Fat Larry's Band
| Company type | Musical ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | "Fat" Larry James |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | R&B and funk music |
Fat Larry's Band was a Philadelphia-based American ensemble specializing in R&B and funk music, achieving notable commercial acclaim during the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly within the United Kingdom.
Career
Established in 1976 by drummer and vocalist "Fat" Larry James (August 2, 1949 – December 5, 1987), the group included trumpeter and flautist Art Capehart, guitarists Ted Cohen and Tony Middleton, vocalists Freddie Campbell (1952 – January 19, 2013) and Darryl Grant, keyboardist Terry Price, singer Alfonso Smith, saxophonist Doug Jones, bassist Larry La Bes, trombonist and alto saxophonist Jimmy Lee, along with keyboardist Erskine Williams.
Among their most successful tracks were "Act Like You Know" (which appeared on the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack) and "Zoom," which secured top ten positions in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. In the United Kingdom, "Zoom" climbed to number two on the UK Singles Chart in October 1982 and was featured in the Christmas 1982 episode of the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. Additional UK chart entries included "Center City," "Boogie Town," and "Lookin' for Love."
The band disbanded following the death of James from a heart attack on December 5, 1987, at age 38.
The drum break from their debut album Feel It (released by WMOT Records in 1976), specifically from the track "Down on the Avenue," has been extensively sampled by artists such as N.W.A, Ice-T, Jungle Brothers, Depeche Mode, and Run-D.M.C..
Albums
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | UK | |||
| 1976 | Feel It | — | — | |
| 1977 | Off the Wall | — | — | |
| 1978 | Spacin' Out | — | — | |
| 1979 | Lookin' for Love | — | — | |
| 1980 | Stand Up | 72 | — | |
| 1982 | Breakin' Out | — | 58 | |
| 1983 | Straight from the Heart | — | — | |
| 1986 | Nice | — | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | ||||
Compilation albums
- The Best of Fat Larry's Band (1994)
- Greatest Hits (1995)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart rankings | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance | US R&B | AUS | UK | ||||||
| 1976 | "Center City" | — | — | ― | 31 | ||||
| "Fascination" | 39 | — | ― | ― | |||||
| 1977 | "Peaceful Journey" | — | 94 | — | — | ||||
| 1978 | "We Just Can't Get It Together" | ― | ― | ― | ― | ||||
| "Boogie Town" | "Here Comes the Sun" | "Lookin' for Love Tonight" |
align=center | — 39 27 |
align=center | 43 44 47 |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | — — 46 |
|||
| "Can't Keep My Hands to Myself" | "How Good Is Love" |
align=center | ― ― |
align=center | — 78 |
align=center | — — |
align=center | ― ― |
||||
| "Act Like You Know" | "Be My Lady" | "Traffic Stopper" | "Zoom" |
align=center | 24 ― ― ― |
align=center | 67 ― ― 89 |
align=center | ― ― ― 10 |
align=center | — — — 2 |
|
|
| "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" | "Straight from the Heart" | "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | 83 88 93 |
|||
| "Nice" | "Sunrise Sunset" | "Teach Me (There Is Something About Love)" |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | ― ― ― |
align=center | — — — |
|||