Brass Construction

Brass Construction was an R&B\funk\disco music group from Brooklyn, New York. The group consisted of Randy Muller, Michael Grudge, Jesse Ward Jr., Jeff Lane, Wayne Parris, Morris Price, Joseph Arthur Wong, Wayne Williamston, Larry Payton and Sandy Billups.

The group originally formed in 1967 as a rock\R&B music quartet under the name The Dynamic Soul under the leadership of Randy Muller. By 1972, they became a nine-piece music group with new members bringing influences of jazz and Latin music.

Randy felt that the expansion of the group necessiated a name change, so they renamed themselves Brass Construction because Randy believed that the group placed a strong emphasis on their brass section although they “keep a tight rhythm going.”
In 1972, Brass Construction released their debut single, “Two Timin’ Lady” on the Docc record label, owned by producer Jeff Lane.

Although the single didn’t make the charts, Jeff Lane was impressed with Randy’s musical arranging skills and asked him to provide string arrangements for funk music group, B.T. Express where two of their songs “Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)” and “Express” (which were arranged by Randy) became successful on the music charts. Randy’s innovative music arrangements helped the songs pioneer disco music.

The success of B.T. Express inspired United Artists Records to sign Brass Construction to their label while Randy was studying music theory at Hunter College, eventually earning a degree in music arrangement.

The work on Brass Construction’s debut album took three months to complete due to their perfectionism which led to various minor alterations. After recording the album, the release date was delayed while Randy provided further string arrangements for B.T. Express among other activities.
In 1975, Brass Construction released their self-titled debut album which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. It also peaked at #9 on the UK Albums chart. The album was certified Platinum in the United States and Silver in the United Kingdom.
The lead single from the album, “Changin'” peaked at #24 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 10 weeks). It was also successful on the dance charts, peaking at #3 on Billboard’s Disco File Top 20 (Record World) chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
The group gained success with their follow-up single, “Movin'” which topped Billboard’s Disco File Top 20 (Record World) chart for 4 weeks (staying on the chart for 12 weeks) and topped Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart for a week, staying on the chart for 18 weeks. It also crossed over to the pop charts where it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #23 on the UK Singles chart.

After the release of their debut album, Brass Construction went on a lengthy tour which delayed the recording of their sophomore album. According to Randy Muller, while the material for the album was “ready ahead of time”, the group’s busy schedule meant that they had to wait until September of 1976 to record it.
In October of 1976, the group released their sophomore album, “Brass Construction II” which peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000.
The lead single from the album, “Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)” peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100, #14 on Billboard’s National Disco Action Top 40 chart (staying on the chart for 9 weeks) and #8 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 13 weeks). It also peaked at #37 on the U.K. Singles chart.

However, the follow-up single, “The Message (Inspirational)” peaked at #42 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 5 weeks.
The last single released from the album, “What’s On Your Mind (Expressions)” peaked at #69 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 3 weeks.

Hoping to achieve crossover success, Brass Construction’s record label promoted the album with heavy merchandising as they continued to tour. To help celebrate their success, a party was held for them at the St. Moritz nightclub in New York City in January of 1977 where boxer & singer Joe Frazier performed at the event.

In an interview with Blues & Soul magazine, Randy Muller said that he felt the sales for the album proved the public had accepted the record regardless of it being more varied than their debut album.

However, by May of 1977, Randy had changed his stance, telling an interviewer for Blues & Soul that while the group was pleased with their sophomore album, it “didn’t sell so well” because it “didn’t have the drive, the power of side one on the first album. It wasn’t that insistent beat pounding throughout and that’s what the people seem to want.”

He also expressed his reservations that the album was too varied for audiences and vowed to appease audiences with their third studio album.
In 1977, Brass Construction released the single, “Celebrate” which peaked at #77 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks. The song fared better on the dance charts (along with the track “We”) which peaked at #37 on Billboard’s National Disco Top 40 chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks.
During that same year, they released their third album, “Brass Construction III” which peaked at #66 on the Billboard 200 and #16 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA.
The follow-up single from the album, “L-O-V-E-U” peaked at #18 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks; however, it failed to make any impact on the pop charts, but managed to peak at #4 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
In 1978, the group released their fourth album, “Brass Construction IV” which peaked at #174 on the Billboard 200 and #24 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.
The two singles released from the album, “Help Yourself” (which peaked at #58) and “Get Up” (which peaked at #56) were moderately successful on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.
In 1979, Brass Construction released their fifth album, “Brass Construction 5” which peaked at #89 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. The lead single, “Right Place” peaked at #41 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 9 weeks) and #74 on Billboard’s Disco Top 100 chart (staying on the chart for 6 weeks).
The follow-up single, “Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing” didn’t make the charts in the United States, but managed to peak at #39 on the UK Singles chart.
In 1980, they released their sixth album, “Brass Construction 6” which peaked at #114 on the Billboard 200 and #21 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.
The only song to chart from the album, “How Do You Do (What You Do to Me)” peaked at #71 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
In 1982, Brass Construction released their seventh album, “Attitudes” which peaked at #176 on the Billboard 200 and #29 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.
The lead single, “Can You See the Light” peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 17 weeks) and #64 on Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart (staying on the chart for only 7 weeks).

The second single, the title song peaked at #59 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
In 1983, the group released their eighth album, “Conversations” which peaked at #31 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart, but missed the Billboard 200 chart.
The lead single from the album, “Walkin’ the Line” peaked at #17 on Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart (staying on the chart for 15 weeks) and #28 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 14 weeks). It was also moderately successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at #47 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The follow-up single, “We Can Work It Out” peaked at #70 on the U.K. Singles chart, but failed to make the charts at all in the United States.
In 1984, they released their ninth album, “Renegades” which peaked at #31 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart and #94 on the U.K. Albums chart.
The first single from the album, “Never Had a Girl” peaked at #38 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
The second single, “Partyline” peaked at #56 on the U.K. Singles chart and #53 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. The last single released from the album, “International” peaked at #70 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1985, Brass Construction released their tenth and last studio album to date, “Conquest” which failed to make the charts at all.
The only single to chart from the album, “Give and Take” peaked at #62 on the U.K. Singles chart, #28 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 5 weeks) and #76 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart (staying on the chart for 6 weeks). Throughout the 80s, Randy Muller continued to write, produce and arrange music for other artists, including R&B group Skyy.
In 1988, a new version of Brass Construction’s song, “Movin'” (titled “Movin’ 1988”) peaked at #24 on the U.K. Singles chart and #50 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for only a week.
During that same year, a re-released version of “Ha Cha Cha” peaked at #94 on the U.K. Singles chart. After that, Brass Construction went their separate ways. On November 28, 2005, they reunited for a concert in Paris, France at the Bataclan Arena.
These days (according to research), Randy Muller continues to remain active with his music career. In 2019, he released his third solo album, “Welcome to My Life” on the Wavehill Records label.

Joseph Arthur-Wong, Jesse Ward Jr. and Larry Payton are now deceased. It’s unknown what the other members of the group are currently up to these days.

To see a video for “Movin’,” go to:

To see a video for “Changin’,” go to:

To see a video for “Ha Cha Cha (Funktion),” go to:

To see a video for “The Message (Inspirational),” go to:

To see a video for “What’s on Your Mind (Expression),” go to:

To see a video for “Celebrate,” go to:

To see a video for “L-O-V-E-U,” go to:

To see a video for “Get Up,” go to:

To see a video for “Right Place,” go to:

To see a video for “Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing,” go to:

To see a video for “How Do You Do (What You Do to Me),” go to:

To see a video for “Can You See the Light”, go to:

To see a video for “Attitude,” go to:

To see a video for “Walkin’ the Line,” go to:

To see a video for “Never Had a Girl,” go to:

To see a video for “Partyline,” go to:

To see a video for “International,” go to:

To see a video for “Give and Take,” go to:

Shana ‎You Can’t Get Away (Remix Post)

[from her self-titled 1989 album]

Radio Hot Mix Version

Extended Hot Mix Version

Technomix Part 1 Vocal and Part 2 Dub Versions

Brenda K. Starr If You Could Read My Mind (Remix Post)

[from her 1991 album, “By Heart”]

7-inch Groove Mix Version

G-Man 12-inch Mix Version

G-Man 7-inch House Edit Version

Roy Roy 12-inch Mix Version

Roy Roy 7-inch Mix Version

Jaya One Kiss Per Minute (Remix Post)

[from her self-titled 1989 album]

12-inch Vocal: One Kiss Mix Version

12-inch House Mix: Just Right Mix Version

Underground Dub: KPM Mix Version

Pajama Party ‎Got My Eye On You (Remix Post)

[from their 1991 album, “Can’t Live Without It”]

Talk to Me Dub Version

Kevin Denney

Kevin Denney (born on January 27, 1978 in Monticello, Kentucky) is a country music singer from the 2000s.

Kevin grew up in Monticello, Kentucky. His parents sang in a gospel music quartet and bought him his first guitar when he was 3 years old. He also became a frequent listener of the Grand Ole Opry radio shows and played in his cousin’s bluegrass music band; however, when he was 17 years old, he briefly stopped focusing on music to re-assess his future.

After attending a George Strait concert on his 18th birthday, Kevin began focusing on music again and joined a local band that was looking for a lead singer. He later went solo and signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records.
In December of 2001, he released his debut single, “That’s Just Jessie” which peaked at #16 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 24 weeks. It also crossed over to the pop music charts where it peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In April of 2002, Kevin released his self-titled debut album which peaked at #119 on the Billboard 200, #14 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and #2 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Albums chart.
The follow-up single from the album, “Cadillac Tears” peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. The last single, “It’ll Go Away” peaked at #43 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.
In late 2003, Kevin released the single, “A Year at a Time” which peaked at #44 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. After that, he left Lyric Street Records.

In the late 2000s and 2010s, he co-wrote songs for artists such as Tracy Byrd, Craig Morgan and Easton Corbin.
In July of 2016, Kevin released his sophomore album, “Something in Between” independently and released the single, “Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody but Me.” These days, it’s currently unknown if he is still active with his music career.

To see a video for “That’s Just Jessie,” go to:

To see a video for “Cadillac Tears,” go to:

To see a video for “It’ll Go Away,” go to:

To see a video for “Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody but Me,” go to:

Kerry Harvick

Kerry Harvick (born on September 10, 1974 in Comanche, Texas) is a country music singer from the 2000s.

When she was 19 years old, Kerry performed a local radio show where she was discovered by Don Light, who signed her to a publishing contract with Cal IV Entertainment.

In 1995, she married singer Daryle Singletary; however, they divorced in 2002. In 2002, she wrote the song, “Til Nothing Comes Between Us” which became a top-20 hit song for singer John Michael Montgomery.
In 2004, she signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records and worked with producer Byron Gallimore. During that same year, Kerry released her debut single, “Cowgirls” which peaked at #45 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
Kerry’s follow-up single, “That’s What Your Love Does” failed to make the charts at all. Her debut album, “Cowgirls” was never released and she was dropped from her record label.

In 2005, she posed in the March 2005 issue of FHM magazine along with other female country music singers such as Jennifer Hanson, Lauren Lucas, Catherine Britt, Shelly Fairchild, Jessi Alexander, Jamie O’Neal and Tift Merrit.

In 2006, Kerry appeared in the first season of the Oxygen network reality television series, “The Bad Girls Club.” In 2007, she released the single, “The Biggest Thing” which didn’t make the charts.

These days (according to research), Kerry resides in Comache, Texas with her husband, David Kersh and two children: daughter Sienna and son Slade. She and David are involved in real estate, flipping and building homes, and have their own business, Kersh Design Company.

To follow Kerry on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/kerryharvickkersh/

To see a video for “Cowgirls,” go to:

To see a video for “That’s What Your Love Does,” go to:

To see a video for “The Biggest Thing,” go to:

Julie Roberts

Julie Roberts (born on February 1, 1979 in Lancaster, South Carolina) is a country music singer from the 2000s.

During her childhood, Julie performed in pre-school plays, sang in school choirs and performed in a rendition of “My Fair Lady” at a singing summer camp. She also endured a mentally abusive and alcoholic father.

During junior high and high school, she toured with her family, playing at festivals in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. She also performed at nursing homes, Carowinds (a theme park located in Charlotte, North Carolina) and Dollywood.

From 1997 to 1999, she attended USC Lancaster for college in her hometown before graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with a degree in business administration. Julie performed in local clubs and restaurants until she graduated.

Later on, Julie began working for Mercury Nashville Records and later became an assistant to the head of the label, Luke Lewis. During her time at the record label, she recorded a demo tape with producer Brent Rowan during her off-time. Rowan played Julie’s demo tape to Lewis, who was favorably impressed by the recording.

She first attended USC Lancaster in her hometown from 1997 to 1999 before graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, with a degree in business administration. Roberts performed in local clubs and restaurants until graduation, she began working for Mercury Nashville Records, later becoming assistant to label head Luke Lewis.

During her tenure at the record label, she recorded a demo tape with producer Brent Rowan during her off-time. Rowan eventually played the tape for Lewis, who was favorably impressed by the recording.
In February of 2004, Julie released her debut single, “Break Down Here” which was originally recorded by singer Trace Adkins under the title, “I’d Sure Hate to Break Down Here” for his 2003 album, “Comin’ On Strong.”

The song peaked at #18 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 32 weeks, making it her highest charting single to date. It also debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Country Singles Sales chart, making her the first female artist to debut at #1 on the chart since LeAnn Rimes in 2000.
In May of that same year, Julie released her self-titled debut album on Mercury Nashville. The album peaked at #51 on the Billboard 200 and #9 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA.
Her follow-up single, “The Chance” peaked at #47 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The last single released from the album, “Wake Up Older” peaked at #46 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
In 2006, Julie released the single, “Men & Mascara” which would be the title song for her sophomore album; however, the single failed to make any impact on the charts at all. In June of that same year, she released her sophomore album which peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

The follow-up single from the album, a cover version of pop-rock band Saving Jane’s 2005 song, “Girl Next Door” also failed to make the charts at all as well.
In May of 2010, Julie parted ways from Mercury Records and released her third studio album, “Alive” in June of 2011 as an independent artist on the Ain’t Skeerd Records label. The lead single from the album, “NASCAR Party” didn’t make the charts.

In 2011, Julie revealed that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 2006 which put her career on hold for a while.

In 2013, she participated in the Blind Auditions of the 4th season on NBC’s “The Voice” performing a cover version of Blake Shelton’s song, “God Gave Me You”; however, she did not qualify for the following rounds of the show.
In October of that same year, she released her fourth studio album, “Good Wine & Bad Decisions” on the Sun Records label.

In 2018, Julie released a book called “Beauty in the Breakdown: Choosing to Overcome” which chronicles her life, music career and her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. A year later in 2019, she released a new single, “I Couldn’t Make You Love Me.”

These days (according to research), Julie continues to perform, provides support to people who have multiple sclerosis and is also passionate about animal rescue and adoption.

To see Julie Roberts’ official website, go to:
http://www.julieroberts.com/

To see a video for “Break Down Here,” go to:

To see a video for “The Chance,” go to:

To see a video for “Wake Up Older,” go to:

To see a video for “Men & Mascara,” go to:

To see a video for “Girl Next Door,” go to:

To see a video for “NASCAR Party,” go to:

To see a video for “I Couldn’t Make You Love Me,” go to:

Tony Terry ‎Young Love (Remix Post)

[from his 1987 album, “Forever Yours”]

Acid Remix Extended Version

Vocal Remix Version

Not Just Sex Version

Oh Oh Omar Dubb Version

Acappella Version

Mac Band Stalemate (Remix Post)

[from their self-titled 1988 album]

Remix Version