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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Gonzalez| image =| caption =| image_size = | background = group_or_band| origin = London , England | genre = Rhythm and blues|R& B , funk , Soul music|soul | years_active = 1970–1986| label = EMI , Capitol Records|Capitol | associated_acts = Gass (band)|Gass , Gloria Jones , Freddie King , Hummingbird (band)|Hummingbird , The Olympic Runners | website =| current_members =| past_members = Bobby Tench Lenny Zakatek Robert Ahwai Godfrey McClean Delisle Harper Kuma Harada Lennox Langton Glen LeFleur Geoffrey "Bud" Beadle Roy Davies Mick Eve Gordon Hunte Chris Mercer Colin Jackas Bobby Stignac Larry Steele Viola Wells George Chandler Janice Hoyte Gonzalez were a British people|British Rhythm and blues|R& B and funk musical ensemble|band . They became well known as a backing band for touring R& B, funk and Soul music|soul celebrity|stars . Their eponymous album was released in 1974 and they recorded a total of six albums before disbanding in 1986, cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p17934|pure_url=yes|author=Huey, Steve |title=Gonzalez |publisher=allmusic.com |accessdate=2009-05-01 and are best known for their single (music)|single success with their worldwide Disco hit, "I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet". cite book|title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 hits |author=Whitburn, Joel |publisher=Billboard Books |page=259
History
The original band was formed by Godfrey McLean and Bobby Tench cite web| url= http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/Palladium/2214/btenc_bands.htm|title=Bobby Tench/bands|author=Miguel Terol|publisher=Musicians Olympus at geocities.com| accessdate=2009-05-01|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query? url= http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/Palladium/2214/btenc_bands.htm& date=2009-10-25+18:29:11|archivedate=2009-10-25 in 1970 and included other members of Gass (band)|Gass , cite book|title=Funk |author=Thompson, Dave |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=126
with the line-up of Tench as singer|vocalist and guitarist , drummer Godfrey McLean, bassist Delisle Harper and percussion instrument|percussionist Lennox Langton. At the end of May 1970, Tench left Gonzalez to became a member of The Jeff Beck Group#The second Jeff Beck Group|The Jeff Beck Group cite book|author=Carson, Annette|title=Jeff Beck: Crazy fingers|page=106 and the band formed a new core membership, with saxophone|saxophonists Michael 'Mick' Eve (born 21 December 1937, Walthamstow , East London ), Chris Mercer, Geoffrey "Bud" Beadle (born 27 March 1947), keyboardist Roy Davies and guitarist Gordon Hunte. Later George Chandler, Glen LeFleur and Delisle Harper were included whilst simultaneously members of The Olympic Runners . Vocalist Lenny Zakatek joined in 1974 and they released their first album Gonzalez (1974), which featured a heavy funk sound. cite web|author=Huey, Steve |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p17934|pure_url=yes|title=Gonzalez |publisher=allmusic.com |accessdate=2009-02-12 Our Only Weapon is Our Music (1975) followed, released on EMI 's sister record label|label , Capitol Records|Capitol .cite web |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p17934|pure_url=yes|title=Gonzalez |publisher=allmusic.com |accessdate=2009-02-12
By 1977 they had found an audience among disco enthusiasts, with the Gloria Jones song "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" which reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 . A remix of the song reached #7 on the Hot Dance Club Play|US Club Play record chart|chart and #15 in the UK Singles Chart . cite book| author= David, Roberts | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | page=231 The band's third and fourth albums, Shipwrecked and Move It to the Music were produced by Jones. Eve and Hunte left, before the single "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" was released as an attempt to duplicate the wide appeal of "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet".cite web |author=Huey, Steve |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p17934|pure_url=yes|title=Gonzalez |publisher=allmusic.com |accessdate=2009-02-12
In 1980 and after five years with the band Lenny Zakatek left to sing vocals with The Alan Parsons Project. The band's follow-up singles and their fifth album Watch Your Step , were not successful and the group lost its major record label|label status. Gonzalez then worked with Pye Records and concentrated on live performances, usually backing R& B, funk and soul stars, such as Freddie King . cite web|url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r572196|pure_url=yes|publisher=allmusic.com |title=Freddie King credits |accessdate=2009-02-12
Roy Davies died in 1986 and Gonzalez disbanded.cite web |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p17934|pure_url=yes|author=Huey, Steve |title=Gonzalez |publisher=allmusic.com |accessdate=2009-05-01
Discography
Gonzalez ( EMI ), (1974)
Our Only Weapon Is Our Music ( Capitol Records|Capitol ), (1975)
Shipwrecked (Capitol), (1977)
''Haven't Stopped Dancin' (Capitol), (1979) - reissue of Shipwrecked - US #67
Move it to the Music (Capitol), (1979)
Watch Your Step (Capitol), (1980)
Bibliography
Thompson, Dave. Funk , Backbeat (2001). ISBN 978-0-87930-629-8
Whitburn, Joel. The Book of Top 40 Hits , Billboard Books (2004). Edition 8 (revised). ISBN 978-0-8230-7499-0
Carson, Annette. Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers , Backbeat (2001). ISBN 978-0-87930-632-8
DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Category:Disco groups Category:Musical groups established in 1970 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Category:British funk musical groups Category:British soul musical groups Category:British rhythm and blues musical groups
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