Sun (R&B band)

SUN
Origin	Dayton, Ohio, United States
Genres	Soul, R&B, funk, disco, jazz fusion, rock
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Capitol Records / Air City Records / Century Vista / Blip Blop Records
Associated acts	The Majestics / The Overnight Low /The Ohio Players / Dayton
Website	sun.z7uk.com

Members	Byron Byrd Donovan Blackwood Alfred Holbrook Alfie Harrison Pete Lamar BBIII

Past members	Byron Byrd: sax, bass, keyboards, vocals Christopher Jones: trumpet, xylophone, vocals John Wagner: trumpet, trombone, vocals Hollis Melson: bass, vocals Dean Hummons: keyboards, sax Shawn Sandridge: guitar, talk box, vocals Kym Yancey: drums, vocals Curtis Hooks: bass Sonnie Talbert: keyboards Dean Francis: keyboards, drums, vocals Keith Cheatham: guitar, vocals Don Taylor: bass, vocals Anthony Thompson: guitar, vocals Sheldon Reynolds: guitar, vocals Tony Allen: bass Roger Parker: drums Breck Bombeck: guitar Thomas Black: guitar Bruce Hastell: guitar Larry Houston: keyboards Ernie Knisley: percussion, sax, background vocals Gary King: trombone, background vocals Nigel Bolton: trumpet Robert Arnold: trumpet, background vocals André Butler: trumpet Mitch Kenny: drums Raymond Moss: trumpet Joey Lobo: drums Pete Lemarr: keyboards, bass, vocals Donovan Blackwood: percussion, vocals Alfie Harrison: guitar, vocals Alfred Holbrook: keyboards, trumpet, vocals BBIII: keyboards, vocals

Sun is an R&B, soul, disco, and funk band that was formed in the mid-1970s and recorded prolifically for Capitol Records from 1976 to 1984. The band was founded by Byron Byrd in Dayton, Ohio, in 1976. Additional members included Kym Yancey, Chris Jones, John Wagner, Hollis Melson, and Shawn Sandridge.

After being signed to Capitol by Larkin Arnold, Sun was faced with an immediate problem: an incomplete band. The black hole was in the rhythm section, so Byron Byrd recruited Roger Troutman and Lester Troutman (now with Zapp) and paid them to do some studio sessions so he could get the album finished. Lester laid drum tracks with Roger on bass, then Roger overdubbed guitar for four songs on the album, including "Live On, Dream On." It was on "Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My BIC)" that Troutman (Roger) contributed his signature Talk Box embellishments. Roger Troutman died April 25, 1999.

As the first single from the debut LP, Live On, Dream On (1976), "Wanna Make Love" became Sun's first hit, peaking at #31 on Billboard’s R&B chart.

With the release of their second album, Sun Power (pressed on orange vinyl in 1977), Sun sprang into a ten-piece configuration of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists that consisted of Byron Byrd, John Hampton Wagner, Christopher D. Jones, Hollis Melson, Dean Hummons, Kym Yancey, Shawn Sandridge, Bruce Hastell, Gary King and Ernie Knisley. The album also contained “Conscience,” the song "Time Is Passing” (used and sampled many Rap Artists including Dr. Dre) plus the instrumental “We’re So Hot,” which has been used in sports telecasts.

Sun had people from NASA do the cover animation for their fifth album, Sun Over The Universe (1980)

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Wikipedia