Jango Song Of The Day-The Hues Corporation

Artist:The Hues Corporation

Song:Rock The Boat

Album:The Very Best Of The Hues Corporation

Like a lot of black music of the 70s, the 1974 hit Rock The Boat got a lot of airplay in discos and then crossed into the pop charts. I would describe The Hues Corporation as pop soul; very bouncy and smooth. The group started out as backup singers in the Los Angeles area in 1969 and then opened for other acts. The leader was St. Clair Lee and the others were Flemming Williams and Ann Kelley. Their big break came when they were asked to appear in the 1972 film Blacula. They had three songs on the soundtrack and this led to a contract with RCA Records. They wanted to call themselves The Children Of Howard Hughes but RCA nixed that and they settled on The Hues Corporation. Rock The Boat was the second single and after becoming a hit in clubs, it crossed over to the pop charts and topped the Billboard Hot 100 and went gold. The song was written and produced by Waldo Holmes. The group met him while working on Blacula and he became their manager. Williams sang lead on Rock The Boat and then left after he wanted the group to be called Flemming Williams and the Hues Corporation. According to Lee, Williams was a drug addict and died in 1993. Tom Brown replaced him. The Hues Corporation had some other hits on the disco charts and you can get them on this comp. Lee says the group disageed with RCA on their direction and they disbanded in 1978. They have reunited occasionally including for a 2004 PBS special. Here's The Hues Corporation performing Rock The Boat 1974.