another memorable anecdote. As Sheldon recalls, “When we got to the airport in Rio, the equipment was coming through for Earth, Wind & Fire and people thought we were them. Hundreds of people were flipping out! I don’t know if that was an omen for me or what, but that was the first time I’d gotten close to anything like that.” Reflecting on the good fortune of having been in the three of the 70’s best soul bands, Sheldon humbly replies, “God has blessed me with a lot and I appreciate it.” Sun treats fans to two more party cuts from this album with the concert staple “Reaction Satisfaction (Jam Ya’ll: Funk It Up)” and the mid tempo groover “This Is What You Wanted,” featuring rhythm guitarist Anthony Thompson and Sheldon.
Sun’s final album for Capitol was Let There Be Sun (1982). The single “Slamm Dunk The Ffunk” charted at #81. A ray of hope was held out for “Super Duper Super Star”.” Byron’s old friend Benjamin Ashburn was on the Olympic committee that year. “We had that song in a position to be used during the games,” Byron laments, ”but America boycotted the Seoul Olympics.” Byron released another single on the Air City label two years later titled “Leggs Bring Out The Wolf In Me.”
Byron Byrd is presently scheduling SUN for international touring and completing a new SUN Album in 2010.
Original group members/instrument played
- Byron M. Byrd (Tenor Saxophone, Vocals) (Organ, Piano, Clavinet)
- Kym Yancey (drumsDrum 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 ....
) - John Wagner (Trumpet, Vocs)
- Chris Jones (Trumpet, Vocals)
- Hollis Melson (BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Shawn Sandridge (Guitar)
- Note: Roger Troutman played Guitar and talk box on 1st SUN LP Live On, Dream On (1976)
- Note: Lester Troutman played Drums on 1st SUN LP Live On, Dream On (1976)
Discography
- Wanna Make LoveWanna Make LoveWanna Make Love is the debut album by Dayton, Ohio funk band Sun-Reception:Originally released as Live On, Dream On in 1976 but was re-released by Capitol several months later as Wanna Make Love due to the success of the single "Wanna Make Love"...
(1976) - Sun PowerSun PowerSun Power is the second album by Dayton, Ohio funk band Sun-Track listing:#Light Me Up 4:07 #Boogie Bopper 3:20 #We're So Hot 4:28 #Conscience 4:41 #Time Is Passing 7:11 #Just A Minute Of Your Time 3:11 #Organ Grinder 3:53...
(1977) - SunburnSunburn (Sun album)Sunburn is the third album by Dayton, Ohio funk band Sun.-Track listing:#Introduction: You Are My Sunshine 0:15 #Sun Is Here 5:02 #Dance 6:05 #When You Put Your Hand In Mine 5:54 #You're The One 4:18...
(1978) - Destination SunDestination SunDestination: Sun is the fourth album by Dayton, Ohio funk band Sun-Track listing:#Radiation Level 5:55 #Pure Fire 5:08 #I Want To Be With You 4:47 #Everybody Disco Down 3:32 #Light Of The Universe 4:52...
(1979) - Sun Over the Universe (1980)
- Force of Nature (1981)
- Let There Be Sun (1982)
- Eclipse (1984)