Change (band)

Career

Change came together in early 1979 as a studio project with a rotating lineup of musicians. The group was spearheaded by businessman and executive producer Jacques Fred Petrus, while most of the songwriting and production was handled by Mauro Malavasi and Davide Romani. The band’s Italian-American character came from a specific production method: the music, apart from the vocals, was written and recorded by Italian engineer Maurizio Biancani at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna, Italy. Those instrumental tracks were then shipped to the United States, where American singers added their parts, and the final mixes were completed in major studios like New York’s Power Station.

Their first album, The Glow of Love, came out in 1980 on Ray Caviano’s RFC Records, distributed by Warner Bros. The writing team included Romani, Malavasi, guitarist Paolo Gianolio, Tanyayette Willoughby, Paul Slade, and Wayne Garfield. The debut single, “A Lover’s Holiday,” sold over a million copies and featured ad-lib vocals from Zachary Sanders, then known for his work on Schoolhouse Rock. The next two singles, “Searching” and the title track, were sung by Luther Vandross, who was not yet famous. Together, these three songs spent nine weeks at number one on Billboard’s Club Play Singles chart, a record at the time, making the album the top disco recording of the year and a strong seller in the U.S. It also reached the Pop Top 40 that summer. The popularity of “Searching” and “The Glow of Love” brought Vandross’s voice to a wider audience and helped launch his solo career soon after.

When The Glow of Love was released, Change was often compared to Chic, another disco group. Chic were labelmates at Atlantic Records in the U.S. and also shared some of the same backing vocalists.

The follow-up album, Miracles, arrived in 1981, created by the same core team of writers and producers. Because of contractual issues, Vandross could not sing lead on any of its tracks, though he did provide backing vocals on a few songs. After Miracles, Vandross continued to sing backup for Change until 1981, when he left to focus on his solo career. Petrus and Malavasi then brought in James “Crab” Robinson, chosen for his similar vocal style, to share lead duties with Diva Gray on the album.

Lineup

Change was not a traditional band but a studio project built around session players and a small creative team headed by Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi. Following the albums The Glow of Love and Miracles, Petrus decided to give the project a visible identity by assembling a touring and promotional group. This second lineup proved more stable and played on the next four records. After the final album, the name Change continued through tours and performances with a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists. The initial lineup active from 1980 to 1981 included lead and background vocalist Luther Vandross, lead vocalist Jocelyn Shaw, Krystal Davis, Yvonne Lewis, Dennis Collins, Zachary Saunders, Diva Gray, and James "Crab" Robinson on lead vocals. Instrumentalists were David Romani on bass, Paolo Gianolo on guitar, Rudy Trevisi on saxophone, Sandro Comini on trombone, Gabriele "Lele" Melotti, Terry Silverlight, and Leno Reyes on drums, Doc Powell on guitar, Larry McRae on bass, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Andy Schwartz, and Nathaniel S. Hardy, Jr. on keyboards, and Maurizio Biancani on synthesizer. The second lineup, which ran from 1982 to 1985, featured lead vocalists Deborah Cooper, James "Crab" Robinson (1982–83), and Rick Brennan on lead vocals and percussion (1983–85). Other members included Timmy Allen on bass, keyboards, synthesizer, and background vocals; Vincent Henry on guitar and saxophone; Michael Campbell on guitar; Jeff Bova on keyboards; Rob Aries on piano and synth; Toby Johnson on drums (1983–84); Rudy Trevisi on saxophone (1983); Bernard Davis on drums (1983); background vocalists Carole Sylvan (1982–83) and Mary Seymour (1982–83); and John Adams as musical director and keyboardist (1982–83).