Brass Construction
Led by keyboards player and singer Randy Muller (b. Guyana), Brass Construction was a leading group in the disco movement of the '70s. Muller originally formed the band in Brooklyn, New York as Dynamic Soul, mixing funk, salsa and reggae rhythms with a more orthodox jazz line-up to create a highly danceable sound. Renamed Brass Construction, the nine-piece group was signed by United Artists in 1975. The members included Michael Grudge (b. Jamaica) and Jesse Ward Jnr. (saxophones), Wayne Parris (b. Jamaica) and Morris Price (trumpets), Joseph Arthur Wong (b. Trinidad; guitar), Wade Williamson (bass), Larry Payton (drums) and percussionist Sandy Billups. With infectious polyrhythms and minimal, chanted vocals, the group's first release Movin’ topped the R&B charts and was a pop Top 20 hit. It was followed by Changin’, Ha Cha Cha and L-O-V-E-U, all best-sellers. Later singles were less successful although successive Brass Construction albums rode the disco boom. Muller also wrote for and produced New York disco group Skyy and B.T. Express. The group's popularity dwindled in the '80s, although the remix craze brought numerous versions of its early hits into the clubs in 1988 including Ha Cha Cha (Acieed Mix).