Skyy

This formidable eight-piece group consisted of the honey-voiced Dunning Sisters (Bonnie, Delores and Denise), bassist Gerald LeBon, keyboardist Larry Greenberg, lead guitarist Anibal Anthony "Boochie"Sierra, drummer Tommy McConnell and was led by singer and rhythm guitarist Solomon "Sol" Roberts, Jr., who also wrote and produced an overwhelming majority of Skyy's material with Brass Construction's Randy Muller.

Signing to Salsoul in 1979, "First Time Around" was the first of many successful singles for the act. "High," the crisp "Here's To You," and "Skyyzoo" raised Skyy's profile through the next few years.

Following the release of "Skyyport" in 1980, the group went out on a tour that took them to both Europe and Africa. Among other places, Skyy played in Lagos, Nigeria. "The culture fascinated us and we were interested in seeing how the people there responded to our music", Solomon Roberts said later "We found the people to be very warm and physical and they were totally uninhibited. They would come up and dance on stage with us. But the heat! We all nearly fainted on several occasions."

1981 saw the release of "SkyyLine", their biggest album and one of the most successful r&b/club crossover records of the early 1980s. With the number one smash "Call Me." A favorite of old school r&b radio, the deep bass groove commanded your attention while the catchy lyric about cheating with a friend's partner made for compelling listening. The song rose to the top of the charts and helped propel Skyyline to gold status. The next single from "Skyy Line, "Let's Celebrate", made it to R&B #16 and is incidentally Skyy's only U.K. chart entry.

"Dancing To Be Dancing" and "Bad Boy" kept their name in the public eye but did not have the same level of impact as their earlier records and they left the label in the mid 1980s. A rejuvenated Skyy emerged a couple of years later on Atlantic with the comeback hits "Start of A Romance" and "Real Love" before fading away again.

Like the majority on Salsoul's roster, Skyy (or New York Skyy as they were called in the U.K.) were celebrated on the Dance scene, but unlike some less fortunate stable-mates, Skyy were able to attain a much wider audience with their happy-sounding mix of Disco, Soul and Funk, as well. To prove it, one only needs to take a look at Billboard's R&B Singles charts, where Skyy scored no less than fourteen times between 1979 and 1984.

Albums

Skyy (1979)
Skyyway (1980)
Skyyport (1980)
SkyyLine (1981)
Skyyjammer (1982)
Start Of A Romance (1989)
Greatest Hits (1996)

Tracks currently playing/played on the station

High (Album: Skyyway)
Here's To You (Album: Skyyport)
Superlove (Album: Skyyport)
Call Me (Album: SkyyLine)
Let's Celebrate (Album: SkyyLine)
When You Touch Me (Album: SkyyLine)
Show me The Way To Go (Album: Skyyjammer)
Dancing To Be Dancing (Album: Start Of A Romance)
Start Of A Romance (Album: Start Of A Romance)

Skyy Album info
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