The Floaters
Encyclopedia
The Floaters were an African American
, R&B
vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan
, that formed in 1976.
, on Detroit's Eastside.
James Mitchell apparently came up with the idea and tune for their one major hit, "Float On
", in a dream. The lyrics spotlighted each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name, astrological
sign, and ideal type of romantic partner. "Float On" was tracked in a garage recording studio
called Pac 3. The song was written by Arnold Ingram, Marvin Willis and James Mitchell Jr., and produced
by Woody Wilson. It became a world wide hit in 1977 on ABC Records
, reaching #1 on the US
R&B
chart, #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
, and #1 in the UK Singles Chart
(for a single week in August that year).
Follow-ups such as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" could not duplicate the idiosyncratic charm of "Float On", but, with some changes in the line-up, the group remained active for several years, unable to shake off their one-hit wonder
tag.
The Floaters returned to Pac 3 to record a new version of "Float On" with Full Force
for the Brooklyn
, New York
based group's summer 2001 TVT
debut album, Still Standing.
in which David (Northern Calloway
), Bob (Bob McGrath
), Gordon (Roscoe Orman
) and Luis (Emilio Delgado
) were attired in in 1970's-style sky-blue tuxedos with a number five on each palm of their gloves and performed a song entitled "Gimme Five". Each character explained what they loved about the number five before singing lead on the chorus of the song. David loved the number five because of the way it looks, Bob appreciated the number because it's easy to count up to, Gordon loved the number because it's the same as his fingers on each hand, and a Spanish-speaking Luis loved the number because three and two make five, as do four and one.
Cheech & Chong did a parody
of the song, retitled "Bloat On featuring The Bloaters". It appears on their compilation album
, Where There's Smoke There's Cheech & Chong
.
On an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Jewel and Jazz DJ Jazzy Jeff
got married and this song was playing when they were walking down the aisle.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 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...
vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, that formed in 1976.
Career
The band was formed by the former The Detroit Emeralds' singer James Mitchell, with his brother Paul Mitchell, Larry Cunningham, Charles Clark, and the unrelated Ralph Mitchell. Most of The Floaters were from the Sojourner Truth housing projectPublic housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
, on Detroit's Eastside.
James Mitchell apparently came up with the idea and tune for their one major hit, "Float On
Float On (The Floaters song)
"Float On" is a 1977 hit song by the R&B/soul group The Floaters.The spoken verses combine two popular memes from the time, star signs and video and phone dating, in lines like Aquarius and my name is Ralph / Now I like a woman who loves her freedom...
", in a dream. The lyrics spotlighted each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name, astrological
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
sign, and ideal type of romantic partner. "Float On" was tracked in a garage recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
called Pac 3. The song was written by Arnold Ingram, Marvin Willis and James Mitchell Jr., and produced
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...
by Woody Wilson. It became a world wide hit in 1977 on ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
, reaching #1 on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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, #2 on the US 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....
, and #1 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 ...
(for a single week in August that year).
Follow-ups such as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" could not duplicate the idiosyncratic charm of "Float On", but, with some changes in the line-up, the group remained active for several years, unable to shake off their one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
tag.
The Floaters returned to Pac 3 to record a new version of "Float On" with Full Force
Full Force
Full Force is a group of R&B performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, USA, calling itself the original hip hop vocal band.-Members:*B-Fine - drums and drum programming*Shy Shy - bass guitar...
for the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
based group's summer 2001 TVT
TVT Records
TVT Records was an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and...
debut album, Still Standing.
Parody
A skit was made for Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
in which David (Northern Calloway
Northern Calloway
Northern James Calloway was an American actor who played David on Sesame Street from 1971 through 1989, and also voiced Muppet characters including Same Sound Brown....
), Bob (Bob McGrath
Bob McGrath
Robert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
), Gordon (Roscoe Orman
Roscoe Orman
Roscoe Hunter Orman is an American actor who plays Gordon Robinson on the television program Sesame Street. Orman joined the show in 1973, taking over as the third actor to play Gordon on the show...
) and Luis (Emilio Delgado
Emilio Delgado
Emilio Delgado is an American actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Luis, the friendly Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. Delgado joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1971 and recently completed Season 41 with the show. He began his professional...
) were attired in in 1970's-style sky-blue tuxedos with a number five on each palm of their gloves and performed a song entitled "Gimme Five". Each character explained what they loved about the number five before singing lead on the chorus of the song. David loved the number five because of the way it looks, Bob appreciated the number because it's easy to count up to, Gordon loved the number because it's the same as his fingers on each hand, and a Spanish-speaking Luis loved the number because three and two make five, as do four and one.
Cheech & Chong did a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the song, retitled "Bloat On featuring The Bloaters". It appears on their compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Where There's Smoke There's Cheech & Chong
Where There's Smoke There's Cheech & Chong
Where There's Smoke There's... Cheech & Chong features over 2½ hours of their best recordings & comedy routines, including unreleased material on 2 CDs...
.
On an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Jewel and Jazz DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
got married and this song was playing when they were walking down the aisle.
Studio albums
- Floaters - 1977 - ABC RecordsABC RecordsABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
- #10 Billboard 200Billboard 200The 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... - Magic - 1978 - ABC Records - #131 Billboard Hot 200
- Float Into the Future - 1979 - MCA Records
See also
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
- List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
- Classic Soul BalladsClassic Soul BalladsClassic Soul Ballads is a 16-volume soul CD-set, released by Time–Life Records in 2005, featuring 264 songs from the 1960s through the 1990s...
External links
- [ The Floaters mini- biography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...