Larry James (August 2, 1949 – December 5, 1987) – Here Comes The Sun (1979)
Co-written and co-produced by the multi-talented leader of Fat Larry's Band, this superb disco-funk positivity anthem made it to #44 R&B.
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Larry James was a multi-talented drummer and singer/songwriter who led Fat Larry’s Band.
James was born in Philadelphia, where he formed Fat Larry’s Band in 1976. Besides James on drums and vocals, original members included bassist Larry La Bes, Erskine Williams on keyboards, guitarist Ted Cohen, Art Capehart on trumpet and flute, saxophonist Doug Khalif Jones, Darryl Grant on percussion, and Jimmy Lee on trombone and alto sax. All the group’s members were also vocalists, giving them a rich vocal sound.
Their debut album Feel It dropped on WMOT Records the same year, produced and arranged by Philly’s master vibes player and MFSB member Vincent Montana, Jr. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios.
James co-wrote many of the group’s songs, including the superb funk jam “Music Maker” that closed their debut album’s first side. His other co-writers on the track were bassist Larry LaBes, guitarist Ted Cohen, and William Kimes.
Feel It had several other highlights, including the funky anthem “Down On The Avenue,” which was also co-written by James and LaBes. “Center City” opened Side Two with another killer slice of funk, but its extended 12” promo version was even better. It was co-written by James and Montana along with guitarist Ronnie Walker, and Doris Hall, who arranged the LP’s backing vocals.
The album’s only non-original track was a cover of “Fascination,” co-written by David Bowie and Luther Vandross for Bowie’s classic 1975 Young Americans LP that was also recorded at Sigma Sound Studios. Bowie’s main contribution was new lyrics, as it was actually a re-working of a song Vandross had already written, titled “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” which he regularly performed while supporting Bowie as a then-unknown backup singer during his 1974 U.S. tour. When Bowie asked for his permission to record it, Vandross memorably responded:
“What do you mean 'let' you record it. I'm living in a building with an elevator that barely works and you're asking me to 'let' you record one of my songs.”
It became Vandross’ first published songwriting credit. Vandross recorded his own version soon afterwards for his debut LP Luther (1976).
The phenomenal cover laid down by Fat Larry’s Band and produced and arranged by Montana managed to improve on both Bowie and Vandross’ versions of the track. “Can a heartbeat live in the fever raging inside of me? You better believe it can!”
For their fourth studio album Lookin’ For Love (1979), James co-wrote and co-produced the superb disco-funk positivity anthem “Here Comes The Sun.” It was released as the LP’s first single, and went to #39 on dance charts and #44 R&B, one of their highest-ever charting songs in America.
“Now is the time for you to be somebody...be anything you want to be...this is your chance to become someone...here comes your opportunity!”
The album was issued on WMOT but distributed by Fantasy, who had taken over WMOT’s distribution from Atlantic a year earlier in 1978. James co-wrote it with guitarist Tony Middleton, percussionist Arthur Austin, and songwriters Len Barry and Larry Taylor. Like the rest of Lookin’ For Love, “Here Comes The Sun” was co-mixed by Gene Leone.
Three years later in 1982, their sixth studio album Breakin’ Out became the group’s biggest record ever. Its opening cut was the boogie-funk jam “Act Like You Know,” featuring Freddie Campbell on lead vocals. Released as the LP’s lead single, it hit #24 on dance charts although only reaching #67 R&B. In recent years, it was resurrected for a whole new generation of funk addicts after being included on the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Their follow up single to “Act Like You Know” was the super funky “Be My Lady,” co-written by James and his wife Doris, who had been arranging backing vocals for the group since it formed. But the track inexplicably failed to chart, a fate that also befell the album’s third single “Traffic Stopper.”
The group struck gold in the UK with “Zoom,” the fourth and final single from Breakin’ Out. Co-written by Len Barry and original MFSB member Bobby Eli, this heartfelt, beautiful ballad almost topped the UK charts at #2.
Sadly, James died from a heart attack in 1987, gone far too young at age 38, and Fat Larry’s Band dissolved.
#soul #funk #disco #FatLarrysBand #LarryJames