Atlantic Starr
Also known asNewban
OriginWhite Plains, New York, U.S.
GenresR&B, soul
Years active1976–present
LabelsA&M, Warner Bros., Arista
MembersWayne Lewis
Jonathan Lewis
Shammah Carter
Melessa Pierce
Past membersDuke Jones (left before initial recordings)
Sharon Bryant
William Sudderth
Damon Rentie
Porter Carroll
Clifford Archer
Joseph Phillips
David Lewis
Barbara Weathers
Porscha Martin
Rachel Oliver
Koran Daniels
Aisha Tanner
DeWayne Woods
James Turner
L' John Epps
Websitewww.instagram.com/atlanticstarrband

Atlantic Starr is an American rhythm and blues band based in White Plains, New York.[1] They are best known for the hits "Always", "Secret Lovers", "Circles", and "Masterpiece".[2]

History

Atlantic Starr began in Greenburgh, New York with trumpeter Duke Jones (who left the band prior to their first recordings), drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flautist Joseph Phillips, Sheldon Tucker (guitar; parted ways with the band before the first recordings), and three brothers: David Lewis (vocals/guitar), Wayne Lewis (keyboards and vocals), and Jonathan Lewis (percussion and trombone). The band's membership eventually stabilized around Carroll, Archer, Phillips, the three Lewis brothers, lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), trumpeter William Sudderth III, and saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was later replaced by Koran Daniels).[3]

In 1977, the band came to Westwood, California, and performed on the nightclub scene under the name "Newban," which they agreed to change at the request of A&M Records executive Herb Alpert when they were signed. Having already agreed to keep the Starr part of an early idea for a new band name, the members decided to add the word Atlantic, because of their East Coast roots. The nine-member band were now A&M employees.[3]

Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Atlantic Starr scored several hits on the R&B charts. However, significant crossover success (onto the pop charts) did not come until halfway into the 1980s, with the release of their album As the Band Turns (their last on A&M Records), and the single "Secret Lovers".[3] By this time, the band had pared itself down to a quintet, consisting of the three Lewis brothers, Phillips, and Weathers. In 1987 (after signing to Warner Bros. Records), the band solidified their pop success by scoring a No. 1 pop (and R&B) hit with "Always", a love ballad off their album All in the Name of Love.[3] Following this success, Weathers left for a solo career, and she was replaced by Porscha Martin for the band's next album, 1989's We're Movin' Up.[3] Although this album was not quite as successful as its predecessors, it did produce another No. 1 R&B hit with "My First Love."[2]

The band continued to score hits on both the R&B and Pop charts into the early 1990s. 1991 saw the introduction of yet another new female lead singer, when Martin was replaced by Miss Black America 1986, Rachel Oliver, for the album, Love Crazy.[1] This album featured the band's biggest hit of the 1990s, with "Masterpiece" reaching No. 3 on both the pop and R&B charts in early 1992.[2] The group toured to Japan in 1992 with yet another female vocalist at the helm, Crystal Blake, a studio vocalist for Stevie Wonder who had also sung the female lead parts on the minor hit title track for Eddie Murphy's How Could It Be album and Young MC's "Bust a Move."

Following the release of Love Crazy, Atlantic Starr's relationship with Warner Bros. Records dissolved, and in 1994, the band recorded one album for Arista: Time. That album was a commercial disappointment and the single "I'll Remember You" only made it to the fifties on Billboard's R&B and pop singles charts.[1] Time (which was David Lewis' last album with the band) found a fifth female singer, Aisha Tanner, replacing Oliver. And when 1999's Legacy was distributed by the small, independent Street Solid label,[4] Atlantic Starr unveiled yet another lineup—one that consisted of two Lewis Brothers (Wayne and Jonathan) as well as Oliver (who had returned and replaced Tanner) and a new male singer named DeWayne Woods.[1] Although Legacy received little attention, Atlantic Starr still continues to perform today and released their 14th album, Metamorphosis in 2017, featuring L'john Epps and Melessa Pierce.[5]

Original members

After leaving Atlantic Starr, original drummer and founding bandmember Porter Carroll Jr. released a self-titled solo album (Porter Carroll II) in 1986. This album featured contributions from several prominent musicians, including Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, and former Starr bandmate Sharon Bryant. He has continued to do session work since that time, and is currently playing percussion in Daryl Hall's live band.

Following her exit from Atlantic Starr, singer Bryant embarked on a solo career and released an album in 1989, scoring several big hits on the R&B charts, as well as a minor Pop hit from the project.[6]

Original saxophonist Damon Rentie went on to a solo career of his own, releasing his first solo album, Designated Hitter in 1985. His second and third solo albums followed in each successive year (1986 and 1987, respectively). He had also previously done session work with DeBarge.

Original trumpeter William Sudderth continues to follow an active schedule in the music business, performing in many diverse settings and having become one of the most sought-after horn players in the industry.[7]

Cameos

In April 1992, Atlantic Starr appeared as themselves on an episode of the daytime soap opera Another World. They sang at local nightspot Sassy's during the episode.[8]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Record label
US Pop
[9]		 US
R&B
[10]		 CAN
[11]		 NZ
[12]		 UK
[13]
1978 Atlantic Starr 67 21 — — — A&M
1979 Straight to the Point 142 65 — — —
1981 Radiant 47 5 — — —
1982 Brilliance 18 1 — — —
1983 Yours Forever 91 10 — — —
1985 As the Band Turns 17 3 41 26 64
1987 All in the Name of Love 18 4 23 34 48 Warner Bros.
1989 We're Movin' Up 125 26 — — —
1991 Love Crazy 134 25 — — — Reprise
1994 Time — 80 — — — Arista
1998 All Because of You — — — — — SoundAsia EX
1999 Legacy — — — — — Street Solid
2017 Metamorphosis — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

  • Secret Lovers: The Best of Atlantic Starr (1986, A&M)
  • Classics, Vol. 10 (1987, A&M)
  • Always - The Very Best Of (1993, Tusk Music Co. (Pty) Ltd.)
  • Greatest Hits (1997, Dominion)
  • Ultimate Collection (2000, Hip-O)
  • 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection - The Best of Atlantic Starr (2001, A&M)
  • Secret Lovers (2006, KRB Music Companies)
  • Newban and Newban 2 (2012 BBE Records)
  • The Best of Atlantic Starr (2015, MMT)

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Album
US Pop
[15]		 US
R&B
[16]		 US
Dan
[17]		 US
A/C
[18]		 CAN
[11]		 NZ
[12]		 UK
[13]
1978 "Stand Up" — 16 26 — — — — Atlantic Starr
"Gimme Your Lovin'" — — — — — — 66
"Keep It Comin'" — 49 — — — — —
1979 "(Let's) Rock 'n' Roll" — 46 — — — — — Straight to the Point
"Kissin' Power" — — — — — — —
"Losin' You" — — — — — — —
1981 "When Love Calls" — 5 80 — — — — Radiant
"Send for Me" — 16 — — — — —
"Think About That" — — — — — — —
1982 "Circles" 38 2 9 — — — — Brilliance
"Love Me Down" — 14 — — — — —
"Perfect Love" — 32 — — — — —
"Your Love Finally Ran Out" — — — — — — —
1983 "Touch a Four Leaf Clover" 87 4 — — — — — Yours Forever
"Yours Forever" — — — — — — —
1984 "More, More, More" — 11 — — — — —
"Second to None" — 50 — — — — —
1985 "Freak-A-Ristic" 90 6 — — — 38 — As the Band Turns
"Cool, Calm, Collected" — 33 — — — — —
"Silver Shadow" — 13 — — — — 41
"One Love" — — — — — — 58
"Secret Lovers" 3 4 — 1 1 8 10
1986 "If Your Heart Isn't in It" 57 4 — 11 66 — 48
"In the Heat of Passion" — — — — — — —
"Silver Shadow" (re-release) — — — — — — 98
"Armed and Dangerous" — 86 — — — — — Armed and Dangerous (soundtrack)
1987 "Always" 1 1 — 1 1 17 3 All in the Name of Love
"One Lover at a Time" 58 10 16 — — — 57
"All in the Name of Love" — 51 — — — — —
1988 "Thankful" — 65 — — — — —
"Let the Sun In" — — 28 — — — 79
1989 "My First Love" — 1 — — — — — We're Movin' Up
"My Sugar" — 27 — — — — —
"Bring It Back Home Again" — — — — — — —
1991 "Love Crazy" 75 7 — — — — — Love Crazy
"Masterpiece" 3 3 — 2 15 — —
"Unconditional Love" — 38 — — — — —
1994 "I'll Remember You" 55 58 — 32 43 — — Time
"Everybody's Got Summer" — — — — — — 36
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Henderson, Alex. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Atlantic Starr Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  4. ↑ "Atlantic Starr Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Metamorphosis by Atlantic Starr on Amazon Music". Amazon.
  6. ↑ "Sharon Bryant Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Atlantic Starr - original and former member William Sudderth - interviewed by Black Pinoy". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Another World: Celebrity Guest Stars". Anotherworldhomepage.com. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Atlantic Starr (RPM Charts)". bac-lac.gc.ca. RPM. July 17, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "NZ Charts > Atlantic Starr". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Atlantic Starr - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. 1 2 3 "Atlantic Starr". riaa.com. Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Hot 100)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Hot Dance Club Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Atlantic Starr (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Atlantic Starr: Always". bpi.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry.
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