Song:Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird
Album:Greatest Hits of the 80's
Will To Power had most of their success on Miami dance floors. But this odd cover of Baby, I Love Your Way and Freebird topped the pop charts in 1988 and was one of the biggest hits of the year. Does it seem cheesy today? I have news for you. It was cheesy then. No one can ever tell what will come out of left field and appeal to listeners. The man behind Will To Power is DJ Bob Rosenberg. The female singer was former Miami Sound Machine backup singer Suzi Carr. The guy playing drums in the video is sax player and DJ Johnny "Dr. J' James. Rosenberg was born Jan. 18, 1959 in Philadelphia. His mom Gloria Mann had two top 40 hits in the 50s with Earth Angel and Teen Age Prayer. In 1985 Rosenberg was a DJ at Miami radio station WHQT. He became known for remixes and a rap version of the theme from Miami Vice became popular locally. MCA Records claimed copyright infringement so Rosenberg couldn't go farther with it. But it gave him the idea of trying to get a record deal. The name Will To Power was his homage to German philosopher Frederich Nietzsche. He met Suzi Carr at a music seminar and they started working together. She co-wrote two songs and sang backup on the Miami Sound Machine album Primitive Love. The single Dreamin' was released on the local label Thrush Records. Epic Records picked it up for distribution and it charted nationally. The third member of Will To Power, Johnny "Dr.J" James, played sax for the reggae group Inner Circle. The debut album Will To Power was released in Mar. 1988. The first two singles did well on the dance charts. But Rosenberg convinced a very reluctant Epic to release his medley of the Peter Frampton song Baby, I Love Your Way and the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Freebird as a single. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in Dec. 1988. Suzi Carr was replaced by Elin Michaels for the 1990 album Journey Home. Michaels was a veteran of the Miami club scene and sang backup vocals on the first album. Will To Power had a top ten hit with their cover of 10cc's I'm Not In Love. Sony released a Will To Power comp in 1996 but it's out of print and the first album is too expensive. This Sony various artists 3CD comp costs less than ten bucks. Rosenberg released the Will To Power CD Spirit Warrior in 2004 using several singers. He also produces other artists. From what I could tell, Suzi Carr is still part of the Miami studio scene. She has never recorded a solo album. Here's the video for Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird by Will To Power.
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