Representative Albums: "Get up to Get Down: Brass Construction's Funky Feeling," "Golden Classics," "The Best of Brass Construction: Movin' & Changin'"
Representative Songs: "Movin'," "Changin'," "Get up to Get Down"
Biography
Vocalist/instrumentalist Randy Muller was at the helm of two pivotal East Coast funk and disco aggregations in the '70s and '80s. One was Brass Construction; the other was Skyy. Muller, a vocalist and instrumentalist who doubled on keyboards and flute, organized the band with drummer Larry Payton, trumpeters Wayne Parris and Morris Price, lead guitarist Joe Arthur, vocalist/conga player Sandy Billups, saxophonists Michael Grudge and Jesse Ward, and bassist Wade Williamston. Their 1975 debut, produced by Jeff Lane, went platinum and contained two dancefloor anthems in "Moving" and "Changin." Brass Construction II, III, IV, and V mined the same territory, though only the single "Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)" in 1977 and "L-O-V-E-U" in 1978 came close to attaining similar commercial heights. They recorded for United Artists until 1980, then moved to Liberty and recorded for them until 1983. Muller became their producer in the early '80s, and he shifted their emphasis into a heavily synthesized direction. They continued on Capitol from 1983 to 1985, but couldn't regain their past momentum. The group's vintage hits were remixed and reissued internationally by EMI's Syncopate label in the late '80s, and Brass Construction reappeared on England's charts in 1988. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
Brass Construction was a funkgroup from Brooklyn, New York. Signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976 - the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. They had much more success on the Hot Dance Club Playchart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'," which reached #1. Vocalist and keyboardist Randy Muller went on to score a number of R&Bhits with Skyy.
Brass Construction members included Wade Williamston, Sandy Billups, Morris Price, Larry Payton, Jesse Ward, Michael "Micky" Grudge, Wayne Parris, Duane Cahill, Joseph Arthur Wong, and Randy Muller.
