Dynasty (band)

Dynasty
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Soul, funk
Years active	1978–1989
Labels	SOLAR Records
Associated acts	The Whispers, Shalamar, The Sylvers
Past members	Leon Sylvers III Nidra Beard Linda Carriere Kevin Spencer William Shelby Richard Randolph

Dynasty was an American band, based in Los Angeles, California, created by producer and SOLAR Records label head Dick Griffey, and record producer Leon Sylvers III. The band was known for their dance/pop numbers during the late 1970s and 1980s. Keyboardist Kevin Spencer and vocalists Nidra Beard and Linda Carriere originally comprised the group.

Dynasty was essentially the brainchild of Griffey and producer Sylvers- a former member of the Sylvers family group- who had achieved much popularity in the early to mid-1970s. A principal architect of the SOLAR sound, Sylvers had become the in-house producer in 1978 for the label (whose name stood for "Sound Of Los Angeles Records') and it was in this capacity that he brought the members of Dynasty together. The group consisted of three young performers; vocalists Nidra Beard, Linda Carriere and keyboardist Kevin Spencer.

Beard and Carriere first became friends during the winter of 1972, when Carriere moved from New Orleans for college. Both were frequent visitors to 'Maverick's Flat', a popular soul/pop nightclub in Los Angeles. The owner of Maverick's Flat, John Daniels, was in the process of putting together a new group 'DeBlanc' and both young singers became members. For two years, they toured with the DeBlanc, throughout the major cities of Europe, Japan, Canada, and United States. When DeBlanc broke up in 1975, some of the original members (including Beard and Carriere) formed a new group called Starfire. For one successful year, Starfire performed essentially in the United States, with a few key dates in Finland and Iran. After the tour, the group decided to disband. Around this time Beard developed a strong relationship with Sylvers. She was, at that time, performing with Capitol recording artists, The Sylvers as a fill-in on live dates for the female Sylvers who were minors. This new association proved beneficial to both Beard and Carriere, as Sylvers introduced each to Griffey. Spencer first met Sylvers when he appeared at the Sylvers' Palos Verdes home, unannounced, to audition as bass player for the Sylvers. It was that introduction coupled with Spencer's performance dates with the Sylvers that cemented what both Sylvers and Griffey needed for their new group. Work then began on Dynasty's first album.

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