| Biography of Cameo |
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Larry Blackmon, the group Cameo is a confusingly complex net of personal and financial entanglements. By the early '70s the Juilliard-trained Blackmon became leader of the dozen or so musicians and in 1974 changed their name from the New York City Players to Cameo. Viewed as a minor-league Funkadelic (with whom Cameo shared a label and for whom they frequently opened), they were moderately successful, with three Top 10 R&B hits: “I Just Want to Be” (#3 R&B, 1979), “Sparkle” (#10 R&B, 1979), and “Shake Your Pants” (#8 R&B, 1980).
Unhappy with how the band was being treated, and finding the North inhospitable to African-Americans, in 1981 Blackmon moved operations to Atlanta, where he started his Atlanta Artists label. The early albums were unsuccessful, and to save money, the personnel of the band - always a mystery, since Blackmon withheld credit from some musicians - was reduced to a core band of Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, and Nathan Leftenant. This version of the band produced the spare, ominous, stalking funk of “She’s Strange” (#47 pop, #1 R&B, 1984), “Word Up” (#6 pop, #1 R&B, 1986), “Candy” (#21 pop, #1 R&B, 1986), and “Back and Forth” (#50 pop, #3 R&B, 1987).
Stardom gave the always voluble Blackmon license to make outrageous statements, dismissing Steve Winwood and Peter Gabriel as false funk, calling Kool and the Gang plagiarists, and chastising rap musicians for irresponsible attitudes. Cameo also made a striking visual impression, with geometric haircuts and Jean-Paul Gaultier–designed clothes (with Blackmon’s oversize red leather codpiece the center of attention). In 1987 Cameo collaborated with Miles Davis on “In the Night.”
Blackmon has made a name for himself as a producer; his credits include Bobby Brown’s debut. In 1991 he was named vice president of A&R at Warner-Reprise Records, though by 1994 that relationship had ended. By that time, Blackmon and Cameo were no longer reaching the top of the charts but remained a dependable touring attraction (documented on the live Nasty). Will Smith introduced a new generation of listeners to Cameo when he featured the band on his 1997 album, Big Willie Style. |
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