I have a theory that most, if not all, of the best music can be traced back to the Midwest. This is especially true of funk and R&B. In fact, if we put a dot on the map every time we inducted an artist into Jheri Curl June, the biggest clusters of dots would be in Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Alicia Myers is from Detroit, Michigan and was in the band One Way (who we previously inducted for their bouncy hit “Cutie Pie“) before going solo in 1980. She is best-known for the gospel-infused “I Want to Thank You,” a club staple, particularly in NYC. 1984’s “Appreciation” also sounds like it could be a praise song, but with an infectious synth riff, slap bass, and house music piano.
Here’s the playlist so you can appreciate the rest of this years’ Jheri Curl June songs! See you tomorrow.
Surprise! I know it’s been a minute since we did… anything for Dystopian Dance Party, but the weather’s getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and the sounds of funky synthesizers are echoing in the distance; so we couldn’t resist coming back for another Jheri Curl June.
For the uninitiated, Jheri Curl June is our annual celebration of a particular strain of wet, silky ’80s R&B that defies all non-hairstyle-related description (and no, we haven’t heard of post-disco… or boogie… or electro-funk… or…). We’ve explained the term several times in the last nine years: in our original 2014 introduction post, a 2016 video, and a 2018 podcast. We know it’s never going to catch on, but damn it, we’re in too deep to stop now.
Having been at this for almost a decade, as you might imagine, we’ve begun to expand the boundaries of the pseudo-genre we coined, touching on City Pop and even reggae. This year, I think it’s finally time to unleash a new mutation that’s been sitting in my “JCJ ideas” playlist for years: I’m talking, of course, about Jheri Jazz.
Tom Browne released “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” in July 1980 as the lead single from his second solo album, Love Approach; the song’s irresistible jazz-funk fusion hit Number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in October, where it remained for three weeks. This puts it more solidly in what we might call the “proto-J.C.M.” category, which is probably why we didn’t feature it until now; for one thing, the lead instrument is Browne’s trumpet, and as we all know, Jheri Curl Music traditionally lacks non-synthetic horns.
And yet, listening to the airtight groove of “Funkin’” today, it fits right in with our usual fare: particularly the razor-sharp muted rhythm guitar by Bobby Broom and that nasty bassline by a 20-year-old Marcus Miller. And did you catch that Flex-a-Tone straight out of 2017 JCJ honoree “Cutie Pie” by One Way? I rest my case.
If you want an in-depth look into the story behind the inspiration and recording of “Funkin’,” I highly recommend this excellent article from Wax Poetics. In the meantime, I’ll just say that the music video above is the most concentrated dose of fun I’ve experienced in quite a while; everyone–Browne, Broom, Miller, singer Toni Smith, keyboardist Bernard Wright, and perhaps most of all incessantly mugging drummer Buddy Williams–looks like they’re having the time of their life. Hopefully kicking off the month with this absolute heater will help bring some fun into your life as well.
Check out our growing Spotify and TIDAL playlists below:
Kleeer had a rocky road to Jheri Curldom. Originally conceived in 1972 as the Jam Band, the backing band for the Choice Four, they later became their own entity, changed their name to Pipeline, and recorded the hard rock infused “Gypsy Rider.” After the single tanked, Pipeline transformed into the Universal Robot Group, under which they recorded and toured for two years. Finally, in 1978, they became a new entity yet again, Kleeer.
Similar to One Way, Kleeer released a consistent output of minor hits in the late ’70s and ’80s, but they were immortalized by being extensively sampled by G-Funk artists, like DJ Quik. “Tonight,” from their 1984 album Intimate Connection, was practically made to be sampled: it’s essentially just five minutes of a funky groove with Roger Troutman-esque horny robot talkbox vocals.
We have one more day to go for Jheri Curl June this week–see you then! In the meantime, Spotify and YouTube playlists are below.
This year, we’re kicking off Jheri Curl June with Detroit R&B group One Way, formerly known as the Soul Partners. Although not exactly a household name, One Way has made a significant impact on music. Between One Way and Zapp, you pretty much have the sound of West Coast G-funk down pat: Everyone from Too $hort and DJ Quik to the Game has sampled One Way’s heavy bass and whiny synthesizers.
One Way had a consistent output of top-charting R&B singles throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s. “Cutie Pie,” their biggest hit, is the perfect music to listen to in your vintage Lincoln Continental while you cruise through the strip on Belle Isle.
We’ll be back tomorrow with this year’s Jheri Curl June special, on the music of Jesse Johnson. In the meantime, check out our Spotify and YouTube playlists below!
, was practically made to be sampled: it’s essentially just five minutes of a funky groove with 
album from 1982, which includes their biggest hit, “Cutie Pie”; © MCA Records.