Cameo

Biography

Cameo is an American funk band that formed in 1974. Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo. The group is best known for the title track and "Candy×Candy1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksACandy (album version)5:59B1Candy (remix)5:46B2Don’t Be Lonely5:12" from its 1986 album Word Up!×Word Up!29 August 1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Word Up!4:212Candy5:403Back and Forth6:344Don't Be Lonely5:205She's Mine4:386Fast, Fierce & Funny4:097You Can Have the World4:39
As of the first half of 2009, some of the original members continued to perform together. Two other original members were hired by the hip hop group Outkast. In 2015, Cameo announced a new residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, opening in March 2016. On February 20, 2019, Larry Blackmon of Cameo announced "El Passo", the first new single from the band in 19 years.

1974–1979: Formation and early years

Formed by Larry Blackmon in 1974 as the New York City Players the band was signed by Casablanca Records to its Chocolate City imprint in 1975 as the Players. The band changed its name after notification by Mercury Records that the name "the Players" was too similar to Mercury's signing, Ohio Players. The name Cameo was taken from a brand of cigarettes the band saw in Canada. Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and Gwen Guthrie formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Haras Fyre (also known as Pat Grant) on trombone. They released one self-titled album in 1973 on the independent label Encounter.
Cameo's first album was Cardiac Arrest×Cardiac Arrest29 June 1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Still Feels Good4:21A2Post mortem4:23A3Smile3:55A4Funk Funk4:51B1Find My Way3:39B2Rigor mortis5:25B3Good Times5:03B4Stay by My Side4:25 which included the hit single, "Rigor Mortis×Rigor Mortis1976 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksARigor Mortis3:28BStay by My Side4:25". Follow up albums We All Know Who We Are×We All Know Who We AreFebruary 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Inflation4:53A2C on the Funk4:28A3Why Have I Lost You4:48A4Stand Up3:36B1We All Know Who We Are5:54B2It's Serious8:09B3It's Over4:16, Ugly Ego×Ugly Ego25 September 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1I'll Be With You4:23A2Insane5:01A3Give Love a Chance4:50A4I Want You4:09B1Ugly Ego4:53B2Anything You Wanna Do3:32B3Friend to Me5:13B4Two of Us4:32 and Secret Omen×Secret Omen25 June 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Energy4:24A2I Just Want to Be5:19A3Find My Way9:05B1Macho5:03B2The Rock3:57B3Sparkle4:53B4New York5:02 contained dance floor songs such as "I Just Want to Be" and "It's Serious", the latter of which was used for a dance contest scene in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. The band's debut single, "Find My Way", was a disco song that was used in the film, and was included on the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack. ("Find My Way" was their cover of a 1972 Three Degrees and a 1969 Tymes tune.)
Bassist Aaron Mills joined the band in 1978, after a stint in Donald Byrd's jazz-funk collective N.C.C.U., which toured with Cameo.

1979–1993: Mainstream breakthrough

The 1979 single, "I Just Want to Be", reached number 3 on the Billboard magazine Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and along with the follow-up single, the top 10 R&B ballad "Sparkle", pushed the album Secret Omen×Secret Omen25 June 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Energy4:24A2I Just Want to Be5:19A3Find My Way9:05B1Macho5:03B2The Rock3:57B3Sparkle4:53B4New York5:02 to gold status with sales of over 500,000 copies, the band's first album to achieve this status. Their next album, Cameosis×Cameosis21 April 1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Cameosis4:11A2Shake Your Pants6:24A3Please You4:19B1We're Goin' Out Tonight4:45B2I Care for You4:37B3On the One5:00B4Why Have I Lost You5:14, came out in 1980 and also achieved gold status thanks in large part to the funk classic "Shake Your Pants×Shake Your PantsJuly 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAShake Your Pants4:01BI Care for You4:34", the mid-tempo single "We're Goin' Out Tonight", and the ballad "Why Have I Lost You" (a re-recording of a song from their 1978 album We All Know Who We Are×We All Know Who We AreFebruary 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Inflation4:53A2C on the Funk4:28A3Why Have I Lost You4:48A4Stand Up3:36B1We All Know Who We Are5:54B2It's Serious8:09B3It's Over4:16). It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart. Their second album of 1980, Feel Me×Feel Me6 October 1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Throw It Down5:48A2Your Love Takes Me Out6:40A3Keep It Hot4:45B1Feel Me6:09B2Is This The Way6:05B3Roller Skates4:40B4Better Days4:09, 1981's Knights of the Sound Table×Knights of the Sound Table18 May 1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Knights by Nights3:30A2Freaky Dancin'5:20A3I Never Knew4:34A4Use It or Lose It4:06B1The Sound Table3:28B2Don't Be So Cool4:23B3I'll Always Stay3:52B4I Like It4:21 and 1982's Alligator Woman×Alligator Woman22 March 1982 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Be Yourself4:06A2Soul Army4:13A3Flirt4:15A4Enjoy Your Life4:33B1Alligator Woman3:42B2Secrets of Time2:52B3I Owe It All to You2:52B4For You3:39 also went gold and saw the band playing up their eclectic style. Band members Aaron Mills, Thomas "TC" Campbell and Jeryl Bright briefly left the band in 1983 to form a spinoff group called MCB. The band released She's Strange in 1984, which performed well and hit number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and 26 on the Billboard 200. The album's title track, eponymous single became the band's first number 1 R&B hit, as well as their first charting pop single; reaching number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1985's album Single Life×Single Life30 May 1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Attack Me With Your Love4:312Single Life6:353I’ve Got Your Image4:494A Good‐Bye5:435I’ll Never Look for Love4:556Urban Warrior4:577Little Boys ‐ Dangerous Toys5:05, featuring the title track and "Attack Me with Your Love", hit number 2 on the Top R&B chart. The single "Word Up!×Word Up!29 August 1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Word Up!4:212Candy5:403Back and Forth6:344Don't Be Lonely5:205She's Mine4:386Fast, Fierce & Funny4:097You Can Have the World4:39" was released in 1986 and reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, plus number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's biggest single on the pop chart. The follow-up single "Candy×Candy1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksACandy (album version)5:59B1Candy (remix)5:46B2Don’t Be Lonely5:12" reached number 1 R&B and 21 pop, while their next release, "Back and Forth×Back and Forth1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Back and Forth (12″ club remix)6:20A2Back and Forth (7″ version)3:47B1Back and Forth (dub mix)6:01B2You Can Have the World4:36", went to number 3 R&B and number 50 pop. Meanwhile, the accompanying album also hit numbers 8 and 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B charts respectively, becoming their highest-charting album.
Two years later, Cameo released Machismo to mixed critical reviews and dropped to chart at numbers 10 and 56 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively. Cameo then followed up with 1990's Real Men... Wear Black and 1992's Emotional Violence. The previous release was followed by two compilation albums in between the time of their next recording.

1994–2000: Later years

In 1994, In the Face of Funk was released on the band's independent label and hit 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. This album was then followed by a six-year unofficial hiatus with several compilation releases, until the next album Sexy Sweet Thing×Sexy Sweet Thing18 April 2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Sexy Sweet Thing4:192Antidote4:433I Wake Up4:324She Wants Some More4:085Time For Love4:056Your Love4:317Same Dream3:378You Make Me Crazy5:209Another Crazy Day (Interlude)2:2010Ready For Love5:3111Pre Rolled Blunt4:2812Special Love1:5613Baby Its You5:27 in 2000. The album hit 64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and is their most recent charting release.

2001–2015: Inactivity/unofficial hiatus

In 2001, a sample from the band's single "Candy×Candy1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksACandy (album version)5:59B1Candy (remix)5:46B2Don’t Be Lonely5:12" was used in the Mariah Carey single "Loverboy". The song hit number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Blackmon was given a co-songwriting credit.
These years saw a great period of inactivity and unofficial hiatus, in which time six compilation albums were released. The compilation albums released in this period were, in chronological order: The Hits Collection×The Hits Collection23 February 1998 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Word Up4:182She’s Strange3:463Candy4:074Rigor mortis3:145Attack Me With Your Love4:076Sparkle4:507She’s Mine4:358Just Be Yourself4:039Freaky Dancin’5:2010A Goodbye4:2411Post mortem3:3612Keep It Hot4:3913I Just Want to Be5:1514Flirt4:0515You Make Me Work4:4216Shake Your Pants6:1817Single Life4:0118Back and Forth3:48 (2000), 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cameo (2001), Anthology (2002), Classic Cameo (2003), The Best of Cameo (2004), Gold (2005) and The Definitive Collection (2006).

2016–present: Recent years

In March 2016, Cameo began a year-long Las Vegas residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. In 2019, their single "Candy×Candy1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksACandy (album version)5:59B1Candy (remix)5:46B2Don’t Be Lonely5:12" was interpolated by Beyoncé for her cover of fellow R&B group Maze's song "Before I Let Go", featured in her film and accompanying live album Homecoming.

Associated members

Kevin Kendrick, Jeff Nelson, Willie Morris, Anthony Lockett and Aaron Mills continue to tour with Cameo as well as other artists. Kevin Kendrick and Aaron Mills have both worked with Outkast, playing on their singles "Ms. Jackson" (2000) and "Prototype" (2003), among other tracks. Ex-Cameo vocalist John Kellogg became an entertainment lawyer, representing such artists as the O'Jays, Gerald Levert and LSG. He also pursued a career in music industry higher education, becoming Assistant Chair of the Music Business/Management department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Gregory B. Johnson has released two CDs on his own label, Allspice Record Co.—in 2007 A New Hip, which is a smooth Jazz CD, and in 2012 Funk Funk (Just for a Little Time), an urban funk CD.

Style

Cameo began as a horn-oriented funk band in the 1970s, influenced by Parliament-Funkadelic. By the 1980s, Cameo expanded their sound with influences from pop, hip hop, rock and reggae, and placed more emphasis on keyboards and drum machines.