Weapons of Peace
Weapons of Peace | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Soul, funk |
| Years active | 1970s |
| Labels | Playboy Records, FTA |
| Past members | Lonnell Dantzler Andrew Hardy Finis Henderson David Johnson Bill Leathers |
Weapons of Peace were a five-man music ensemble active in the 1970s. They had three hits from 1976 to 1977 in the r&b soul charts.
Background
Weapons of Peace were originally from Chicago. Lead singer and percussionist Finis Henderson III grew up in Chicago. He was the son of the vice-president of Sammy Davis Enterprises. He was a founding member of the group.[1][2] In addition to Henderson, the group was made up of Andrew Hardy on guitar and backing vocals, David Johnson on bass and backing vocals), Lonnell Dantzler on keyboards, and Bill Leathers on drums.[3]
Career
1976
An article about Playboy Records VP Tom Takayoshi, "Takayoshi Sees Double Sales For Playboy" appeared in the 2 October 1976 issue of Record World. The article stated that Takayoshi had outlined the release of six new albums. Each of them would have their own promotion and merchandising campaign. In addition to releases by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Dennison, Mickey Gilley, Wynn Stewart and Greg Kihn, there would be debut albums by Weapons of Peace and Joey Stec.[4]
The group released their Weapons of Peace album on Playboy PB 413. The album was produced by Mark Davis. It was reviewed in the 9 October 1976 issue of Cash Box. The review was very positive, and the reviewer said that the band was very much in the tradition of Earth, Wind and Fire. With their single, "Just Can't Be That Way" making itself known, the reviewer said that any R&B radio outlet would be foolish to pass up on it and AOR outlets would want a piece of it too.[5]
The group's work with producer Mark Davis and executive producer Hillery Johnson which was release on single,[6] "Just Can't Be That Way (Ruth's Song)" bw "Mighty Hard Man" peaked at no. 102 on the Cash Box singles chart.[7] It also peaked at no. 55 on the Cash Box Top 100 R&B chart.[8][9][10] It also got to no. 64 on the Billboard chart.[11]
1977
The group's single, "City" made its debut at no. 73 in the Record World R&B Singles chart on the week of 29 January 1977.[12]
The group recorded their single "Roots Mural / Many Rains Ago (Oluwa)" which was released on Playboy P-6101. Record World columnist Dede Dabney had it as a sleeper in one of her three picks of the week in the 19 March issue. She suggested that the song which Quincy Jones had a hand in writing should be listened to and it was destined to cause an explosive reaction.[13]
Their album was reissued in 1977 on Playboy PZ 34747. It was reviewed in the 25 June issue of Billboard. The reviewer's picks were "Roots (Mural Theme / Many Rains Ago (Oluwa)" and "Just Can't Be This Way (Ruth's Song)".[14][15]
Later years
In the 1980s, Lonnell Dantzler was a member of the funk and rap group Wreckin Crew.[16] After Weapons of Peace had broken up, Finis Henderson made his way to Los Angeles. He also became a comedian. He was associated with Richard Pryor and gave material to Pryor. He recieved an invite from Pryor to tour with him as a support act. Henderson chose to persue music and formed the soul group Prophesy.[17] In 1983 Finis Henderson released his Finis album.[18]
References
- ^ Jazz Rock Soul, 31 Mar 2018 - Weapons of Peace, Members:
- ^ Oxford Reference - Henderson Finis
- ^ Jazz Rock Soul, 31 Mar 2018 - Weapons of Peace, Members:
- ^ Record World, October 2, 1976 - Page 34 Takayoshi Sees Double Sales For Playboy
- ^ Cash Box, October 9, 1976 - Page 30 ALBUM REVIEWS, PEACE IS OUR WEAPON, LOVE IS OUR SONG — Weapons Of Peace — Playboy PB 413 — Producer: Mark Davis — List: 6.98
- ^ Discogs - Weapons Of Peace – Just Can't Be That Way (Ruth's Song)
- ^ Ultimate 70s - Song: "Just Can't Be That Way (Ruth's Song)"
- ^ Cash Box, October 30, 1976 - Page 49 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B October 30, 1976, 55, 10/23 59, Weeks On Chart 5
- ^ Cash Box, November 6, 1976 - Page 48 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B November 6, 1976, 55, 10/30 55, Weeks On Chart 6
- ^ Cash Box, November 13, 1976 - Page 39 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B November 13, 1976, 67, 11/6 55, Weeks On Chart 7
- ^ MusicVF.com - Weapons of Peace Top Songs Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography, 1976, 1. 10/1976 Just Can't Be That Way (Ruth's Song) by Weapons of Peace
- ^ Record World, January 29, 1977 - Page 80 THE R&B SINGLES CHART JANUARY 29, 1977, JAN. 29 73, JAN. 22 -
- ^ Record World, March 19, 1977 - Page 46 SOUL TRUTH By DEDE DABNEY, R&B PICKS OF THE WEEK, SLEEPER, WEAPONS OF PEACE, "ROOTS MURAL/MANY RAINS AGO (OLUWA)"
- ^ Discogs - Weapons Of Peace – Weapons Of Peace
- ^ Billboard, June 25, 1977 - Page 74 Billboard LPs * Continued from page 72, soul, WEAPONS Of PEACE, Playboy P134747 (CBS)
- ^ Jazz Rock Soul, 31 Mar 2018 - Weapons of Peace
- ^ Oxford Reference - Henderson Finis
- ^ Jazz Rock Soul, 31 Mar 2018 - Weapons of Peace
External links
- Discogs - Weapons of Peace
