Friday Flashback - Former Shalamar Label Solar Records Legal Woes

SOLAR Records in it's heyday, 1980. SHALAMAR ™
was one the labels premiere acts.

SHALAMAR ™ Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel  Bankable with hits in 1982

The former label of  SHALAMAR ™ was Solar Records, at one time one of the hottest small labels in the business began to unravel in 1986. Ultimately sold to EMI in 1995,  This Los Angeles Times article gives an insight on bad deals, the eviction of label founder Dick Griffey from office building, lawsuits and disputes with Griffey and accusations regarding the major label distribution system. Griffey would later go on to be involved with Death Row Records' and Suge Knight.

The Solar Catalog (Whispers, Shalamar, Dynasty, Lakeside, Carrie Lucas, et al) is now owned by Unidisc Music and other companies worldwide after changing many hands. The music legacy lives on long after the lawsuits, evictions and bad deals.

Read the Los Angeles Times article: Here

Musical Quote of the Day from Giorgio Moroder

Disco music has had it's backlash but has rebounded in many forms of dance music still packing dance floors around the world including the resurgence of the modern disco house. No question about it people will always love to to dance.

Tuesday Trivia with Shalamar of 1980

Jeffrey Daniel, Jody Watley, Howard Hewett - Photo via Getty Images /Michael Ochs

#TuesdayTrivia  #Shalamar "The Second Time Around" The song is the first single from the album, Big Fun featuring the lineup of Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel and Howard Hewett . The single went to number 1 on the soul chart and was Shalamar's most successful hit on the Hot 100 pop chart, reaching number eight in early 1980 "The Second Time Around" also went to Number 1 on the Disco/Dance chart in January 1980. The song was produced by Leon Sylvers III, who cowrote the song with William Shelby.

In 1980, the band made a promotion of "The Second Time Around" for the radio station KJR in Seattle, called "The Sonics Came to Play," dedicated to the Seattle SuperSonics who had won the NBA Championship the previous year.

Supersoul Sunday with Former Shalamar Lead Sydney Justin

Another of the male lead vocalists was Sydney Justin (1985-1991); recording albums (Circumstantial Evidence, Wake Up, the 10th for the music group with many changes) on Solar Records that folded in 1995. Justin was former cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts and is currently the lead vocalist for The Miracles  (The Sound of The Miracles).

SuperSoulSunday Shalamar of 1982 Makes You Feel Good

Shalamar of 1982 with Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel make you feel good, from "Friends" album.

SHALAMAR A Night To Remember In Heavy Rotation on OWN

Shalamar ™ classic hit "A Night To Remember" featuring the classic lineup of Jeffrey Daniel, Jody Watley and Howard Hewett  is in heavy rotation of the OWN, Oprah Winfrey Network as the soundtrack to the upcoming season. This song never gets old.

Shalamar Taking It To The Beginning

Original member Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley with session singer Gary Mumford "Uptown Festival" , 1977

There have many many lineups for  music group Shalamar ™ beginning in 1977, pictured are the first incarnation. 

Don Cornelius formed Soul Train Records along with Dick Griffey (eventual owner and found of Solar Records). The medley of Motown songs "Uptown Festival" quickly became a disco hit, had been recorded by Mumford and other session singers. The single was produced by Simon Soussan. Needing a fast solution to help promote the single and give Shalamar an instant identity Cornelius handpicked popular Soul Train dancers from the iconic show.  JET Magazine in 1980 "Jeffrey and Jody Watley used to be dance partners..when word trickled down in 1977 that Cornelius and producer Dick Griffey wanted to for a vocal/dance group, the popular couple were natural choices. "Jeffrey and Jody were two of the most interesting people on the show," Cornelius reveals. "We thought they would fit in the image we wanted to create for Shalamar, It's just lucky they could sing." he laughs

Mumford wasn't in the lineup long and quickly departed after a few promotional appearances and one photo session.