The older I get, the more I’m not ashamed to admit that I don’t know everything. My knowledge of pop culture is vast, but not infinite. There are things, events, and people that I don’t know about. One of them is a lost funk band called…Dayton.
Dayton was formed sometime in 1980, and featured former members of the Dayton (the city) based band Sun. The group released five albums from 1980 to 1985. What’s as amazing as not knowing anything about these guys, is that they didn’t blow up. Their highest charting single (on Billboard) is a cover version of Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly & The Family Stone. What’s mind blowing is that their 1983 single The Sound Of Music, only reached number 69 on the Billboard R&B charts that year. The video of this song is below. And, the song is fantastic. Listen to it for yourself:
The guy singing lead using a vocoder? The synthesizers? The female co-lead singer? The skating rink-ready backbeat? How did The Sound Of Music not end up a smash in ‘83? And how come this band didn’t take off?
Sigh. I guess these are questions that we’ll never find answers for. So, instead of shedding a tear for Dayton, let’s play this video, and stream any music of theirs in celebration of their existence and music. Here’s to Dayton…the band and the city.
Miami Valley Music Focus explores the places and people behind the music of Southwest, Ohio. This series is made possible by support from Ohio Arts Council.
