Salsoul Orchestra
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Vincent Montana, Jr. |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
The Salsoul Orchestra served as the ensemble of session musicians backing numerous artists affiliated with New York City's Salsoul Records. Performing under their own name, they issued multiple successful singles and albums between 1975 and 1982.
History
Established in 1974 and active until 1982, this orchestra merged influences from Philadelphia soul, funk, Latin, and disco. Philadelphia-based musician Vincent Montana, Jr. was the visionary behind the group, responsible for composing, arranging, conducting, producing, and performing on all recordings up to 1978—including a gold-certified Christmas album. The ensemble sometimes included as many as 50 musicians.
Several founding members originated from Philadelphia International's MFSB and joined the Salsoul Orchestra following monetary disagreements with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Other participants also contributed to projects such as the Ritchie Family and John Davis and the Monster Orchestra. Although reminiscent of MFSB, the Salsoul Orchestra distinguished itself by focusing more on string arrangements rather than the big band approach characteristic of MFSB.
Among their most prominent chart successes were the 1976 adaptation of the classic "Tangerine" (reaching #18 on pop charts and #36 on R&B) and "Nice 'N' Naasty" (which hit #20 on R&B and #30 on pop charts).
Following Montana’s exit, the group produced a final album at Sigma Sound Studios under the guidance of producer Bunny Sigler. The last three records were created in New York City with session musicians including Patrick Adams and Tom Moulton.
Their track "Love Break (Ooh I Love It)" has been extensively sampled in hip-hop tracks such as 50 Cent's "Candyshop" and Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full". Madonna's hit "Vogue" also incorporated this sample, resulting in legal action that was ultimately resolved in Madonna's favor.
From December 24, 1977, through 1986, "Salsoul 3001," which opens with a motif inspired by Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra," was used as theme music for the Soviet television quiz show What? Where? When?.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
CAN | |||
| 1975 | The Salsoul Orchestra | 14 | 20 | 47 | Salsoul |
| 1976 | Nice 'n' Naasty | 61 | 23 | — | |
| Christmas Jollies | — | 38 | — | ||
| 1977 | Magic Journey | 61 | 51 | — | |
| Cuchi-Cuchi (featuring Charo) | 100 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | Up the Yellow Brick Road | 117 | 52 | — | |
| How Deep Is Your Love | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | Street Sense | — | — | — | |
| How High | 201 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Christmas Jollies II | 170 | — | — | |
| 1982 | Heat It Up | — | — | — | |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | max US chart position | Record label |
|---|---|---|---|
| "1978" | "Greatest Disco Hits: Music for Non-Stop Dancing" | "97" | "Salsoul" |
| "1994" | "Anthology" | "—" | "Salsoul" |
| "2005" | "The Anthology" | "—" | "Suss'd" |
| "2010" | "The Salsoul Orchestra Story: 35th Anniversary Collection" | "—" | "Groove Line" |
Singles
1975 1975 1976 1976 1976 1977 1977 1977 1977 1977 1978 1979 1979 1982 1983| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B |
US Dance |
CAN | NL | UK | ||
| "I Just Can't Give You Up" (with Floyd Smith) | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Salsoul Hustle" | "76" | "44" | "4" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Tangerine" | "18" | "36" | "21" | "21" | "—" | "—" | |
| "You're Just the Right Size" | "88" | "76" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Nice 'n' Naasty" | "30" | "20" | "3" | "87" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Ritzy Mambo" | "99" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Short Shorts" | "106" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "Getaway" | "—" | "33" | "3" | "—" | "—"| | ||
| 'Run Away' (featuring Loleatta Holloway) | '—' | '84' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | |
| 'Dance a Little Bit Closer' (with Charo) | '104' | '—' | '18' | '—' | '—' | '44' | |
| 'West Side Encounter / West Side Story' (medley) | '—' | '68' | '13' | '—' | '—' | '—' | |
| 'Street Sense' | '—' | '—' | '40' | '—' | '—' | '—' | |
| 'How High' (featuring Cognac) | '105' | '66' | '21' | '—' | '—' | '—' | |
| 'Take Some Time Out (For Love)' | '—' | '52' | '46' | '—' | '—' | '—' | |
| 'Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)' | '—' | '—' | '19' | '—' | '—' | '83' | |
See also
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s
- The Funk Brothers
- The J.B.'s
- Tower of Power horn section
- The Wrecking Crew
- Prelude Records
- Salsa