Cameo (band)

In 1974, Cameo started out with 14 members created by Larry Blackmon and called the New York City Players.[1] Signed by Casablanca Records to its Chocolate City imprint in 1976,[1] the group soon changed its name to Cameo after their manager informed them that was already a band called The New York City Players. Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and the late Gwen Guthrie formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Haras Fyre (also known as Pat Grant) on trombone. They released one self-titled album in 1973 on the independent label Encounter.

Cameo started with a deep, funk sound, but it was obvious from the start their sights were set on the dance floor. Their first album was Cardiac Arrest which featured its first hit single, "Rigor Mortis". Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are, and Secret Omen contained dance floor songs such as "I Just Want To Be" and "Find My Way", the latter of which was a major disco smash and was included on the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack. ("Find My Way" was their cover of a 1972 Three Degrees and a 1969 Tymes tune.)

By the time Cameosis came out in 1980, it reached 25 on the Billboard 200 and was their greatest position yet. Cameo had gained considerable momentum in the charts through recent releases. Albums such as 1981's Knights of the Sound Table and 1982's Alligator Woman saw the band playing up their eclectic style. The latter album reached 23 compared to the former releases 44 which did not spawn a major single, whilst out performing Cameosis for highest charting album in the Billboard Hot 100 at that point. However, the Alligator Woman eponymous single failed to reach the top 100 and only charted in the Top R&B charts, reaching 54. The band released She's Strange in 1984, which performed well and hit 26 on the Billboard 200. The album also contained the eponymous single that become the band's first charting Billboard Hot 100 track (excluding bubbling under), hitting 47 on the chart.

1985's album Single Life, featuring the title track and "Attack Me With Your Love", hit 3 on the Top R&B chart and continued the band's momentum, paving the way for what was to come the following year. The single "Word Up!" hit the radio airwaves in mid-1986 and reached 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming their highest charting single. The album also hit numbers 8 and 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B charts respectively, becoming their highest charting album.[1]

Two years later, Cameo released Machismo to mixed critical reviews and dropped to chart at numbers 10 and 56 on the Top R&B and Billboard 200 respectively. Cameo then followed up with 1990's Real Men... Wear Black and 1992's Emotional Violence both of which failed to reach the charts. The previous release was followed by two compilation albums in between the time of their next recording.[1]

In 1994, In the Face of Funk was released on the band's independent label and hit 10 on the Top R&B chart. This album was then followed by a 6-year unofficial hiatus with several compilation releases, until the next album Sexy Sweet Thing in 2000. The album hit 64 on the Top R&B chart, and is their most recent charting release.

In 2001, the band was featured in Mariah Carey's single "Loverboy", which was based on the band's single "Candy". The song hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was co-written by Blackmon.

These years saw a great period of inactivity and unofficial hiatus, in which time 6 compilation albums were released. Blackmon is thought to own the band's moniker regardless of activity within the band at a given time and is thus virtually always active. The compilation albums released in this period were, in chronological order: The Hits Collection (2000), 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cameo (2001), Anthology (2002), Classic Cameo (2003), The Best of Cameo (2004), Gold (2005), and The Definitive Collection (2006).

In March 2016, Cameo began a year-long Las Vegas residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.[3] On February 20, 2019, Blackmon announced the upcoming release of "El Passo", the first new Cameo single in 19 years.