Carrie Lucas
Encyclopedia
Carrie Lucas, is an American
female R&B
musician
, born in Carmel, California
. In 1976 she was signed to Soul Train Records
. Lucas made six albums over seven years with Soul Train and Solar Records
.
singles
from Lucas's first album
, Simply Carrie
, released in 1977. "I Gotta Keep Dancing" peaked at number #64 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1977.
Lucas' second album Street Corner Symphony
was released in 1978. It featured The Whispers
as backing vocalist
s. A single from the LP, of the same name was a homage to the 1960s doo-wop
groups
. The album was released on the record producer
Dick Griffey
's Solar Records label
.
In 1979 Lucas released Carrie Lucas in Danceland
. Griffey brought in Jody Watley
(Shalamar
) for background vocals
, Lakeside
(co-producers and backgrounds) and Walter and Wallace Scott (The Whispers) for backgrounds. Organist
Kossi Gardner (1941–2009) wrote
(and played on) the hit "Dance With You", which propelled the album to #37 in the U.S
Dance Album
chart
. "Dance With You" gave Lucas her only appearance in the UK Singles Chart
, where it peaked at #40. 1980's Portrait of Carrie
was less commercially successful, although it did spawn three modest hit singles. The first 12"
was a reworking of her first hit, re-titled as "Keep Smilin'." This was followed by "It's Not What You Got (It's How You Use It)" and "Career Girl." Griffey shared production duties with Leon Sylvers and Gardner.
Lucas' next release was in 1982 and entitled, Still In Love. It was recorded
and released under the banner of Solar Records and distributed by Elektra/Asylum. The album produced two 12" singles, "Men" and the more successful "Show Me Where You're Coming From." Sheila E.
co-wrote the album's title track.
Her most recent album was released in 1985. "Horsin' Around" spawned four 12" singles; "Charlie," "Horsin' Around," "Summer In The Street" and "Hello Stranger." Her cover version
of Barbara Lewis
' "Hello Stranger" reached #20 on the US
Billboard
R&B
chart.
Lucas' last known recording was an appearance on the 1990 soundtrack
to Lambada: Set The Night On Fire. She performed the song "I Like the Rhythm." Lucas is now married to Griffey and decided to retire from the music industry and concentrate on married life and her horses. Carrie Lucas is also the mother of Carolyn Griffey
.
Unidisc Records in Canada
has released a Greatest Hits package that contains most of her 12" mixes in 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
female R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, born in Carmel, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1976 she was signed to Soul Train Records
Soul Train Records
When Soul Train creator Don Cornelius & his partner Dick Griffey launched Soul Train Records in 1975, they had one smashing group of their own called The Soul Train Gang...
. Lucas made six albums over seven years with Soul Train and Solar Records
SOLAR Records
S.O.L.A.R. Records was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius.-Company history:In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey and...
.
Career
"I Gotta Keep Dancing" and "Gotta Get Away From Your Love" were the two hitHit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Lucas's first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Simply Carrie
Simply Carrie
Simply Carrie is the debut album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1977 on the Soul Train Records label.-Track listing:#"I Gotta Keep Dancin'"#"Me for You"#"Play by Your Rule"#"Tender"#"Jammin' Tenderly "...
, released in 1977. "I Gotta Keep Dancing" peaked at number #64 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1977.
Lucas' second album Street Corner Symphony
Street Corner Symphony (album)
Street Corner Symphony is the second album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1978 on the SOLAR Records label.-Track listing:#"Street Corner Symphony" 6:12#"But My Heart Says No" 4:02#"Tic Toc" 4:17#"The Depths of My Soul" 3:38#"The Edge of Night" 6:13...
was released in 1978. It featured The Whispers
The Whispers
The Whispers are a long-established R&B-dance vocal group from Los Angeles, California, with a consistent track record of hit records dating back to the late 1960s.-Career:...
as backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s. A single from the LP, of the same name was a homage to the 1960s doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
groups
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. The album was released on the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Dick Griffey
Dick Griffey
Richard Gilbert "Dick" Griffey was an American record producer and promoter who founded SOLAR Records, an acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records", which played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s...
's Solar Records label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
In 1979 Lucas released Carrie Lucas in Danceland
Carrie Lucas In Danceland
Carrie Lucas In Danceland is the third album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1979 on the SOLAR Records label.- Track listing :# "Danceland" 6:54# "Sometimes a Love Goes Wrong" 4:09# "Are You Dancing" 6:19# "Dance with You" 6:36...
. Griffey brought in Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
(Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
) for background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, Lakeside
Lakeside
-Australia:*Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia*Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria*Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Queensland*Lakeside Mental Hospital, formerly known as Ballarat Lunatic Asylum, Ballarat, Victoria...
(co-producers and backgrounds) and Walter and Wallace Scott (The Whispers) for backgrounds. Organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Kossi Gardner (1941–2009) wrote
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(and played on) the hit "Dance With You", which propelled the album to #37 in the U.S
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Dance Album
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. "Dance With You" gave Lucas her only appearance in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, where it peaked at #40. 1980's Portrait of Carrie
Portrait of Carrie Lucas
Portrait Of Carrie is the fourth album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1980 on the SOLAR Records label.-Track listing:#"It's Not What You Got " 6:26#"Lovin' Is on My Mind" 4:07#"Career Girl" 6:52#"Use It or Lose It" 4:44...
was less commercially successful, although it did spawn three modest hit singles. The first 12"
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was a reworking of her first hit, re-titled as "Keep Smilin'." This was followed by "It's Not What You Got (It's How You Use It)" and "Career Girl." Griffey shared production duties with Leon Sylvers and Gardner.
Lucas' next release was in 1982 and entitled, Still In Love. It was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and released under the banner of Solar Records and distributed by Elektra/Asylum. The album produced two 12" singles, "Men" and the more successful "Show Me Where You're Coming From." Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
co-wrote the album's title track.
Her most recent album was released in 1985. "Horsin' Around" spawned four 12" singles; "Charlie," "Horsin' Around," "Summer In The Street" and "Hello Stranger." Her cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis , is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.-Career:Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan...
' "Hello Stranger" reached #20 on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
Lucas' last known recording was an appearance on the 1990 soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to Lambada: Set The Night On Fire. She performed the song "I Like the Rhythm." Lucas is now married to Griffey and decided to retire from the music industry and concentrate on married life and her horses. Carrie Lucas is also the mother of Carolyn Griffey
Carolyn Griffey
Carolyn Griffey is an American female soul vocalist, and member of the soul funk group Shalamar. She is the daughter of Carrie Lucas and Solar Records boss Dick Griffey, who worked with Don Cornelius in the television program, Soul Train....
.
Unidisc Records in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
has released a Greatest Hits package that contains most of her 12" mixes in 1999.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||
| 1977 | Simply Carrie Simply Carrie Simply Carrie is the debut album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1977 on the Soul Train Records label.-Track listing:#"I Gotta Keep Dancin'"#"Me for You"#"Play by Your Rule"#"Tender"#"Jammin' Tenderly "... |
183 | — | Soul Train Records Soul Train Records When Soul Train creator Don Cornelius & his partner Dick Griffey launched Soul Train Records in 1975, they had one smashing group of their own called The Soul Train Gang... |
| 1978 | Street Corner Symphony Street Corner Symphony (album) Street Corner Symphony is the second album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1978 on the SOLAR Records label.-Track listing:#"Street Corner Symphony" 6:12#"But My Heart Says No" 4:02#"Tic Toc" 4:17#"The Depths of My Soul" 3:38#"The Edge of Night" 6:13... |
— | — | SOLAR SOLAR Records S.O.L.A.R. Records was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius.-Company history:In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey and... |
| 1979 | Carrie Lucas In Danceland Carrie Lucas In Danceland Carrie Lucas In Danceland is the third album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1979 on the SOLAR Records label.- Track listing :# "Danceland" 6:54# "Sometimes a Love Goes Wrong" 4:09# "Are You Dancing" 6:19# "Dance with You" 6:36... |
119 | 37 | |
| 1980 | Portrait of Carrie Portrait of Carrie Lucas Portrait Of Carrie is the fourth album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1980 on the SOLAR Records label.-Track listing:#"It's Not What You Got " 6:26#"Lovin' Is on My Mind" 4:07#"Career Girl" 6:52#"Use It or Lose It" 4:44... |
185 | 57 | |
| 1982 | Still In Love Still In Love (album) Still In Love is the fifth album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1982 on the SOLAR Records label.-Track listing:#"Show Me Where You're Coming From"#"Sweet Love"#"Men"#"Is It a Dream?"#"Rockin' for Your Love"#"Dreamer"#"Still in Love"-Album:... |
80 | 13 | |
| 1984 | Horsin' Around Horsin' Around Horsin' Around is the sixth album and final album by Carrie Lucas. Released in 1984 on the Constellation label.-Track listing:#"Summer In The Street"#"Charlie"#"Goin' In Circles"#"Horsin' Around"#"Hello Stranger"#"Let's Keep Dancing"... |
— | 40 | Constellation |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1977 | "I Gotta Keep Dancin'" | 64 | 44 | 2 |
| 1979 | "Dance with You" | 70 | 27 | 6 |
| 1980 | "I Gotta Keep Dancin' (Keep Smiling)" | — | — | 10 |
| "It's Not What You Got (It's How You Use It)" | — | 74 | — | |
| 1981 | "Career Girl" | — | 55 | — |
| 1982 | "Show Me Where You're Coming From" | — | 82 | — |
| 1985 | "Hello Stranger" | — | 20 | — |