Hidden Strength
Mid-1970s disco funk band with two hit singles.
Hidden Strength was a disco funk band active during the mid 1970s. They are known for the songs "Hustle on Up (Do the Bump)" and "I Don't Want to Be a Lone Ranger."
Quick Facts
- Origin
- United States
- Genre
- Disco, Funk
- Years active
- 1970s
- Label
- United Artists
- Vision Records
- Soul Brother Records
- Past members
- Ray Anderson
- Alvin Brown
- Roy Herring
- Robert Leach
- Ken Sullivan
- Al Thomas
- Grover Underwood
Facts from the source article.
Background
Hidden Strength came together under the eye of Bob Skaff, who discovered the group. The lineup featured Roy Herring on vocals, Grover Underwood and Ken Sullivan on keyboards, Ray Anderson on trombone, Robert Leach on saxophone, Alvin Brown on bass, and Al Thomas on drums. Billboard compared their live performances to a mix of Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone. Funk My Soul described their recorded work as being in the style of Earth Wind & Fire. Management was handled by Jimmy Walsh and Namanco productions, a company founded in 1969 that also managed Joe Namath.
Career
Hidden Strength kicked off their 1974 New Year's Eve by opening for Ike and Tina Turner at the NFE Theater, the venue that used to be the Fillmore East. John Rockwell of the New York Times liked their set, calling it quite good, energetic, and marked by catchy precision. Quicksilver Messenger Service played after them. In the January 25, 1975 issue of Billboard, Radcliffe Joe called the band ambitious, energetic, and hard-working, with music that was often appealing and inoffensive but not especially imaginative. On July 11, 1975, they performed at New York's Wollman Rink, where Stanley Turrentine and Gil Scott-Heron were the main draws. A review by Fobert Ford Jr. in the August 2 Billboard noted that their energetic funk easily connected with an audience expecting traditional jazz. He highlighted Roy Herring Jr. as a powerful lead singer with a dynamic, virile stage presence and strong voice, praised Alvin Brown's outstanding, adventurous, and funky bass work, and called the composition work of electric pianist Grover Underwood with Herring impressive. The up-tempo disco track "Hustle on Up" stood out. The October 4, 1975 Billboard reported that studio owner George Klabin was working with producer Mike Cuscuna on remixing the upcoming Hidden Strength LP. The album got positive reviews in the January 17, 1976 Cash Box and the January 28 Walrus. It reached No. 45 on the Cash Box Top 50 R&B albums chart, No. 50 on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, and No. 40 on the Record World Jazz LP chart for the week of March 20, 1976. The song "I Wanna Be Your Main Man" was getting airplay on progressive jazz programs in early February.
Later years
Grover Underwood contributed keyboards to the 1977 Brother 2 Brother album Shades in Creation. That same year, Robert Leach—also known as Bobby Leach—played on Richard "Dimples" Fields' Ready for Anything, and later put out his own record, Phat Grooves. Roy Herring sang background vocals on the Brecker Brothers' 1978 release Heavy Metal Be-Bop. He went on to front Speedway Blvd., performing on their 1980 single "(Think I Better) Hold On" and their self-titled album. Under the name Mr. Roy, he later issued additional material, including the online-only single "Witchcraft." Trombonist Ray Anderson has recorded with a wide range of artists: Anthony Braxton, David Murray, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Dr. John, the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, Luther Allison, Bennie Wallace, Henry Threadgill, Barbara Dennerlein, John Scofield, Roscoe Mitchell, the New York Composers Orchestra, and the Sam Rivers' Rivbea Orchestra. Since 2003, he has served as Director of Jazz Studies at Stony Brook University. According to the Funk My Soul website, the group's 1975 album is considered a classic funk record, one that would appeal to fans of Brass Construction and BT Express.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hidden Strength from?
Hidden Strength originated in United States.
Which record labels has Hidden Strength released music on?
Hidden Strength has released music on United Artists, Vision Records and Soul Brother Records.
More in American Disco Groups
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