The Busboys
Encyclopedia
The BusBoys are a musical group known for playing rock 'n' roll with a bar band, boogie woogie flavor.
(guitar), and Steve Felix (drums). All of the original band's members were African-American except Felix, who is of Hispanic heritage.
The group is best known for their appearance in the 1982 film 48 Hrs.
, in which they performed their songs "New Shoes" and "The Boys Are Back in Town" (the latter song is also heard during the closing credits). The band opened for the film's costar, comedian Eddie Murphy
, during his subsequent Delirious
standup comedy tour—during which he referred to them throughout the program—including an hour-long special that aired on HBO. On January 29, 1983, the BusBoys were also musical guests on an episode of Saturday Night Live
hosted by Murphy.
A follow-up song, "Cleanin' Up the Town," written for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Ghostbusters
, was a minor hit for the group, reaching #68 on Billboard
s Hot 100 Singles chart in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy award.
The BusBoys' first two albums on Arista Records, Minimum Wage Rock & Roll and American Worker, both reached the Billboard 200
chart.
On February 29, 1988, they released a third album entitled Money Don't Make No Man with a more synth-funk feel. The track "Never Giving Up" featured Eddie Murphy
prominently during the chorus. Murphy also appeared in the music video to support the album release and the song release. The music video was shot at "The Palace," which is now known as "Avalon,"
on Vine Street in Hollywood, across the street from Capital Records. The music video was directed by legendary director Wayne Isham
.
The band replaced Louderman and Jones with keyboardists Andy Kapner (a.k.a. Andrew Kapner, DrewK) and Bill Steinway. Kapner, being a 16-year-old high school student, was unable to tour in 1985, and Mike Radi was brought in to play keyboards for the road shows. Greg French also replaced Kevin O'Neal on bass, although both O'Neal and Louderman are credited as additional musicians. The BusBoys toured extensively with this line up, appearing with prominent acts such as Linda Ronstadt
, Brian Setzer
and The Stray Cats, and ZZ Top
. Their many TV appearances included American Bandstand
, Soul Train
, and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
.
Leon has been a member of Sha Na Na
for over 15 years, and Johnson is currently the lead guitarist for Sammy Hagar
.
In 2000, they released their fourth album, (Boys Are) Back in Town, which featured rerecorded versions of their two popular songs from 48 Hrs. It was the first time that the title track had been made available on one of the band's CDs. Gus Louderman (vocals) returned to the band's line-up, along with two new members, Kenny Tomlin (bass) and Jorge Evans (guitar). Brian O'Neil commented in an interview with Songfacts that, "for almost 20 years it was probably the most famous song in the history of America that had never been released."
. In addition, their song "Did You See Me," was used to promote the NFL Re-Play series on the NFL Network
in 2006 and 2007.
After several years out of the limelight, The BusBoys made an appearance on ABC TV
during the Capital One Bowl
on New Years Day 2005 under their new name, "Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys." And in early 2006, they began releasing tracks from their new music project, Sex, Love and Rock & Roll, via digital download. The full album was to be released in CD form in late 2007.
In July 2007, the band announced on its web site that they were at work on a documentary film, The Story of Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys, directed by Ruth Robinson.
Minimum Wage Rock & Roll (Released on Arista Records
, 1980)
American Worker (released on Arista Records, 1982)
Money Don't Make No Man (Released on Rattlesnake Venom Records, 1988)
(Boys Are) Back in Town (Released on Rattlesnake Venom Records, 2000)
Amazon.com BusBoys Page
Overview
Formed in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, the original lineup featured brothers Brian O'Neal (keyboards, vocals) and Kevin O'Neal (bass, vocals), Gus Louderman (vocals), Mike Jones (keyboards, vocals), Vic JohnsonVic Johnson (musician)
Vic Johnson is a rock guitarist best known for playing guitar with The Busboys and later with Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas.-Biography:Vic Johnson grew up with music and was influenced by Jimi Hendrix. He soon began playing guitar and played in several bands throughout high school around the...
(guitar), and Steve Felix (drums). All of the original band's members were African-American except Felix, who is of Hispanic heritage.
The group is best known for their appearance in the 1982 film 48 Hrs.
48 Hrs.
48 Hrs. is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and convict, respectively, who team up to catch a cop-killer. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime. This was Eddie Murphy's film debut , and Joel...
, in which they performed their songs "New Shoes" and "The Boys Are Back in Town" (the latter song is also heard during the closing credits). The band opened for the film's costar, comedian Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
, during his subsequent Delirious
Eddie Murphy Delirious
Delirious is a stand-up comedy television special starring Eddie Murphy. The 70-minute show, released in 1983, showcases his most racy material. The word "fuck" is used a total of 230 times, and "shit" is used 171 times. It was recorded on August 17, 1983 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.....
standup comedy tour—during which he referred to them throughout the program—including an hour-long special that aired on HBO. On January 29, 1983, the BusBoys were also musical guests on an episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
hosted by Murphy.
A follow-up song, "Cleanin' Up the Town," written for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
, was a minor hit for the group, reaching #68 on 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...
s Hot 100 Singles chart in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy award.
The BusBoys' first two albums on Arista Records, Minimum Wage Rock & Roll and American Worker, both reached the Billboard 200
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...
chart.
On February 29, 1988, they released a third album entitled Money Don't Make No Man with a more synth-funk feel. The track "Never Giving Up" featured Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
prominently during the chorus. Murphy also appeared in the music video to support the album release and the song release. The music video was shot at "The Palace," which is now known as "Avalon,"
Avalon Hollywood
Avalon is a historic night club and music venue in Hollywood, California, located near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, at 1735 N. Vine Street...
on Vine Street in Hollywood, across the street from Capital Records. The music video was directed by legendary director Wayne Isham
Wayne Isham
Wayne Isham is an American music video director who has directed music videos of many popular artists; such as Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Roxette, Mötley Crüe, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Whitesnake, David Cook, Simple Plan, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys,...
.
The band replaced Louderman and Jones with keyboardists Andy Kapner (a.k.a. Andrew Kapner, DrewK) and Bill Steinway. Kapner, being a 16-year-old high school student, was unable to tour in 1985, and Mike Radi was brought in to play keyboards for the road shows. Greg French also replaced Kevin O'Neal on bass, although both O'Neal and Louderman are credited as additional musicians. The BusBoys toured extensively with this line up, appearing with prominent acts such as Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
and The Stray Cats, and ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
. Their many TV appearances included 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...
, Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
, and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
.
Leon has been a member of Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
for over 15 years, and Johnson is currently the lead guitarist for Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
.
In 2000, they released their fourth album, (Boys Are) Back in Town, which featured rerecorded versions of their two popular songs from 48 Hrs. It was the first time that the title track had been made available on one of the band's CDs. Gus Louderman (vocals) returned to the band's line-up, along with two new members, Kenny Tomlin (bass) and Jorge Evans (guitar). Brian O'Neil commented in an interview with Songfacts that, "for almost 20 years it was probably the most famous song in the history of America that had never been released."
Comeback
The band has enjoyed a rebirth in large part to the popular use of "The Boys Are Back In Town" in various television sports programming. The track has served as the theme for the NBA and Fox Sports Network's coverage of Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. In addition, their song "Did You See Me," was used to promote the NFL Re-Play series on the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
in 2006 and 2007.
After several years out of the limelight, The BusBoys made an appearance on ABC TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
during the Capital One Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
on New Years Day 2005 under their new name, "Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys." And in early 2006, they began releasing tracks from their new music project, Sex, Love and Rock & Roll, via digital download. The full album was to be released in CD form in late 2007.
In July 2007, the band announced on its web site that they were at work on a documentary film, The Story of Brian O'Neal and The BusBoys, directed by Ruth Robinson.
Minimum Wage Rock & Roll (Released on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, 1980)
- "Dr. Doctor"
- "Minimum Wage"
- "Did You See Me?"
- "There Goes The Neighborhood"
- "Johnny Soul'd Out"
- "KKK"
- "Anggie"
- "D Day"
- "Tell The Coach"
- "We Stand United"
- "Respect"
American Worker (released on Arista Records, 1982)
- "American Worker"
- "New Shoes"
- "Last Forever"
- "Opportunity"
- "Heart And SoulHeart and Soul (Huey Lewis and the News song)"Heart and Soul" is a song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn and made famous by Huey Lewis and the News. The song was first recorded by Exile in 1981 as the title track of their album Heart & Soul. Exile's single was unsuccessful, bubbling under the Billboard Hot 100 at number 102...
" - "I Get Lost"
- "Soul Surfing U.S.A."
- "Yellow Lights"
- "Falling In Love"
- "I Believe"
Money Don't Make No Man (Released on Rattlesnake Venom Records, 1988)
- "Never Giving Up"
- "Hard Work"
- "Money Don't Make No Man"
- "Meet You At The Top"
- "Rock Needs To Roll"
- "Something Strange"
- "Boys Night Out"
- "Change My Condition"
(Boys Are) Back in Town (Released on Rattlesnake Venom Records, 2000)
- "(Boys Are) Back In Town"
- "Comeback"
- "Rockin' & Rollin' In Lodi"
- "Don't Let Go"
- "Black Man"
- "Can't Get That Thang No More"
- "Sunday Mornings"
- "New Shoes"
- "Money Don't Make No Man"
- "Rock & Roll"
- "Ain't Thru Rockin'"