Gonzalez
were a British R&B and funk group. The original line-up was formed in 1970
from an idea by Godfrey McLean and Bobby Tench, already members of Gass, and
included other musicians from the same band, including Tench on vocals and
guitar, Godfrey McLean on drums, Delisle Harper on bass, and Lennox Langton on
percussion. At the end of May 1970, Tench left Gonzalez to join the Jeff Beck
Group.
The band
then reformed with a new core line-up that featured saxophonists Michael
"Mick" Eve, Chris Mercer, Steve Gregory, Geoffrey "Bud"
Beadle, keyboardist Roy Davies, and guitarist Gordon Hunte. Subsequently,
George Chandler, Glen LeFleur, Cliff Lake, and Delisle Harper joined the group,
while simultaneously remaining members of the Olympic Runners. Singer Lenny
Zakatek joined the line-up in 1974, the year they released their first album,
simply titled "Gonzalez", which featured a distinctly funk sound. This
work made them Queen bassist John Deacon's favorite group in the mid-1970s.
"Our Only Weapon Is Our Music" (1975) followed,
released by Capitol, a sister label of EMI. In 1976, drummer Preston Heyman
joined the band, which, along with Gloria Jones, supported Bob Marley during
his concerts at the Hammersmith Odeon. In 1977, at Air Studios in London, they
recorded Jones' song "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet," which reached
number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, gaining a significant following among disco
music fans. A remix of the same song reached number 7 on the US Club Play chart
and number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
Album
1974 - Gonzalez
1975 - Our Only Weapon Is Our Music
1978 - Shipwrecked
1979 - Haven't Stopped Dancin'
1979 - Move It To The Music
1980 - Whatch Your Step
Ciancio DJ © Copyright - 2025 by Antonio Stanzani