Chairmen of the Board
With one of Soul Music’s all-time great group names and one of its most distinctive lead vocalists, the Chairmen of the Board have been pleasing “beach music” lovers for over 30 years.
Formed in Detroit , the Chairmen were one of the first acts signed by songwriting legends Holland/Dozier/Holland for their Invictus label following H/D/H’s messy divorce from Motown. The group came out of the box strong in 1970 with the wonderful “Give Me Just A Little More Time,” a classic early 70s radio smash highlighted by lead singer General Johnson’s emotive, plaintive vocals. “Give Me” was the foundation of the group’s excellent debut album, which also featured the infectious “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String,” and Johnson’s own composition, “Patches” (later a #1 smash for Clarence Carter).
Over the next four years, the Chairmen of the Board were among Soul Music’s most consistent hitmakers, scoring big with “Pay to the Piper,” “Finders Keepers,” “Chairman of the Board,” and the blissful “Everything’s Tuesday.” Johnson was also scoring as one of Invictus’s hottest writers, penning such hits as Freda Payne’s anti-war anthem “Bring the Boy’s Home” and the Honey Cone’s chart topper “Want Ads.” However, contractual issues with Invictus (a common problem at that label) paralyzed the group, ultimately causing its break-up in 1975.
In 1980, Johnson re-formed the group with two other former members, Ken Knox and Danny Woods, and, still smarting from major label-itis, formed his own North Carolina-based Surfside label. The group has been together ever since, remaining a favorite local and international purveyor of “beach music,” a somewhat amorphous term used to describe upbeat, danceable music derived from 60s and early 70s Soul Music. The group has continued to record with moderate success, scoring a surprise hit in Europe earlier this decade with the joyous “Bless Your Heart,” a great tune and performance that sounds like it was plucked from their early 70s catalog.
Advance Review of All In The Family
For many soul music fans, the Chairmen of the Board fell off the radar in around '74, but lovers of Carolina Beach Music know that most of the last 30 years the group has been, as their 1995 album said, Alive and Kickin,' touring and making enjoyable, danceable records with the feel of late 60s and early 70s soul. All In The Family continues in this manner, combining a number of new compositions with covers of classic General Johnson 70s material like "You've Gotta Crawl" (a hit for the 8th Day) and "Somebody's Been Sleepin'" (a smash for 100 Proof Aged in Soul). It's a fun album, with Johnson and strong tenor Danny Woods alternating leads on the mostly upbeat material. The covers sound great as do the Memphis soul "You're the One," the nice title cut and the more modern ballad "I'll Be There for You," among others. Best of all, the disc includes "Bless Your Heart," one of the group's finest songs ever and a wonderful Summer drive-with-your-windows-down track. All In The Family is unashamedly old school and is a welcome re-introduction to one of the all-time great Soul groups.
Information courtesy of www.soultracks.com
