Brick (band)

Brick
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
GenresFunk, R&B, disco
Years active1972–present
LabelsBang, Magic City

Brick is an American band that created a successful merger of funk and jazz in the 1970s. Their most popular single was "Dazz" (#3 U.S. Pop, #1 U.S. R&B, #36 UK[1]), which was released in 1976.

History

Brick was formed in Atlanta in 1972 by Regi Hargis from members of two bands - one disco and the other jazz. They coined their own term for disco-jazz, "dazz".[2] They released their first single "Music Matic" on Main Street Records in 1976, before signing to the independently distributed Bang Records. Their next single, "Dazz", (#3 Pop, #1 R&B)[3] was released in 1976. The band continued to record for Bang records until 1982. Other hits followed: "That's What It's All About" (R&B #48) and "Dusic" (#18 Pop, #2 R&B)[3] in 1977, and "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" (#92 Pop, #7 R&B)[3] in 1978. Their last Top Ten R&B hit was "Sweat (Til You Get Wet)" in 1981.[3]

Donald Nevins died on August 7, 2011, at the age of 62.[4] Founder and guitarist Regi Hargis died on October 15, 2021, at the age of 70. Ambric Bridgeforth died on November 25, 2023 at age 69.[5][2]

Members

  • Jimmy Brown (lead vocals, saxophone, flute, trombone)
  • Billy Barlow (keyboards)
  • Tres Gilbert (bass guitar)
  • Melvin Baldwin (drums and percussion)
  • Tomi Martin (lead guitar)
  • Sherita Murphy (lead and background vocals)

Former members include:

  • Regi Hargis (guitar/bass guitar/vocals); died 2021
  • Ray Ransom (lead vocals/bass/keyboards/percussion)
  • Donald Nevins (vocals/acoustic piano/clavinet/Moog); died 2011
  • Edward D. Irons Jr. (lead vocals/drums/keyboards)
  • Ambric Bridgeforth (vocals/keyboards); died 2023

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions
US
[3]
US R&B
[3]
1976 Good High 19 1
1977 Brick 15 1
1979 Stoneheart 100 25
1980 Waiting on You 179 31
1981 Summer Heat 89 13
1982 After 5 — —
1988 Too Tuff — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

  • The Best of Brick (1995)
  • Super Hits (2000)

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Pop
[3]
US R&B
[3]
US Dance
[3]
CAN
[6][7]
UK
[8]
1976 "Music Matic" ― 82 ― ― ―
"Dazz" 3 1 7 26 36
1977 "Dusic" 18 2 ― 18 ―
"That's What It's All About" ― 48 ― ― ―
1978 "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" 92 7 ― ― ―
1979 "Dancin' Man" ― 47 ― ― ―
"Raise Your Hands" ― 34 ― ― ―
1980 "All the Way" 106 38 ― ― ―
"Push Push" ― 21 ― ― ―
1981 "Sweat (Til You Get Wet)" ― 10 64 ― ―
"Wide Open" ― 58 ― ― ―
1982 "Free Dancer" ― 62 ― ― ―
"Stick by You" ― ― ― ― ―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 78. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ a b Wynn, Ron. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Brick - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Donald Nevins Obituary". Legacy.com. 2011.
  5. ^ Rizik, Chris (October 15, 2021). "R.I.P. Brick co-founder and guitarist Regi Hargis". Soul Tracks.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 29, 1977" (PDF).
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 3, 1977" (PDF).
  8. ^ "BRICK - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2021.