Calloway (band)

Calloway
OriginCincinnati, Ohio, United States
GenresR&B
Years active1987–present
LabelsSOLAR, Epic
MembersReggie Calloway
Vincent Calloway

Calloway is an R&B duo of Cincinnati, Ohio brothers Reggie (born January 23, 1955) and Vincent (born January 5, 1957) Calloway. They had a major hit in 1990 with "I Wanna Be Rich".[1]

Biography

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The brothers grew up around music with a father who played the trumpet, an uncle who played keyboards, and an aunt who sang opera. As teenagers, they began writing songs and forming bands, and when attending Kentucky State University, they formed Midnight Star, a synth-funk outfit that hit big in the early to mid 1980s. The Calloways were instrumental in orchestrating the band's 1983 multi-platinum breakthrough album, No Parking on the Dance Floor, and Midnight Star would continue to experience mainstream success throughout the brothers' tenure in the group.

After Midnight Star ran its course, the two left to focus on solo work. During their time with Midnight Star, they had also written and produced hits for acts like Klymaxx ("Meeting in the Ladies Room") and The Whispers ("Contagious"). Following their exit from Star, they continued writing for other musicians, such as Teddy Pendergrass[1] ("Joy"), Gladys Knight & the Pips ("Love Overboard"), Natalie Cole ("Jump Start"), and Levert ("Casanova"), before forming their own eponymous group, Calloway, in the late 1980s. As Calloway, the duo scored a number two Billboard Hot 100 hit and number five soul hit with "I Wanna Be Rich".[2] After scoring with the follow-ups "Sir Lancelot" (Top 20 R&B), "All the Way" and "Let's Get Smooth" (both R&B Top 40 hits), the hits dried up and the Calloways concentrated on production work. Reginald Calloway is now the Music Director of Royalty fund for Sound Royalties.[3]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album Peak chart positions
US
[4]
US R&B
[5]
1989 All the Way 80
1992 Let's Get Smooth 42 89

Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions
US R&B
[6]
US Adult
[7]
US Pop
[8]
AUS
[9]
UK
[10]
1990 "All the Way" 39 63
"Sir Lancelot" 19
"We Can't Go Wrong"
"I Wanna Be Rich" 5 20 2 60 100
"You Are My Everything"
1992 "Let's Get Smooth" 33
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bush, John. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 98.
  3. ^ "Sound Royalties' Reggie Calloway to Speak at Americana Music Festival & Conference Today". Prweb.com. September 13, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Calloway: Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Calloway: Chart History - TOP R&B/HIP-HOP ALBUMS". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "Calloway: Chart History - HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "Calloway: Chart History - ADULT CONTEMPORARY". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "Calloway: Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 48.
  10. ^ "CALLOWAY - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
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