Walter "Kandor" Kahn (April 9, 1948 – June 15, 2013) – She's A Lady (1974)
This chillingly beautiful funk jam by Great Pride was one of unsung producer Kahn's earliest productions, co-written by drummer and mixing legend Gene Leone.
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Walter B. "Kandor" Kahn was a prolific producer, songwriter, recording engineer and DJ.
Born in Philadelphia, Kahn studied broadcasting at Temple University and graduated in 1970. He got his start working as a DJ and recording engineer before becoming a producer.
After famed gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds sang backup on two tracks featured on Paul Simon’s hugely successful third solo album There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), including the hit “Loves Me Like A Rock,” Kahn and the group’s lead singer Ira Tucker co-produced a cover version of that song. The two of them also co-produced the Hummingbirds’ next full length LP, We Love You Like A Rock, released later in 1973. The single won that year’s Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance.
In 1974, Kahn put his production stamp on the chillingly beautiful funk rock jam “She's A Lady” by Great Pride.
It was co-written by Gene Leone, the band’s drummer who would go on to become a legendary mixer and producer in his own right. The track was later sampled by J-Lo for her track “The Way It Is” off her 2007 Brave LP, but according to Leone, Great Pride had still not been compensated for it as of 2018.
Phil Spector launched his comeback record label Warner-Spector in 1974. He quickly signed disco band Calhoon, and Kahn produced their first record “(Do You Wanna) Dance Dance Dance” (1975), which was one of the earliest 12” DJ-only promos.
Just as PolyGram was about to acquire Casablanca Records in 1980, Kahn produced the all-female disco group Mizz’s self-titled debut LP for the label, which featured the superb, flute-flavored jam “Gotta Get Next To You” as its opening cut.
On the back of their LP, Kahn included the following statement:
"By returning to nature / Man comes closer to God /God is the universal messenger / Love is the universal message / Music is the universal language"
In 1983, he co-wrote and produced the racy, double entendre-laden boogie funk synth-pop jam “The Flute” by the duo Pipedream, which they memorably performed on the South Jersey Soul Train knock-off show Entertainment Plus.
The following year, Kahn unleashed Kid Seville's electro-flavored disco rap classic “Do You Have A Car” (1984) on a world unprepared for its epic rhymes.
It was released on Salsoul Records, in association with Kahn’s production imprint Sunshine Group.
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