Starbuck (band)
Encyclopedia
Starbuck was a rock band
formed in Atlanta, Georgia
in 1974 by keyboardist
/vocalist/record producer
Bruce Blackman and marimba
player Bo Wagner. Both Blackman and Wagner, along with guitarist Johnny Walker, had previous success with Mississippi-based "sunshine pop" group Eternity's Children, scoring a Billboard Hot 100
hit with "Mrs. Bluebird" in the summer of 1968.
Starbuck's debut single
, "Moonlight Feels Right", reached the #3 position on the Billboard Hot 100
singles charts
in 1976. Although the band never re-created the success of their debut, several of their songs did chart in the Billboard Top 100 and their 1977 release "Everybody Be Dancin'" reached #38.
From 1976 to 1980, the band toured with popular groups of the era including ELO
, KC & the Sunshine Band, Hall & Oates
and Boston
. TV appearances included The Midnight Special
, American Bandstand
, The Merv Griffin Show
, Dinah!
, The Mike Douglas Show
and Solid Gold
.
Singles
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
formed in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1974 by keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
/vocalist/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...
Bruce Blackman and marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
player Bo Wagner. Both Blackman and Wagner, along with guitarist Johnny Walker, had previous success with Mississippi-based "sunshine pop" group Eternity's Children, scoring a 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...
hit with "Mrs. Bluebird" in the summer of 1968.
Starbuck's debut single
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...
, "Moonlight Feels Right", reached the #3 position 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...
singles charts
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 1976. Although the band never re-created the success of their debut, several of their songs did chart in the Billboard Top 100 and their 1977 release "Everybody Be Dancin'" reached #38.
From 1976 to 1980, the band toured with popular groups of the era including ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, KC & the Sunshine Band, Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
and Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
. TV appearances included The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
, American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
, Dinah!
Dinah!
Dinah! is a daytime talk show hosted by singer and actress Dinah Shore, which aired in American syndication markets through 20th Century Fox Television from its premiere on September 9, 1974 until the summer of 1980...
, The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
and Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
.
Discography
Albums- 1976 Moonlight Feels Right (78 Billboard Album Chart)
- 1977 Rock and Roll Rocket (182 Billboard Album Chart)
- 1978 Searching For A Thrill
Singles
- 1976 Moonlight Feels Right (3 Billboard Singles Chart, 2 Adult Contemporary Chart)
- 1976 I Got To Know (43 Billboard Singles Chart)
- 1976 Lucky Man (73 Billboard Singles Chart)
- 1977 Everybody Be Dancin (38 Billboard Singles Chart)
- 1978 Searching For A Thrill (58 Billboard Singles Chart)
External links
- Moonlight Feels Right (Bruce Blackman's official Starbuck site)
- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1421547034385&set=a.1421526793879.42059.1703996793 (Photo of Starbuck 1976-1977)
- Zoogster Costumes (Bruce Blackman's Halloween Costume site)