The Floaters
| The Floaters | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Genres | Smooth R&B |
| Years active | 1976-82 |
| Labels |
ABC (1976-78) MCA (1979-80) |
| Associated acts | The Detroit Emeralds |
| Past members |
James Mitchell Paul Mitchell Larry Cunningham Charles Clark Ralph Mitchell |
The Floaters were an American R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976. The group are best known for their 1977 song "Float On", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.
Career
The band was formed by the former Detroit Emeralds' singer James Mitchell, with his brother Paul Mitchell, Larry Cunningham, Charles Clark, and the unrelated Ralph Mitchell. Most of The Floaters were from the Sojourner Truth housing project on Detroit's Eastside.
James Mitchell wrote the band's one major hit, "Float On", with Arnold Ingram and Marvin Willis. The lyrics spotlight each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name, astrological sign, and ideal type of romantic partner.[1] The song was produced by Woody Wilson. It became a worldwide hit in 1977 on ABC Records, reaching No. 1 on the US R&B chart, No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart (for a single week in August that year).[2]
Follow-ups such as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (No. 28 Billboard R&B chart) were not as successful. The group continued to record, releasing four studio albums over the next few years.
A new recording of the song "Float On" was recorded in 2001 for the album Still Standing by the group Full Force [1] and Cheech and Chong did a take-off of the song called "Bloat On".
This song was also sampled by Canadian hip-hop recording duo Dream Warriors, in their song of the same name.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. 200 | U.S. R&B | ||
| Floaters |
|
10 | 1 |
| Magic |
|
131 | 27 |
| Float Into The Future[3] |
|
— | — |
| Get Ready For The Floaters & Shu-Ga |
|
— | — |
Chart singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[4] | US R&B[5] |
UK[6] | IRL | ||
| 1976 | "I Am So Glad I Took My Time" | — | — | — | — |
| 1977 | "Float On" | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" | — | 28 | — | — | |
| 1978 | "I Just Want to Be with You" | — | 36 | — | — |
| "Magic (We Thank You)" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | "Levitation" | — | — | — | — |
| 1981 | "Get Ready" | — | — | — | — |
Compilation albums
- Float On: The Best of The Floaters - 1998 - MCA International[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 Allmusic.com biography
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 206. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Allmusic.com discography
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 250. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B Singles: 1942-1995. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 151. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
- ↑ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 286. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- ↑ "The Best Of The Floaters - Float On". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
External links
- The Floaters mini- biography at Allmusic website
- "Floaters Serve Up a Little Piece of Magic", 1978 Interview. SoulMusic.com, 31 July 2013.