Legendary Interviews
Force MD'S
The Force M.D.'s originally called themselves the L.D.s, then the Force MCs, but ultimately preferred MD, which is short for Musical Diversity. Though the group was not quite always as recognizable as other New York R&B acts when it first started, the Force M.D.'s were among the first R&B vocal groups to intermix doo-wop-affected consonances with hip-hop beats.
When the group began performing as the L.D.s on Times Square street corners and the Staten Island ferry, the group was composed of brothers Stevie D., Antoine "T.C.D." Lundy (February 3, 1964 – January 21, 1998), Rodney "Khalil" Lundy, their uncle Jessie Lee Daniels, and later friends Trisco Pearson and Charles "Mercury" Nelson (December 19, 1964 – March 9, 1995). After the L.D.s connected with DJ Dr. Rock (Roger Daniels) they also performed as Dr. Rock & the Force MCs. In collaboration with Dr. Rock, the group continued to perfect their unique sound- a fusion of doo-wop harmonies and hip-hop that involved singing, rapping and group member's "human beatbox" melodies at underground hip hop shows. The Force M.D.'s gained even more credibility and respect from local fans after competing in an emcee lyrical battle against the well known Cold Crush Brothers from the Bronx.
By the time the Force M.D.s got a record deal, signing with Tommy Boy Records in 1984, the group had already developed into a pure quiet storm/contemporary R&B group, with its top-ten R&B hit "Tears" from the Love Letters album. With the exception of their first album, the group was the first act on Tommy Boy to have major-label distribution through its then-parent Warner Bros. Records. The group produced a collection of R&B hits throughout the 1980s, and received overwhelming commercial success from the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-penned love song "Tender Love" from their second album, Chillin’ (1985). "Tender Love" was featured in the 1985 feature film and soundtrack Krush Groove.
Thomas McClary - Of The Commodores
McClary spent 15 years as the lead guitarist for the Commodores while also participating in songwriting, producing, and lead-vocal duties. His guitar solo in the Commodores song “Easy” has been hailed as one of the best solo guitar performances of all time. While with the Commodores, McClary wrote two songs by himself, including “Cebu” and “Sexy Lady” and collaborated with Lionel Richie to write many more, including “Flying High”, “Come Inside”, “High On Sunshine”, “Girl, I Think the World About You”, “Midnight Magic”, “12:01 A.M.”, “Got To Be Together”, “Wake Up Children”, “Funny Feelings”, “Heaven Knows”, “Won’t You Come Dance With Me”, “Visions”, “Hold On”, and “Free”.Among the many songs McClary co-wrote with the Commodores as a group are, “Brick House”, “Slippery When Wet”, “I Feel Sanctified”, “Too Hot ta Trot”, “Ooo Woman You” (with Melissa Manchester, in which he also sang lead vocal)”, “Welcome Home (with Bill Champlin), “You Don’t Know That I Know”, “Let’s Get Started”, “Time”, “Captured”, “Celebrate” (with Larry Davis and Harold Hudson), “Saturday Night” and “Keep On Taking Me Higher” (with Harold Hudson).
Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill was born to a white Cuban father and a black Afro-Latino Puerto Rican mother.[1] She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to being introduced to Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen (of the jazz label GRP Records) by her friend, the jazz flautist Dave Valentin.[2] Grusin and Rosen signed Bofill and produced her first album, Angie, in 1978. Angie was well received both critically and commercially and included the chart single "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" (co-written by Gwen Guthrie), as well as Bofill's sprawling jazz composition, "Under the Moon and Over the Sky". Less than a year later, a second album, Angel of the Night was released and outperformed its predecessor. The album included the chartsingles "What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)" and the up tempo title track, as well as the self-written song "I Try" (covered by Will Downing in 1991). The reception of these albums positioned Bofill as one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B and jazz markets.
Following the release of Angel of the Night, the head of Arista, Clive Davis, (whose label had a distribution deal with GRP at the time) showed interest in Bofill, and she switched labels for the release of her next album, Something About You in 1981. The album, produced by Narada Michael Walden, was an attempt to move Bofill into more mainstream R&B and pop material, but performed less well than her earlier releases, despite the relative success of the singles "Holdin' Out for Love" and the title track, which both reached the R&B Top 40.[3] The following year Bofill and Walden reunited for Too Tough, this time achieving a major hit with the title track, which reached #5 on the R&B chart and spent four weeks at #2 on the Dance chart, as well as a Top 20 follow-up single "Tonight I Give In".[4] Several months later, Bofill released her final collaboration with Walden, Teaser. The album failed to match the success of Too Tough but did produce one Top 20 R&B hit, "I'm On Your Side", which has since been covered by several artists, most notably Jennifer Holliday, who had a Top 10 hit with it in 1991.[5]
