Silver Convention

Silver Convention was a female disco music group from Munich, Germany that was created by producers\songwriters Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze in 1974.

Levay and Kunze first used female sessions vocalists Betsy Allen, Jackie Carter, Roberta Kelly, Lucy Neale and Gitta Walther for their first recordings.
In 1975, they scored a hit with their debut single “Save Me” (under the original name “Silver Bird”) which peaked at #30 in the United Kingdom. When it was released in the United States, it peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Hot Disco Singles chart.

After realizing that they needed to find professional entertainers to the public for Silver Connection, Levay & Kunze presented three singers: Penny McLean (born Gertrude Wirschinger on November 4, 1948 in Klagenfurt, Austria), Ramona Wulf (born Ramona Kraft on October 18, 1954 in Hanau, Germany) and Jackie Carter, but after a few TV appearances, Jackie was replaced by Linda G. Thompson (born Linda Uebelherr on September 21, 1948).
During that same year, Silver Connection released their self-titled debut album which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. It also peaked at #48 on the album charts in Germany.
The follow-up single “Always Another Girl” peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Hot Disco Singles chart.
It wasn’t until the group’s third single “Fly Robin Fly” that they gained big success in the United States as the song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B and disco chart, making it their only number-one hit on the Hot 100 to date.

The song was also successful in their native Germany (where it peaked at #3 on the music charts) and also in other countries such as the U.K., Canada, Italy, France and the Netherlands.

Another track from the album “Tiger Baby” peaked at #41 on the U.K. Singles chart, but it’s unknown if it generated any success in other countries.
In 1976, Silver Connection released their sophomore album “Get Up and Boogie” which peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. It also charted in countries such as Germany, Canada, Sweden and Norway.
The title song became another hit for the group as it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Hot Disco Singles chart. It also managed to peak at #25 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

Internationally, the song topped the charts in Canada and also peaked at #7 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The follow-up single “No, No, Joe” peaked at #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, #34 on Billboard’s Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (which stayed on the chart for 9 weeks) and #14 on Billboard’s Hot Disco Singles chart.
Also in 1976, Silver Connection released their third album “Madhouse” which peaked at #65 on the Billboard 200, but didn’t make the album charts in Germany. During that time, Linda G. Thompson had left the group and was replaced by singer Rhonda Heath (born on July 19, 1955 in New York City).

The only singles to make the charts were “Everybody’s Talking ‘Bout Love” (which managed to peak at #25 on the U.K. Singles chart) and “Dancing in the Aisles (Takes Me Higher)” (which peaked at #80 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks).

In 1977, Silver Connection represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song “Telegram” which charted in Germany, Belgium and Sweden. It also managed to peak at #51 on the U.K. Singles chart.

During that same year, they released their fourth album “Summernights” (although in the U.S., it was released under the name “Golden Girls”) which made the album charts in the United States, Sweden and Canada.

By 1978, Penny McLean had left the group and was replaced by British singer Zenda Jacks (born Suzie McClosky on May 7, 1955). While the new Silver Connection line-up went on tour, Levay & Kunze left the group as well and Philadelphia music producer John Davis took their place.
In 1978, Silver Connection released their last album “Love in a Sleeper” which didn’t make the charts in the United States, but managed to chart in Canada.
The only song from the album “Spend the Night with Me” peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Hot Disco Singles chart and #80 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 6 weeks).
The group attempted another comeback in 1979 (with Penny McLean returning to the line-up) and released the single “Café Au Lait” which failed to make any impact on the charts at all. After that, Silver Connection disbanded.

Penny McLean left the music business in 1985 and went on to become an author. According to research, she currently resides in Vienna and performs occasionally.

These days, Linda G. Thompson resides in Munich where she is still active as a musician and also works as a photo stylist.

According to research, Zenda Jacks was a background singer for British band Hard Rain and around 2003, she worked at the Mechu Bar & Grill. It’s unknown what she is currently up to these days.

In the ’80s, Rhonda Heath released two solo albums and joined German rock\disco music group La Mama. She has also performed at the Eurovision Song Contest as a backing vocalist for Gary Lux in 1985 and Mekado in 1994.

According to research, she is married & resides in Munich, but it’s unknown if she’s still active in the music business.

Ramona Wulf attempted a solo music career to little success. These days, she resides in Berlin with her husband & three children where she works as a nautropath (as of 2010).

To see a fan-made video for “Fly Robin Fly,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Get Up and Boogie,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “No, No, Joe,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Save Me,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Always Another Girl,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Tiger Baby,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Everybody’s Talking ‘Bout Love,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Dancing in the Aisles (Take Me Higher),” go to:

To see a video of Silver Connection performing “Telegram,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Spend the Night With Me,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Café au Lait,” go to:

Anita Ward

Anita Ward (born on December 20, 1956 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a disco\R&B singer from the late ’70s.

Anita began singing at a young age and later went on to sing with the Rust College Acappella Choir and recorded an obscure album with her own gospel quartet. After graduating from Rust College with a degree in psychology, she began working as a substitute teacher in Memphis.

After deciding to pursue a music career, her manager put her in contact with singer\songwriter Frederick Knight who helped Anita get a recording contract with his record label, Juana Records. Knight signed on to help produce a three-song demo session for Anita, but after becoming infatuated with her voice, the demo sessions soon became an album for her.

While working on the album, Knight suggested that Anita listen to a song he wrote called “Ring My Bell” (which was originally intended for singer Stacy Lattisaw). At first, Anita wasn’t interested in recording the track, but agreed to do so after some persuading from Knight.
In 1979, “Ring My Bell” was released as a single and became a hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100, R&B and disco music charts, making it Anita’s only number-one single to date. The track also topped the charts in other countries such as the United Kingdom (where it was certified Gold), Canada (where it was certified Platinum), New Zealand, Spain and Norway.
During that same year, Anita released her debut album “Songs of Love” which peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The follow-up single “Make Believe Lovers” didn’t chart at all.
Also in 1979, Anita released her sophomore album “Sweet Surrender” which flopped on the album charts.
The only song to chart from the album was “Don’t Drop My Love” which peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100, #26 on Billboard’s dance music charts and #52 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 7 weeks).

The follow-up singles “Can’t Nobody Love Me Like You Do” and “Cover Me” failed to make any impact on the charts at all.

Anita was working on a third album, but due to contractual issues between her and Frederick Knight, the album was cancelled after just three songs had been recorded. (Those three tracks would later appear on an reissue of Anita’s debut album).

In 1981, she was seriously injured in a car accident which resulted in sinus issues from a head injury that she sustained in the accident which affected her singing and she later faded out of the spotlight.

In 1989, Anita released her third album “Whenever There’s Love” on the Phillips Record label. The track “Be My Baby” was released as a single in Australia, but it didn’t chart.

After that, Anita took another hiatus from the music business to focus on her family. Nothing much was heard from her until 2002 when she performed “Ring My Bell” in New York City’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
In 2011, Anita released a single called “It’s My Night” and was working on a fourth album, but nothing much has been heard about it and it’s presumed that the project was possibly shelved.

As of 2015, she is still performing and is also reportedly working at a JCPenney in Memphis.

To see a fan-made video for “Ring My Bell,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Make Believe Lovers,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Don’t Drop My Love,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Can’t Nobody Love Me Like You Do,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Cover Me,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Be My Baby,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “It’s My Night,” go to:

Randie Paul

Randie Paul was an R&B artist from the ’80s. Not much information is given about this artist, but Randie was signed to the 4 Sight Records record label.

In 1986, Randie released a cover version of Prince’s song “International Lover.” It’s unknown how or if the single was successful or not.

After that, it seems as if Randie Paul has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from this artist since the ’80s.

[Note: There are no videos available for this blog entry.]

Made in London

Made in London was a pop music trio from the United Kingdom that consisted of members Kelly Bryant, Sheren Dyer and Marianne Eide.
In 2000, they released their debut single “Dirty Water” which peaked at #15 on the U.K. Singles chart, making it their highest charting single and only hit song to date.
The trio’s follow-up single “Shut Your Mouth” flopped, peaking at #74 on the U.K. Singles chart despite gaining success on the Internet.
Made in London was supposed to release their debut album “A Perfect Storm” after the release of the second single, but after it flopped, the album’s release date was cancelled (although bootleg copies were released) and the trio disbanded.

These days, Sherine Dyer (who now goes under the name Sherii Ven Dyer) is a solo artist and in 2017, she released a mixtape called “The Rise Up” (which can be heard on Soundcloud).

It’s unknown what Kelly Bryant and Marianne Eide are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Dirty Water,” go to:

To follow Sherii Ven Dyer on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/sheriivendyer?lang=en

To see Sherii Ven Dyer’s Soundcloud page, go to:

Dynamic Breakers

The Dynamic Breakers were a hip-hop music and breakdancing group from Queens, New York whose members consisted of Airborne (born Jose Lopez), Flip (born Juan Barranco), Kano (born Milton Torres) and Spider (born Cliff Lyons). They also had another breakdancer named Duce (born Julio Martinez from New Jersey), signature move was the doo-rag-enhanced extra long headspin.

The guys were all teammates on their high school gymnastics team and formed their own crew after they were given the opportunity to sign to a management company.

Under their new management, the Dynamic Breakers began putting together routines they choreographed and got their big break when they appeared on the TV show “That’s Incredible.”

They also made appearances in films such as “Flashdance,” “Delivery Boys,” “The Exterminator” & “The Last Dragon” and on the NBC network series “The New Show.”

The Dynamic Breakers appeared on the ABC network’s local New York affiliate channel, WABC-Channel 7 in a televised talent contest sponsored by Swatch where they won first place. The grand prize of the contest was supposed to be a role in the film “Beat Street,” but due to a financial dispute between the group’s management & the film producers, they never appeared in the film.
In 1984, they released their debut single “Dynamic (Total Control)” on the Sunnyview Records label which peaked at #83 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks.

The song was originally supposed to be a duet with rap group Total Control, but due to a dispute with their record label, the Dynamic Breakers were credited as the artists on the single even though Total Control were responsible for most of the content on the song.
A year later, they released their follow-up single “Kim” (without Total Control) which didn’t appear to make the charts at all.

The Dynamic Breakers became featured acts for hip-hop artists such as Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Fat Boys and even Run DMC in hip-hop tours Fresh Fest and Fresh Fest 2.

By the time Fresh Fest 2 came around, a couple of the original members of the Dynamic Brakers had left the group and were replaced. Once the breakdancing fad died down, the group faded into obscurity. It’s currently unknown what the members of the group are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Dynamic (Total Control),” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Kim,” go to:

To see a video for the Dynamic Breakers and their performances, go to:

Carol Douglas

Carol Douglas (born Carol Strickland on April 7, 1948 in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City) is an R&B\disco singer who became quite popular during the disco music scene of the 1970s.

Carol was born to jazz performer, Minnie Newsome (who has been cited as the inspiration for Cab Calloway’s song “Minnie the Moocher”) and her father, who worked as a mortician. She is also the cousin of late R&B singer Sam Cooke.

When she was 10 years old, Carol appeared on the game show “Name That Tune”. After that, Ebony Magazine followed her for the next three years.

During that period of time, she was an understeady for actress Jonelle Allen in the off-Broadway production of “The Life of Mary McCloud Bethune.” She later appeared in the play “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl” which starred James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson.

Carol attended the Willard May School for professional children & later attended Quintanos High School for young professionals alongside performers such as Gregory Hines, Patty Duke and Bernadette Peters.

During her high school years, Carol sang in a female singing trio called April May & June. In 1963, she released a single called “I Don’t Mind (Being Your Fool)” on the RCA Victor which was released under the name Carolyn Cooke, but her time with the label was cut short after becoming pregnant at the age of 15.

Carol sung several jingles for television commercials and did voiceover work. In the mid-’60s, she married her high school sweetheart Ken Douglas and throughout the early ’70s, she toured nationally on the oldies circuit with R&B group The Chantels. During that time, she recorded a single for Capitol Records called “Some Tears Fall Dry.”

In 1974, Carol was recruited by the Midland International Records label. The label’s vice-president & record producer Eddie O’Loughlin heard British singer Sunny’s 1974 song “Doctor’s Orders” (which was a hit in the United Kingdom) and was looking for a female singer to record the song for the music market in the United States. After Carol’s audition for the label, she was signed to a five-year contract.
In November of 1974, her version of “Doctor’s Orders” became a hit, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #2 on Billboard’s disco music chart and #9 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 17 weeks and making it her only appearance to date on the R&B charts).

Internationally, the song was successful in countries such as France, New Zealand, Germany, Australia and Canada (which topped the charts for a week in February of 1975).
In 1975, Carol released her debut album “The Carol Douglas Album” which peaked at #177 on the Billboard 200 and #37 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The follow-up single from the album “A Hurricane Is Coming Tonite” didn’t match the same success as her debut single, peaking at #81 on the Billboard Hot 100 (making it her last appearance on the Hot 100 to date). Another song from the album “Will We Make It Tonight” was released as a single, but didn’t chart.
In 1976, Carol released her sophomore album “Midnight Love Affair” which peaked at #188 on the Billboard 200.
The title song (along with the track “Crime Don’t Pay”) topped Billboard’s disco music chart for a week in October of that same year, but it didn’t make the Billboard Hot 100 and only peaked at #102 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
In 1977, Carol released her third album “Full Bloom” which peaked at #139 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it her last album to date to make the album charts.
The first single from the album “I Want to Stay with You” peaked at #28 on Billboard’s dance music chart (along with the track “Light My Fire”).
The follow-up single, a cover version of ABBA’s song “Dancing Queen” peaked at #110 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #35 on Billboard’s dance music chart.
The last single from the album “We Do It” peaked at #108 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, but failed to make the dance music charts.
In 1978, she released her fourth album “Burnin” which failed to make the album charts at all. The title song managed to peak at #11 on Billboard’s dance music chart.

A cover version of the Bee Gee’s song “Night Fever” peaked at #106 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #15 on Billboard’s dance music chart. It also managed to peak at #66 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1979, Carol released her fifth album “Come into My Life” also failed to make the album charts. The only single to chart was “I Got the Answer / Love Sick” which peaked at #51 on Billboard’s dance music chart.

By the ’80s, RCA Records had purchased the 20th Century Records label and transferred Carol to the label from her previous record label (which was by then out of business).
In 1982, Carol released a cover version of The Three Degrees’ song “My Simple Heart” which managed to peak at #42 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart, but according to Carol, the label didn’t really promote the single.

After that, Carol relocated to Paris where she signed a record deal with the Carrere record label and later signed a record deal in the United States with the Next Plateau Records label.
In 1983, Carol released her sixth album (and last one to date) “Love Zone” which failed to make any impact on the charts.

The only singles released from the album were “You’re Not So Hot,” “I Got Your Body,” and “Got Ya Where I Want Ya.” It’s unknown how or if the singles made the charts at all.
After her deal with Next Plateau Records came to an end, Carol released the single “When Love Goes Wrong” (which she also co-wrote) in 1987 that was released on producer Darryl Payne’s New Image record label. It’s unknown how or if the single made any impact on the charts.

After that, not much was heard from Carol Douglas for the rest of the ’80s. During the retro-boom of the ’90s, Carol began touring again and made personal appearances at various special events.

In 2003, Carol returned to the recording studio where she was invited to sing backing vocals on singer Wanda Dee’s album “Goddess is Here!” and also re-recorded some of her hit songs. During that same year, she appeared on television on “The People’s Court” (with Judge Marilyn Milian) as the plantiff in a case involving herself and disco singer Sharon Brown.

These days, Carol is signed to the Black Wax Records label, but it is currently unknown if she is planning on releasing any new music. She is also working on developing a script about a television mini-series of her life.

To see a fan-made video for “Doctor’s Orders,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “A Hurricane is Coming Tonite,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Headline News” (from her second album), go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Midnight Love Affair,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Dancing Queen,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “I Want To Stay With You,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “We Do It,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Night Fever,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Burnin’,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “I Got the Answer,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “My Simple Heart,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “I Got Your Body,” go to: