Shalamar

Shalamar's sound was built for the dancefloor, and its image was every bit as deliberate. The American R&B and soul vocal group began life as a disco-driven project, conceived in 1977 by Dick Griffey, a Soul Train booking agent, and the show's creator and producer, Don Cornelius. Its classic line-up on the SOLAR label, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel, became the group's defining configuration. British Hit Singles & Albums described the act as fashion icons and trendsetters, crediting them with helping to introduce body-popping to the United Kingdom.

Their run of hits began with 'Uptown Festival' in 1977, released on Soul Train Records, and the group's second album, Disco Gardens (1978), included 'Take That to the Bank'. The Hewett-Watley-Daniel line-up scored three US Gold albums, Big Fun, Three for Love and Friends, and 'The Second Time Around' (1979) became a US million seller. Friends (1982) was certified Platinum in the UK, carrying 'I Can Make You Feel Good'. Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley left in 1983. Hewett and Daniel reformed the group in 1999, playing Japan, then touring the UK in 2000, 2001 and 2003.