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Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

{{Short description|American disco band}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2010}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Dr. Buzzard's Original
Savannah Band

| image =

| caption =

| image_size = 200

| alias =

| origin = New York City, U.S.

| genre = Disco, big band, soul

| years_active = 1976–1979, 1984

| label = RCA

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members = Cory Daye
Stony Browder
Mickey Sevilla
Andy Hernandez
August Darnell

}}

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band that was formed in the Bronx, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit "Cherchez La Femme/C'est si bon", from its self-titled debut album.

History

The band was conceived by brothers Stony Browder Jr. (February 7, 1949 – October 6, 2001)[http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/102125245/Stony-Browder Stony Browder, Death Record] and Thomas Browder (also known as August Darnell, born August 12, 1950), with the former writing music and the latter lyrics. They started the band in 1974 with singer Cory Daye (born April 25, 1952), drummer Mickey Sevilla, and percussionist Andy Hernandez (Coati Mundi).{{sfn|Shapiro|2005|p=174}} They released three albums between 1976 and 1979. Their music blended disco beats with rhythms from genres including calypso, rhumba, cha-cha-chá, and compas. The Browders, who were both multiracial, wrote songs embracing multiculturalism over stories about tragic mulattoes.{{sfn|Shapiro|2005|p=176}} A smaller lineup known as Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band (omitting the word "original") also released a fourth album in 1984. They were frequent performers at Studio 54. Darnell and Hernandez went on to form Kid Creole and the Coconuts and Elbow Bones and the Racketeers.

Cory Daye also pursued a successful solo career. In 1979, she released the album Cory and Me. The album produced a single, "Pow Wow" b/w Green Light", which peaked on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #76 later that year.{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2013|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2012|edition=14th|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn= 978-0-89820-205-2|page=223}} The track "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" became a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands.

Stony Browder Jr. died in 2001.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/theater/dapper-as-ever-kid-creole-dresses-up-his-songs-for-a-new-musical.html |title=Dapper as Ever, Kid Creole Dresses Up His Songs for a New Musical|date=May 19, 2016|author=Jon Pareles|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 21, 2020}}

Copyright lawsuit

In 2022, songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer filed a copyright lawsuit against Dua Lipa claiming that her song "Levitating" infringed on their 1979 song "Wiggle and Giggle All Night".{{cite magazine | last=Kreps | first=Daniel | title=Dua Lipa Hit With Second Copyright Lawsuit Over 'Levitating' | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=March 6, 2022 | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dua-lipa-second-levitating-lawsuit-1317471/ | access-date=March 12, 2022}}

Members

  • Stony Browder Jr. – music, piano, vocals (1976–1979, 1984)
  • August Darnell – lyrics, bass, vocals (1976–1979)
  • Cory Daye – vocals (1976–1979, 1984)
  • Mickey Sevilla – drums (1976–1979, 1984)
  • Andy Hernandez – percussion (1976–1979)

Discography

=Studio albums=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Title

! colspan="5"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Certifications

! rowspan="2"| Record label

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="35"| US
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/dr-buzzards-original-savannah-band/chart-history/dance-club-play-songs|title=US Charts > Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2016-02-01}}{{dead link|date=December 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

! width="35"| US
R&B

! width="35"| AUS
{{cite book|title=Australian Charts Book 1970—1992|author=David Kent|isbn=0-646-11917-6|year=1993|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W.}}

! width="35"| CAN
{{cite magazine|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/list.aspx?OCRText=Savannah+Band&|title=CAN Charts > Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band|magazine=RPM|access-date=2016-02-01}}

! width="35"| NLD
{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Dr%2E+Buzzard%27s+Original+Savannah+Band|title=NLD Charts > Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band|publisher=MegaCharts|access-date=2016-02-01}}

1976

| align="left"| Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

| 22

| 31

| 39

| 87

| 13

| align=left|

  • RIAA: Gold{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=DR.+BUZZARD%27S#search_section|title=US Certifications > Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=2016-02-01}}

| rowspan="2"| RCA

1978

| align="left"| Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett

| 36

| 23

| —

| 29

| —

| align=left|

1979

| align="left"| Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

| align=left|

| Elektra

1984

| align="left"| Calling All Beatniks!

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

| align=left|

| Passport

colspan="15" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

= Compilation albums =

=Singles=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Title

! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="35"| US

! width="35"| US
R&B

! width="35"| US
Dan

! width="35"| AUS

! width="35"| CAN

! width="35"| NLD

rowspan="3"| 1976

| align="left"| "I'll Play the Fool"

| 80

| 92

| rowspan="3"| 1

| —

| 100

| 19

align="left"| "Cherchez La Femme"

| 27

| 31

| 49

| 23

| 2

align="left"| "Sour and Sweet"

| —

| 72

| —

| —

| —

rowspan="4"| 1978

| align="left"| "Mister Love"

| —

| —

| rowspan="4"| 22

| —

| —

| —

align="left"| "Organ Grinder"

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

align="left"| "Auf Wiedersehen, Darrio"

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

align="left"| "Transistor Madness"

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

1979

| align="left"| "Didn't I Love You Girl"

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

colspan="15" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

References

{{reflist}}

Notes

  • {{cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Shapiro (journalist) |year=2005 |title=The Secret History of Disco: Turn the Beat Around |location=New York |publisher=Faber and Faber |isbn= 978-0-571-21923-0}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080316220600/http://silverlakeblvd.typepad.com/silverlake_blvd/sas.html "Savannah Band Is Waiting for You, American"] by Kevin McMahon
  • [http://myspace.com/originalsavannahband The band's MySpace page]
  • [http://myspace.com/mundiworld Coati Mundi's MySpace page]
  • [http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/703/kid_creole_and_the_coconuts_kid_charisma/ August Darnell interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011]

{{Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Buzzard's Original Savannah Band}}

Category:American disco groups

Category:American dance music groups