The group was formed in Dayton, Ohio by New Jersey native horn player/songwriter/producer Steve Washington (funk obviously runs in the blood - Washington's uncle was Ralph 'Pee Wee' Middlebrook of the famed Ohio Players). Slave performed edgy funk grooves that rival (or even overwhelm) what is considered 'hard' street music today. By the time the Cotillion/Atlantic album "Stone Jam", originally release in September 1980, came out, Steve Washington had departed the group, with Curt Jones and Starleana Young, to form another band, Aurra. Not long afterward, Steve Arrington (drummer and vocalist) also departed to undertake a solo career that produced important funk classics such as "Way Out" and "Nobody Can Be You But You".
discogsThere are at least six artists using the name Slave: 1. A funk band from Dayton, Ohio
2. A rapper from Los Angeles, California
3. A hardcore band from from Denmark
4. A powerviolence band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
5. A hardcore band from Los Angeles, California
6. A punk band from Doylestown, Pennsylvania
7. A Powerviolence band from Birmingham, Alabama. http://slavepv.bandcamp.com/ 1) Slave was an Ohio funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter Steve Washington and Mark Hicks (Drac) formed the group in Dayton, Ohio in 1975. Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr. (sax, keyboards), Carter Bradley (trombone), Mark Adams (bass), Mark Hicks (lead and rhythm guitar, lead and background vocals), Danny Webster (rhythm guitar, lead and background vocals), Orion Wilhoite (keyboards), and Tim Dozier (drums). Vocalists Steve Arrington, Starleana Young, then Curt Jones and keyboardist Raye Turner came aboard in 1978, with Arrington ultimately becoming lead vocalist. Their first big hit was the single "Slide" in 1977 for Cotillion Records, where they remained until 1984. Their best work was usually based on bass licks and the band's general arrangements emphasis on the rhythm section and soaring lead vocals. Other Top Ten R&B hits were "Just a Touch of Love" in 1979, "Watching You" in 1980, and "Snap Shot" in 1981. They added Charles Carter on sax and brother Sam Carter on keyboards. Young, Washington, Jones and Lockett departed to form Aurra in 1981. Slave added Roger Parker, Delbert Taylor,JR., and Kevin Johnson as replacements. Arrington himself left in 1982 after the Showtime album. They continued on, though much less successfully, into the late 1980s. They moved to Atlantic Records for one LP in 1984, then switched to the Atlanta-based Ichiban Records in 1986. Their most recent release was The Funk Strikes Back in 1992. Rhino issued Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave Featuring Steve Arrington, an anthology of their finest cuts, in 1994. 2) The hip-hop artist SLAVE has released “El Che” as a single in early 2010. There will be a few releases during ‘10 including “Will I Ever Be Free?” demo tape along with some mixtapes. You can find El Che and future releases through blogspot, tumblr, etc. 3) Danish hardcore punk band from Copenhagen in the early 2000's. 4) Powerviolence band from Oklahoma City, formerly known as No Man’s Slave.
http://www.myspace.com/nomansslave
http://elitereform.blogspot.com/ 5) Hardcore/metal band from Los Angeles ; http://weareslaves.bandcamp.com/album/abyss ; http://www.facebook.com/weareslaves
They have a 6 song ep coming out titled Abyss.
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