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| Boystown Gang |
| Cynthia Manley |
| Jackson Moore |
| In 1980 San Francisco was a hotbed of talent both in front of the microphones and behind the scenes. Besides Sylvester, and Two Tons O' Fun, the city was about to launch the careers of Patrick Cowley, Paul Parker, (Frank) Loverde, Lisa, Jo-Lo and Jeanie Tracy. Behind the scenes were D.J. legends Bobby Viteritti, Trip Ringwald, Marty Blecman, Craig Morey, and Bill Motley.
In this rich talented climate disc jockey Bill Motley saw an opportunity to form a group that catered to the citys large gay clientele. In his search to form a group he auditioned hundreds of vocalists, both male and female. It was local cabaret singer Cynthia Manley who captured the lead spot. The idea was originally for one 12" single, two tracks of high energy music. Motley, a huge Diana Ross fan, picked two Ashford & Simpson songs to form a medley for the A-side. And for the B-side he wrote a disco drama in four acts. A label was founded to release the two songs and history was ready to be written. |
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| When "Remember Me/Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was released America was coming off of the "death to disco" trip. Clubgoers, especially the gay ones, hadn't stopped dancing, it was just that the high energy music of 1978 and 1979 wasn't being produced or released by late 1980 early 1981. The original release was viewed as an album, perhaps because of it's picture jacket. Disc jockeys were serviced with a shortened blue-vinyl 12" single which began a practice of Moby Dick Records to release all promos on colored vinyl. By the fall of 1981 DJ Records of Canada released a double remix of the two tracks which Disconet picked up and it extended the lifespan of the songs by a few more months. With the song being played from coast to coast and charting on Billboard the demand for live performances was overwhelming. |
| Manley, who had done the tracks as a gig, had no intentions of being part of a group. She was and is a solo artist. Before the songs even peaked she had already signed a solo deal with Atlantic Records. That deal led to her 1982 12" singles of "Back In My Arms Again" and "Chain Reaction." In addition to these recording credits, Cynthia was named one of the Top Twenty Artists of the year by Billboard Magazine, which resulted in an invitation to perform at the 1983 International New Music Seminar in New York. Her next credit was as a songwriter on the 1985 Tony Curtis movie "King Of The City" which was re-released in 1986 as "Club Life." Under either title the movie bombed. She continued cabaret performing and doing studio sessions for Jimmy Z, Finis Tasby and Strange World Carnival. In 1994 she served as executive producer for the various artist album "Let's Get It On." The album featured hardcore rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., Two Pac and Heavy D. She still performs in SoCal venues from Long Beach to Ventura. |
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| Exit Cynthia Manley enter Jackson Moore....and Robin Charin, Don Wood, Keith Stewart, and Tom Morley. The original vocalists on the first album were Cynthia, Chuck Spero and producer Bill Motley. When Manley exited and Motley had to form a touring group he added another female vocalist (Robin Charin) and three male dancer/singers. This was the line-up for their second album "Disc Charge." The lavendar vinyl promo album was kicked off by a red vinyl 12". The 12" single of "You're The One," a Little Sister hit from 1970, was backed by the Perry Botkin Jr. ("Nadia's Theme")-Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & The Raiders) penned "Disco Kicks." Both songs were certified hits and no one even noticed the change in the line-up of the group. Imports and remixes of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," "Come And Get Your Love" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" also swept the charts making this an even bigger hit than their debut album. |
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| With more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and no sooner had they completed their second album that the group changed again. This time exit Robin, Don and Keith and enter Bruce Carlton. The final line-up was now Jackson Moore, Tom Morley and Bruce Carlton. For their third and final album the Gang went all out. Besides the usual batch of remakes, the album featured the stunning "A Good Man (Is Hard To Find)." Drawing on Frisco's (and disco's) wealth of talent, producer Motley put a spin on the medley fad. Not content to bridge several disco classics together Motley assembled all the original singers to sing their part of the medley and to join in the finale of "We Are Family." The "Dance Trance Medley" featured Two Tons O' Fun, Debbie Jacobs, Marlena Shaw, Sylvester, Jo-Lo, Jessica Williams, Margaret Reynolds, Jeanie Tracy and Cynthia Manley. Another of my top 50 hits of all time it's a fitting finale to the Boystown Gang..how could they possibly top that? |
| Jackson Moore continued on after the demise of the Boystown Gang in 1984. Her first release post-Gang was a duet with Jimmy Ruffin of "I'm Gonna Love You Forever" followed by her own recording of "If It's Love (That You're After)," both 12" singles were released on ERC Records. A remix of "If It's Love" followed later on Starnight Records. A 1988 12" on the now defunkt Megatone label, "One Look" was a minor club hit. Years of touring and playing the cabaret circuit coupled with a bigger international following kept Jackson afloat. She rebounded in 2001 with a brand new release on Peacock Records entitled "Solos And Duos." I have not been able to locate a copy of it but can only imagine what treasures it holds.
As the years have passed there has never been anything to equal the Boystown Gang and the phenomena they created on the dance floors. Cynthia is still around, as is Jackson but we've lost Tom Morly and Bill Motley and sadly the Boystown Gang will never be anything more than a faded vinyl memory. |
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