Sideshow (song)
Encyclopedia
"Sideshow" is a song recorded by American R&B
soul
vocal quintet
Blue Magic
, released in 1974. It was first released on the album Blue Magic and when issued as a single it sold over a million copies, going to #1 R&B and #8 pop in the United States in the summer of 1974. It was covered as a reggae version by Barry Biggs
who reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart
in December 1976. It has also been covered by Ray, Goodman & Brown
.
and Bobby Eli
(both collaborated on another Philly soul ballad "Love Won't Let Me Wait
" by former Delfonics
member Major Harris
.), when record producer
and guitarist
Norman Harris
heard "Sideshow", he said that should be recorded by Blue Magic. It was released on the album Blue Magic
, became one of pop music's most affecting ballads and sold over a million copies, going to number one R&B and number eight pop in the summer of 1974.. The follow-up was the similarly themed "Three Ring Circus".
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...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
vocal quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
Blue Magic
Blue Magic (band)
Blue Magic is an American soul music group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, they were originally composed of lead Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt...
, released in 1974. It was first released on the album Blue Magic and when issued as a single it sold over a million copies, going to #1 R&B and #8 pop in the United States in the summer of 1974. It was covered as a reggae version by Barry Biggs
Barry Biggs
Barry Biggs is a reggae singer, best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song, "Sideshow", which got to #3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1976.-Career:...
who reached #3 on 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 ...
in December 1976. It has also been covered by Ray, Goodman & Brown
Ray, Goodman & Brown
Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
.
Song
A visit into an antique museum was the inspiration to write a romance metaphor, which took about four months to finish. Composed by Vinnie BarrettVinnie Barrett
Vinnie Barrett is an American Songwriter and Musician from Washington, DC.-Career:Gwen Graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington, DC. She studied music at Howard University and The University of the District of Columbia...
and Bobby Eli
Bobby Eli
Bobby Eli is a Grammy Award winning musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia, USA. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio group MFSB.-Biography:...
(both collaborated on another Philly soul ballad "Love Won't Let Me Wait
Love Won't Let Me Wait
"Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists and was Harris' only entry into the top five on both the soul and pop charts...
" by former Delfonics
The Delfonics
The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "...
member Major Harris
Major Harris (singer)
Major Harris is an American R&B singer, associated with the Philadelphia soul sound.-Career:...
.), when 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...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Norman Harris
Norman Harris
Norman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
heard "Sideshow", he said that should be recorded by Blue Magic. It was released on the album Blue Magic
Blue Magic (album)
Blue Magic is the self-titled debut album by American soul group Blue Magic, produced by Norman Harris and released in 1974 on the Atco label.-History:...
, became one of pop music's most affecting ballads and sold over a million copies, going to number one R&B and number eight pop in the summer of 1974.. The follow-up was the similarly themed "Three Ring Circus".