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| Midnight Star |
| Midnight Star was formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University by the Calloway brothers, trumpeter Reginald and trombone player Vincent, with vocalist Belinda Lipscomb.
As the various members graduated, the group wishing to expand and broaden their fan base, relocated to Cincinatti, Ohio. The group now included Melvin and Boaz Watson as vocalists, Jeffrey Cooper on guitar and keyboards, Kenneth Gant on vocals and bass, Bobby Lovelace on drums, and William Simmons on percussion, sax and keyboards. The group played all the local spots in and around the Ohio area, gaining a reputation as a top notch outfit with incredible style and talent. In search of an illusive recording contract the group made a move to the West Coast in the late 1970's. While in the L.A. area the group made the local rounds of all the R&B clubs often perfroming on the same bill as Lakeside Express and Liquid Funk. On the strength of these club appearances they landed a contract with RCA Records. This resulted in their first album "The Beginning" released in 1980. 2-12" singles were released, "Make It Last" and "You're The Star" neither made a tremendous impact on the charts or in sales. They came to the attention of Dick Griffey, label head of SOLAR Records, who saw the groups potential. He signed them in 1981 and work began on their first album for their new label. 1982's "Victory" came close to breaking them as a hit act. The title cut and "Hot Spot" both released as 12" singles charted, and the Calloway brothers were close to finding the right mix of uptempo and dance/funk/novelty tracks to ballads, and also perfecting their productions, arrangements, and compositions. The group found its niche with their third album "No Parking On The Dance Floor." The first 12" single was the hit "Freak-A-Zoid," and the second single, a nice, if lightweight, change-of-pace number was "Wet My Whistle." The title track was their third chart hit from the album and established them as a club favorite. All three singles went top 40 on the R&B charts and "Parking" and "Freak" went top ten on club lists. The group was well on their way, having found the right mixture of funk and fusion. Midnight Star made their mark with their sci-fi instrumentation and aggressive dance numbers. Their forth album, 1984's "Planetary Invasion," spawned three singles that fall into that loop with the first being "Operator." With its pugnacious rhythm and frigid keyboard licks, this dance number held the number one spot on the Billboard R&B charts for five weeks. "Scientific Love" was the third single; a techno-funk track seasoned with Belinda Lipscomb's intense delivery. It was a top 20 single peaking at number 16. Aside from its horrific title, "Body Snatchers" is all about the dance floor with its embraceable beat. All three of the aforementioned utilized the wizardry of Vincent Calloway on the vocorder. The chart success of this album was credited to the production work of Reggie Calloway, the nucleus of the group, who was concurrently producing and writing songs for The Deele and Klymaxx. He and his brother would go on to write and produce number one hits for Natalie Cole, Levert, Teddy Pendegrass, Glady Knight and countless others. 1986's "Headlines" was the final hit album for Midnight Star before the Calloway brothers departed. They had reached their peak and cranked out three solid R&B hits, among them the title track, "Midas Touch," and "Engine No. 9." Everything clicked, from the production and arrangements to the hook-filled lyrics and exuberant, if at times predictable, vocals. But evidently the Calloways figured they had done all they could do with Midnight Star, as they bolted once the last single dropped off the charts. As Calloway, the brother's first single "I Wanna Be Rich" hit number two on the pop charts, a better showing than Midnight Star had made in a dozen years. The track was their only major hit, followed only by "Sir Lancelot" and the title track from their 1990 debut album "All The Way." Calloway returned two years later with "Let's Get Smooth," but the album proved their last. The brothers continued working as producers, with Teddy Pendergrass, Pieces Of A Dream and Bootsy Collins, among others. By 1987 with the Calloway brothers gone the remaining members tried to keep things going, but their album "Midnight Star" didn't have enough good uptempo/dance or ballad hits to sustain the momentum that the group had built during their previous hit albums. The vocals were decent, and for a while they got some attention based on their past track record, but in the end it simply wasn't enough to sustain a career. Although they did get a minor hit with the single "Money Can't Buy You Love," things had degenerated for both Midnight Star and 1980's funk bands in general. The hip-hop and New Jack coalition had almost completely taken over at urban radio stations, and groups like Midnight Star sounded outdated and stagnant. The Calloway brothers' production expertise hadn't been replaced, and they weren't a good enough ballad band to do the kind of glossy songs that helped acts like Atlantic Starr survive. 1990's "Work It Out" would be their final release and the group disbanded shortly after it's release. As of 2004 it seems that a re-formulated Midnight Star is once again trodding the concert circuit. I recently saw an ad for their appearance at a July concert in Louisville, Kentucky. Not sure if the Calloway Brothers are back at the helm but I for one will surely go see them if they hit Chicago. |
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