Stargard (group)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | R&B, funk, soul music |
Stargard was a female ensemble from the United States specializing in R&B, funk, and soul genres.
Overview
The original lineup consisted of Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson, and Janice Williams. Their track "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" appeared on the 1977 soundtrack of Which Way Is Up? and was also included on their 1978 debut album, Stargard, released through MCA Records. This album attained position No. 12 on the Top R&B Albums chart and climbed to No. 26 on the Billboard 200. The single "Which Way Is Up" reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs, peaked at No. 12 on Dance Club Songs, and secured No. 21 on the Hot 100, while also achieving No. 19 in the UK Singles chart.
In 1978, Stargard issued their sophomore album titled What You Waitin' For, with its lead single reaching No. 4 on the Hot Soul Songs chart. Subsequently, the group signed with Warner Bros. Records and launched their third album, The Changing of the Gard, in 1979, which was co-produced by Verdine White of Earth, Wind, & Fire. The song "Wear It Out" attained No. 4 on Dance Club Songs. Additionally, Stargard contributed background vocals to Junior Walker's 1979 release Back Street Boogie.
Following Anderson’s exit after the third album, Williams and Runnells continued as a duo and released their fourth studio project, Back 2 Back, in 1980 under the production of Norman Whitfield. They later returned to MCA Records for their fifth album, Nine Lives, which came out in 1982.
Rochelle Runnells died in 2012.
Media appearances
Stargard portrayed 'The Diamonds' in the 1978 movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US (Billboard 200) | US R&B (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums) | CAN (RPM (magazine)) | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | Stargard | 26 | 12 | 25 | MCA | |||||||||
| What You Waitin' For | — | 50 | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | The Changing of the Gard | — | 57 | — | Warner Bros. | |||||||||
| 1981 | Back 2 Back | 186 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1982 | Nine Lives | — | — | — | MCA | |||||||||
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
colspan=15 style='font-size:90%' | "—" indicates singles that did not chart or were unavailable in that market.| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US (Billboard Hot 100) | US R&B (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) | US Dance (Hot Dance Club Play) | AUS (Kent Music Report) | CAN (RPM (magazine)) | NLD (MegaCharts) | NZ (Recording Industry Association of New Zealand) | UK (UK Singles Chart) | |||
| 1977 | "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" | 21 | 1 | 12 | 79 | 24 | 20 | 7 | 19 | Stargard |
| 1978 | "Disco Rufus" | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love Is So Easy" | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | ||
| "What You Waitin' For" | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | ||
| — | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Wear It Out" | — | 43 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 'The Changing of the Gard' | |
| "Runnin' from the Law" | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "High on the Boogie" | — | 70 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | 'Back 2 Back' | |
| "Back to the Funk" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "True Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 'Nine Lives' | |