Starland Vocal Band

Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for "Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976.

Starland Vocal Band
Starland Vocal Band : June 1977
Background information
OriginWashington, D.C., US
GenresPop, folk rock, country, soft rock
Years active1976–1981
LabelsRCA, Windsong Records
Associated actsJohn Denver
Past membersBill Danoff
Taffy Danoff
Jon Carroll
Margot Chapman

Career

The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert.[1]

Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the song "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and then, with John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" which became a hit single in 1971 and became an official West Virginia song.[2] The duo recorded two albums as Fat City, and two more as Bill & Taffy (Welcome to Fat City/Pass It On) all released from 1969-1974.[1] In the mid 1970s, Starland Vocal Band was formed and subsequently signed to Denver's label Windsong Records.

The album Pass It On, included such songs as "Do You Believe", "Didn't I Try", satirical "At Least We're Not Invading China" and "The Fat City High School Fight Song" and a tribute to The Everly Brothers, "Hey Loretta".[1]

Starland Vocal Band was also composed of Jon Carroll (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Margot Chapman (vocals).[1] Carroll and Chapman also became a couple, marrying in 1978.[3] Their son Ben Carroll is also a musician.

The group's debut album was the self-titled Starland Vocal Band and included "Afternoon Delight". The song was a US #1 hit[3] and the album also charted. They were nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1977 and won two: Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist.[4] The song also reached #18 in the UK.[5] The follow-up album, Rear View Mirror, did not fare as well, with 13 weeks on the Billboard 200 and a peak of #104.[6]

The band hosted a variety show, The Starland Vocal Band Show, that ran on CBS for six weeks in the summer of 1977. David Letterman was a writer and regular on the show, which also featured Mark Russell, Jeff Altman, and Proctor and Bergman. April Kelly was a writer for the series.[7]

Unable to match their previous success, the band broke up in 1981. Carroll and Chapman divorced later that year followed by Danoff and Nivert in 1982.[3] All four members went on to pursue solo careers.[8]

In 1998 the Starland Vocal Band reunited for a few concerts, often featuring the children of the four original members as vocalists. In 2007, they appeared on a 1970s special on the New Jersey Network (NJN), singing "Afternoon Delight".

In 2010 Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time.[9] Due to its success, the song was featured in such films as PCU, Anchorman and Good Will Hunting.[10]

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album details Peak chart
positions
US
1976 Starland Vocal Band
  • Release date: 1976
  • Label: Windsong 1351
 20
1977 Rear View Mirror
  • Release date: April 15, 1977
  • Label: Windsong 2239
 104
1978 Late Nite Radio
  • Release date: March 1978
  • Label: Windsong 2598
 208
1980 4 X 4
  • Release date: March 11, 1980
  • Label: Windsong 3536
 —
1980 Christmas at Home
  • Release date: November 25, 1980
  • Label: Breaker 100
 —

A CD compilation album, Afternoon Delight: The Best of the Starland Vocal Band, was released in 1995 by K-tel.[11] Also in 1995, Collectables released Afternoon Delight: A Golden Classics Edition which included all tracks from the first two albums.

Singles
Year A/B-side songs Catalog #
(Windsong)		 Peak chart positions Album
US AUS CAN CAN AC
1976 "Afternoon Delight" / "Starland" 10588 1 6 1 6 Starland Vocal Band
"California Day" / "War Surplus Baby" 10785 66 — — 22
"Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll!" / "Ain't It The Fall" 10855 71 — 92 —
1977 "Afternoon Delight" / "California Day" 10943 — — — —
"Liberated Woman" / "Fallin' In A Deep Hole" 10992 — — — — Rear View Mirror
"The Light of My Life" / "Prism" 11067 — — — 36
"Mr. Wrong" / Too Long A Journey" 11168 — — — 33
1978 "Late Nite Radio" / "Please Ms. Newslady" 11261 — — — — Late Nite Radio
1980 "Loving You with My Eyes" / "Apartment For Rent" 11899 71 — — 26 4 X 4
"(Love) Thought I Would Never Find Love" / "Love Stuff" 12011 — — — —

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The band won two awards from four nominations.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1977 Starland Vocal Band Best New Artist Won
"Afternoon Delight" Record of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Nominated
Best Arrangement for Voices (duo, group or chorus) Won

See also

References
  1. "Fat City - At Least We're Not Invading China". Paste. August 29, 1972.
  2. "House Concurrent Resolution No. 40". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  3. "'Skyrockets in flight/Afternoon delight': The story behind Starland Vocal Band's one big hit". Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. "19th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1976)". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. "Afternoon Delight". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. Jeff Benjamin (January 29, 2013). "8 One-Hit Wonders Who Won Best New Artist Grammys". Fuse. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  7. "A look at early David Letterman on the 'Starland Vocal Band Show'". Atom Bash. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  8. "Whatever happened to Grammy's Best New Artists?". CBS News. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  9. billboard.com - the 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time
  10. Jeffrey Rosenfield (February 7, 2013). "Grammy Winner Taffy Nivert Settles In Safety Harbor". Patch Media. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  11. "Schwann Spectrum". Stereophile. 7 (1): 137. 1995.
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