Champaign (band)

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Champaign is an American R&B and soul band that became internationally known in 1981 for the song How 'Bout Us .

Band history

The group named Champaign after their hometown in Illinois , where the founding members met in 1978. Initially, Michael Day, Michael Reed, Howard Reeder and Dana Walden opened a studio called "Creative Audio", but soon began performing as a band under the name Champaign. In addition to lead singer Pauli Carman, Rena Jones and Rocky Maffit also joined.

In 1980 the formation got a record deal with Columbia Records and released the single How 'Bout Us in early 1981 and shortly afterwards the debut album of the same name . Both records were able to place in the US pop and R&B charts, the single reached number 4 on the R&B charts and the top 10 in the United Kingdom, where it was awarded a silver record .

Until the group split up in 1984, two more studio albums were released, Modern Heart (1983) and Woman in Flames (1984), the releases of which were mainly successful in the R&B charts: Try Again rose to number 2 there in 1983, Off and On Love 1984 at number 10. 1991 came the Reunion Champaigns and the release of the fourth album Champaign IV . After both the album and the decoupled tracks Trials of the Heart and All My Love could not build on the success of their predecessors, the group separated again in 1991.

In 2008 Pauli Carman put together a completely new band and is touring the USA again under the name Champaign. Since then, several albums have been released, but they have largely gone unnoticed.

Members

Current occupation

  • Pauli Carman - lead vocals
  • Leah - vocals
  • Carmah - vocals
  • Diana Johnson Cline - vocals
  • Terry Richmond (aka Tea Bird) - lead guitar
  • William Dale III - bass
  • Dean Knox - saxophone
  • Noel - drums

Founding members

  • Pauli Carman - lead vocals
  • Dana Walden - keyboard, synthesizer
  • Leon Howard Reeder - guitar
  • Michael Allen Day († 2001) - keyboard, guitar, vocals
  • Michael Reed - bass (1981 only)
  • Rena Jones (aka Rena Day) - vocals
  • Rocky David Maffit - drums, percussion

former members

  • Ken Soderblom - saxophone, flute
  • Paul Edward Richmond - bass
  • Morris Jennings - drums
  • Tommy Radke - drums

Discography

Studio albums

year Title
music label 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE UK UK US US R&B R&B
1981 How 'Bout Us
Columbia 		- UK38 (4 weeks)
UK 		US53 (20 weeks)
US 		R&B14 (22 weeks)
R&B
First published: March 1981
Producer: Leo Graham
1983 Modern Heart
Columbia 		- - US64 (24 weeks)
US 		R&B9 (29 weeks)
R&B
First published: March 1983
Producers: Champaign, George Massenburg
1984 Woman in Flames
Columbia 		- - US184 (3 weeks)
US 		R&B45 (19 weeks)
R&B
First published: October 1984
Producer: Champaign
1991 Champaign IV
Malaco 		- - - R&B72 (8 weeks)
R&B
First published: April 1991
Producer: Michael Day

More studio albums

  • 2008: Carma
  • 2010: Get Back 2 Love
  • 2013: Love Kind
  • 2014: Eyes of the Spirit

Compilations

  • 2003: The Very Best of Champaign: How 'Bout Us (November 25th)
  • 2012: Modern Heart / Woman in Flames (release: October)

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE UK UK US US R&B R&B
1981 How 'Bout Us
How' Bout Us 		DE42 (8 weeks)
DE 		UK5
silver
silver

(13 weeks)UK 		US12 (23 weeks)
US 		R&B4 (22 weeks)
R&B
First published: January 1981
I'm on Fire
How 'Bout Us 		- - - R&B73 (5 weeks)
R&B
First published: May 1981
1983 Try Again
Modern Heart 		- - US23 (20 weeks)
US 		R&B2 (25 weeks)
R&B
First published: February 1983
Let Your Body Rock
Modern Heart 		- - - R&B62 (7 weeks)
R&B
First published: July 1983
1984 Off and On Love
Woman in Flames 		- UK76 (4 weeks)
UK 		- R&B10 (14 weeks)
R&B
First published: September 1984
This Time
Woman in Flames 		- - - R&B43 (12 weeks)
R&B
First published: December 1984
1991 Trials of the Heart
Champaign IV 		- - - R&B64 (8 weeks)
R&B
First published: March 1991

More singles

  • 1981: Can You Find the Time (release: July)
  • 1985: Intimate Strangers (release: March)
  • 1991: All My Love

literature

swell

  1. ↑ a b Chart sources: Singles DE UK Billboard 200
  2. ↑ a b UK gold / platinum database
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .
  4. ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot R&B Songs 1942–2010: 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4 .

Web links