Aurra
Aurra was an American 1980s soul group, which, at the time of its biggest success on Salsoul Records, featured Curt Jones (guitar/vocals) and Starleana Young (vocals) and included Steve Washington (bass/guitar/drums), Philip Field (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals) and Tom Lockett (saxophone/percussion).[1]
Aurra | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Déjà (post-1987) |
| Origin | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Funk, dance, soul, post-disco |
| Years active | 1979–1986 (as Aurra) 1987–1989 (as Déja) |
| Labels | Salsoul Next Plateau 10 Records (UK) Virgin (US) Family Groove Records |
| Past members | Aurra: Starleana Young Curt Jones Steve "The Fearless Leader" Washington Thomas Lockett, Jr. Charles "Cedell" Carter Wayne "Buddy" Hankerson Raymond "Rajac" Jackson Philip Field A.C. Drummer Sheila Washington Mark Stevens Déjà: Starleana Young Curt Jones Mysti Day |
Career
Aurra started off in 1979 as an offshoot of the funk band Slave. Aurra was created by Steve "The Fearless Leader" Washington; which featured Curt Jones, Starleana Young, Charles Carter, and Buddy Hankerson on the first LP. Aurra initially signed with Dream Records, and then Salsoul Records, Thomas Lockett and composer/keyboardist Philip Field became members. During the early 1980s, the group found success with hits such as "Are You Single" at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, "Checkin' You Out" and "Make Up Your Mind", which was its biggest US hit under this moniker - reaching number six on the R&B chart and number 71 on the pop chart.[2]
Legal issues with Steve Washington over the name Aurra made the duo change its name to Déjà.[1] In 1987, they released their Virgin Records debut as Déjà, Serious, which was produced by The Time member Monte Moir. The group later cracked the upper reaches of the US Billboard R&B chart with the Teddy Riley-produced hit "Made To Be Together" in 1989.[3] Starleana Young left the group to go solo, and was replaced by Mysti Day.
In 2013, Family Groove Records recovered the lost tapes for the unreleased '5th' Aurra album Satisfaction, originally recorded in 1984. The direction of the album was supervised by Steve Washington, Amuka Kelly (also known as Sheila Horne Washington) and Daniel Borine.
In 2019, Aurra's second album as Déjà, the long out of print Made To Be Together was released to digital and streaming platforms.[4][5][6]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Label | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] | |||
| 1980 | Aurra | Dream Records | 128 | 16 |
| 1981 | Send Your Love | Salsoul Records | 103 | 22 |
| 1982 | A Little Love | 38 | 12 | |
| 1983 | Live and Let Live | — | 36 | |
| 1985 | Like I Like It | 10 Records | — | — |
| 2013 | Satisfaction | Family Groove Records | — | — |
| 2015 | Body Rock | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US Pop [7] |
UK [8] | |||
| 1980 | "When I Come Home" | 50 | — | ― | — | |
| "In the Mood (to Groove)" / "You're The Only One" | 50 | 86 | ― | ― | ||
| 1981 | "Are You Single" | 36 | 16 | ― | — | |
| "Make Up Your Mind" | 35 | 6 | 71 | ― | ||
| "Keep Doin' It" / "Nasty Disposition" | 27 | 36 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Checking You Out" / "A Little Love" | 47 | 64 | ― | — | |
| "In My Arms" | — | — | ― | — | ||
| "Such A Feeling" | 29 | 40 | — | ― | ||
| "It's You" | — | — | — | ― | ||
| 1983 | "Baby Love" | ― | 78 | ― | ― | |
| 1985 | "Happy Feeling" | ― | ― | ― | 85 | |
| "Like I Like It" | ― | ― | ― | 43 | ||
| 1986 | "You And Me Tonight" | ― | ― | ― | 12 | |
| "Are You Available" | ― | ― | ― | — | ||
| 2013 | "Perfect Date" | ― | ― | ― | — | |
| "Something Tells Me" | ― | ― | ― | — | ||
| "Satisfaction" | — | — | ― | — | ||
| "Back 2 U" (featuring Curt Jones) | ― | — | — | ― | ||
| 2015 | "Are You Foolin’ Around" | ― | — | — | ― | |
| "I'll Let You Go" | ― | — | — | ― | ||
| "Conversation" / "What Can You Do For Me" | ― | — | — | ― | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Compilations
- 1991: The Best Of Aurra (Rams Horn Records)
- 1996: Anthology (CNR Music)
- 1999: Greatest Hits (Unidisc Music)
Albums
- 1987: Serious (Virgin / 10 Records)
- 1989: Made to Be Together (Virgin / 10 Records)
Singles
| Year | Song | Label | UK[9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Serious" | 10 Records | 75 |
| "You and Me Tonight" (re-release) | Virgin | — | |
| "That's Where You'll Find Me" | 10 Records | — | |
| 1988 | "Going Crazy" | Virgin | ― |
| "Made to Be Together" | — | ||
| "Heart Beat" | — | ||
Compilations
- 2003: Aurra / Déjà - Deja: Definitive Collection Of Aurra - Salsoul & Virgin Years
See also
References
- Kellman, Andy. "Aurra - Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- "Aurra - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Wynn, Ron. "Déjà: Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- "Made To Be Together". spotify.com. Spotify AB. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- "Made To Be Together by Deja". pandora.com. Pandora Media LLC. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- "Made To Be Together by Deja". amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- "Aurra Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- "Aurra - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- "Deja - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
External links
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