The main spotlight in a band is always on the lead singer. But there are some situations when the other members of the group are easily able to steal the love of others. Ron Lapread was one of them. He was the bass guitarist of the Commodores band, which was an American funk and soul band. The band reached its peak during the late 1970s and mid-1980s. The members of the band met as freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968. Later, they signed with Motown in November 1972. The people who are fans of this band want to know more about the Commodores and Ron Lapread. So, without any delay, let’s dig deep into the details of it.
A Brief Introduction to Ron Lapread and the Commodores
The band’s most successful time was in the late 1970s and 1980s. It was at that time that Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer of the band. The biggest hits of the Commodores are ballads like ‘Easy’, ‘Three Times a Lady’, ‘Nightshift’, ‘Fancy Dancer’, ‘Too Hot to Trot’, and much more. The group was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. The band even won a Grammy Award out of a total of nine nominations.
The History of the Commodores
The band was formed by two former student groups, the Mystics and the Jays. Richie described a few group members of the group The Mystics as ‘jazz buffs’. Also, the ‘The New Six-Man’ band had Lionel Richie, William King, Michael Gilbert, Thomas McClary, Milan Williams, etc.
To choose the band name, William King took help from a dictionary and randomly selected a word. To the People magazine, he said, ‘We almost became ‘The Commodes’. The members of the band attended Tuskegee University in Alabama. After winning the annual freshman talent contest of their university, they played music at fraternity parties, a weekend gig at the Black Forest Inn, and Tuskegee clubs.
The band played some cover tunes and original songs with James Ingram, who was their first singer. He was older than others and left to serve in Vietnam. James was replaced by Walter ‘Clyde’ Orange. Lionel and Walter alternated as the band’s lead singers.
The Work Done by the Commodores
In 1978, the band made a brief appearance in the movie ‘Thank God It’s Friday’. They performed a song during the dance contest called ‘Too Hot ta Trot’. Also, other songs were played in the movie, like ‘Easy’ and ‘Brick House’.
The song ‘Machine Gun’ from their debut album became a staple at sporting events in America and was also used in many movies. There were other songs as well, like ‘Boogie Nights’ and ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar’. In 1974, it reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band released three albums in 1975 and 1976.
After these recordings, the band developed a mellower sound in their 1976 top 10 hits like ‘Sweet Love’ and ‘Just to Be Close to You’. In 1977, they released the song ‘Easy’ which was their biggest hit and reached #4 in the US. Their song ‘Brick House’ reached #5. They even reached No. 1 in 1978 with ‘Three Times a Lady’. In 1979, they scored another top-5 ballad, and in 1981, the band released two top-10 hits.
The downfall of the Commodores involving Ron Lapread
In 1982, Richie decided to leave the band and pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Skyler Jett. In 1982, Benjamin Ashburn, their manager, died of a heart attack. In 1983, McClary left the band to go on a solo career, and he was replaced by Sheldon Reynolds.
In 1986, Ron Lapread left the band and moved to Auckland, New Zealand. Reynolds left for Earth, Wind, and Fire in 1987. In 1989, Milan Williams left the band. The group left its funk roots and adopted a more commercial pop arena.
As of 2020, the band involves Walter ‘Clyde’ Orange, James Dean ‘J.D.’ Nicholas, William ‘WAK’ King, and their five-piece band ‘The Mean Machine’.
Conclusion
The Commodores had their fair share of ups and downs. They gave some amazing hits to the audience to enjoy. Whereas, in 1986, Ron Lapread left the band and moved to New Zealand. The above-mentioned information will help you know better about everything.
