Song:Bra
Album:Cymande
The British funk band Cymande (pronounced Sah-mahn-day) had modest success in the 70s with songs like Bra and The Message. But they have developed a cult following in recent years because of sampling by hip hop guys and because director Spike Lee is a fan. Cymande was formed in 1971 in London. Members were Joey Dee and Ray King on vocals and percussion, Mike Rose, Derek Gibbs and Peter Serreo on sax and flute, Patrick Patterson on guitar, Steve Scipio on bass, Sam Kelly on drums and Pablo Gonsales on congas. Pye Records producer John Schroeder went to a London club to see a band. But when he got there, he found out they cancelled. Cymande was rehearsing and he signed them to the new label Janus Records. Chess Records handled US distribution. The first single The Message reached #20 on the R & B Singles chart. Then they recorded the album Cymande. It was a top 30 R & B album. Bra reached #51 on the R & B Singles chart. Cymande toured the US and opened for Al Green and Mandrill. They even played the Apollo and appeared on Soul Train. But subsequent albums didn't do as well and Cymande split up in 1975 after three albums. Patrick Patterson reformed Cymande for the 1981 album Arrival but then they split up for good. There was renewed interest in Cymande when Spike Lee used Bra in his 1994 film Crooklyn and included it on the Crooklyn Vol. 2 soundtrack CD. Collectables released Cymande's debut album on CD with bonus tracks. Cymande is also frequently sampled by hip hop guys. They were supposed to reunite in 2012 with a new CD and live shows. Supposedly the CD is finished. But the whole thing was postponed and hasn't been rescheduled. It's been a year since it was postponed. Here's a video for Bra by Cymande.
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