Con Funk Shun

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Con Funk Shun (previously known as Project-Soul) was an American R&B and funk band whose popularity began in the mid-1970s and continued into the 1980s. Musical influences were Earth, Wind and Fire , the Commodores , Chaka Khan and Sly and the Family Stone . In 1976, the band members signed to Mercury Records , toured successfully domestically and internationally for a decade, and released eleven albums that were high on the US Billboard charts and numerous hit singles. The group officially disbanded in 1986.

history

The band was founded in 1969 as Project-Soul in Vallejo , California by students Louis A. McCall Sr. (drums / percussion / vocals) and Michael Cooper (rhythm guitar / vocals). Until 1971, the band also included bassist Cedric Martin, keyboardist Danny “Sweet Mann” Thomas, trumpeter Karl Fuller and woodwind player Paul “Maceo” Harrell. Soon afterwards, this classically cast group was completed when singer and multi-instrumentalist Felton Pilatus joined them. In 1971 the seven musicians founded a new band called Con-Funk-Shun , after a song by the instrumental ensemble The Nite-Liter . They moved to Memphis , Tennessee in 1973 , where they were hired as a reserve artist by Stax Records for The Soul Children group . There they got the attention of Estelle Axton , whom she signed on her label Fretone Records . Their debut album, Organize Con Funk Shun , was released in 1973. The seven band members decided in 1974 to rename the band to Con Funk Shun (without hyphens).

In 1976, Con Funk Shun signed with Mercury Records and produced eleven albums over a ten-year period. The album Secrets reached gold in the USA in 1977 , three more gold albums followed.

Tensions had built up in the group by the 1980s, and the band's final album, Burning Love , was recorded without songwriter and vocalist Felton Pilatus. After leaving Mercury Records in 1987, the original band members stopped performing as Con Funk Shun and stopped recording albums.

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US R&B R&B
1977 Secrets US51
gold
gold

(28 weeks)US 		R&B6 (30 weeks)
R&B
1978 Loveshine US32
gold
gold

(19 weeks)US 		R&B10 (25 weeks)
R&B
1979 Candy US46
gold
gold

(22 weeks)US 		R&B7 (25 weeks)
R&B
1980 Spirit of Love US30th
gold
gold

(20 weeks)US 		R&B7 (21 weeks)
R&B
Touch US51 (19 weeks)
US 		R&B7 (26 weeks)
R&B
1981 7th US82 (13 weeks)
US 		R&B17 (26 weeks)
R&B
1982 To the max US115 (29 weeks)
US 		R&B9 (48 weeks)
R&B
1983 Fever US105 (21 weeks)
US 		R&B12 (28 weeks)
R&B
1985 Electric Lady US62 (26 weeks)
US 		R&B9 (36 weeks)
R&B
1986 Burnin 'Love US121 (11 weeks)
US 		R&B25 (16 weeks)
R&B

More albums

  • 1973: Organized Con Funk Shun
  • 1973: The Memphis Sessions
  • 1976: Con Funk Shun

Live albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US R&B R&B
1996 Live For Ya A ** - R&B74 (2 weeks)
R&B

Compilations

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US R&B R&B
1993 The Best of Con Funk Shun - R&B43 (12 weeks)
R&B

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US R&B R&B
1976 Sure Feels Good To Me
Con Funk Shun 		- - R&B66 (8 weeks)
R&B
1977 Confunkshunizeya
Secrets 		- - R&B31 (11 weeks)
R&B
Ffun
Secrets 		- US23 (13 weeks)
US 		R&B1 (21 weeks)
R&B
1978 Shake And Dance With Me
Loveshine 		- US60 (6 weeks)
US 		R&B5 (17 weeks)
R&B
So easy
loveshine 		- - R&B28 (9 weeks)
R&B
1979 (Let Me Put) Love on Your Mind
Candy 		- - R&B24 (12 weeks)
R&B
Chase Me
Candy 		- - R&B4 (21 weeks)
R&B
1980 There Lady
Candy 		- - R&B60 (6 weeks)
R&B
By Your Side
Spirit Of Love 		- - R&B27 (13 weeks)
R&B
Got To Be Enough
Spirit Of Love 		- - R&B8 (18 weeks)
R&B
Happy Face
Spirit Of Love 		- - R&B87 (4 weeks)
R&B
1981 Lady's Wild
Touch 		- - R&B42 (11 weeks)
R&B
Too tight
touch 		- US40 (10 weeks)
US 		R&B8 (20 weeks)
R&B
Bad Lady
7 		- - R&B19 (13 weeks)
R&B
1982 Straight From The Heart
7 		- - R&B79 (4 weeks)
R&B
Ain't Nobody, Baby
To The Max 		- - R&B31 (12 weeks)
R&B
1983 Ms. Got-The-Body
To The Max 		- - R&B15 (13 weeks)
R&B
Love's Train / You Are The One
To The Max 		- - R&B47 (7 weeks)
R&B
Baby I'm Hooked (Right into Your Love)
Fever 		- US76 (5 weeks)
US 		R&B5 (20 weeks)
R&B
1984 Don't Let Your Love Grow Cold
Fever 		- - R&B33 (12 weeks)
R&B
1985 Electric Lady
Electric Lady 		- - R&B4 (17 weeks)
R&B
I'm Leaving Baby
Electric Lady 		- - R&B12 (17 weeks)
R&B
Tell Me What You're Gonna Do
Electric Lady 		- - R&B47 (10 weeks)
R&B
1986 Burnin 'Love
Burnin' Love 		UK68 (16 weeks)
UK 		- R&B8 (16 weeks)
R&B
She's a Star
Burnin 'Love 		- - R&B80 (5 weeks)
R&B
1996 Throw It Up, Throw It Up
Live For Ya A ** 		- - R&B84 (4 weeks)
R&B

More singles

  • 1974: Clique

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Con Funk Shun, biography accessed on October 28, 2018
  2. ↑ Estelle Stewart Axton britannica.com, accessed October 28, 2018
  3. ↑ a b c d Chart sources: UK US
  4. ↑ a b c d Music Sales Awards: US