PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Slave
Slave
Origin	Dayton, Ohio, United States
Genres	Funk, R&B, soul, boogie, disco
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, producer, musician
Years active	1975–1996
Labels	Cotillion, Atco, Ichiban
Members	Tom Lockett; Carter Bradley; Mark Adams; Mark Hicks; Danny Webster; Orion Wilhoite; Tim Dozier; Floyd Miller
Website	Steve Arrington; Mark L. "The Hansolor" Adams – Bassplayer.com

Slave was an American Ohio-based funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Washington,^[1] born in New Jersey, attended East Orange High School, and was one of the first users of the "electric trumpet". He and Trombonist Floyd Miller formed the group in Dayton, Ohio, in 1975.^[2]

History

During late 1975 and spring of 1976, trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with trumpeter Steve Washington to form Slave. The original line-up included Tom Lockett Jr. (tenor and alto sax), Carter Bradley (keyboards), Mark Adams (bass), Mark "Drac" Hicks (lead and rhythm guitar, background vocals), Danny Webster (rhythm and lead guitar, lead and background vocals), Orion "Bimmy" Wilhoite (alto and tenor sax), and Tim "Tiny" Dozier (drums). They scored their first big hit with the single "Slide" in 1977 for Cotillion Records,^[3] which is the label they remained with until 1984. In 1978 Slave's sound changed slightly when drummer/percussionist Steve Arrington, along with vocalists Starleana Young, Curt Jones,and keyboardist Ray Turner joined the band. Arrington ultimately replaced Miller and Webster as lead vocalist.

Other top ten R&B hits were "Just a Touch of Love" in 1979, "Watching You" in 1980, and "Snap Shot" in 1981. They added Charles Carter on sax and brother Sam Carter on keyboards. Starleana Young, Steve Washington, Curt Jones and Lockett departed to form Aurra in 1981. Slave added Roger Parker, Delbert Taylor Jr., and Kevin Johnson as replacements. Arrington left in 1982 after the Showtime album to start his own band Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame in which Charles and Sam Carter would also play. The band continued on, though not as successfully, into the mid-1990s.^[2]

The group moved to Atlantic Records for one LP (New Plateau) in 1984, then switched to the Atlanta-based Ichiban Records the following year, releasing Unchained at Last in late 1985. Despite scoring a couple of minor hits on the R&B chart from this album the following year and another minor hit from their 1987 follow-up album, Make Believe, Slave could not recapture the commercial success they had enjoyed in their heyday. Rhino issued Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave Featuring Steve Arrington, an anthology of their finest cuts, in 1994.^[3]

Deaths

Bass player Mark Leslie Adams Sr., a native of Dayton, died on March 5, 2011, at age 51 in Columbus, Ohio.^[4]

Guitar player Mark ("Drac") Hicks, a native of Dayton, died on June 14, 2011, at the age of 52 in Dayton, Ohio.^[4]

Singer and guitarist Danny Webster, a native of Dayton, died on September 10, 2020, at the age of 61 in Dayton, Ohio.^[5]

Saxophone player Orion Wilhoite, a native of Dayton, died on March 20, 2020, at the age of 63 in Dayton, Ohio.

Drummer Roger Parker, a native of Dayton, died March 5, 2023, at the age of 67 in Dayton, Ohio

Keyboardist Carter Bradley, a native of Dayton, died February 21, 2023, at the age of 73.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions			Certifications	Record label
Year	Album	US ^[6]	US R&B ^[6]	CAN ^[7]	Certifications	Record label
1977	Slave	22	6	—	RIAA: Gold^[8]	Cotillion
1977	The Hardness of the World	67	31	—
1978	The Concept	78	11	95
1979	Just a Touch of Love	92	11	—
1980	Stone Jam	53	5	—	RIAA: Gold^[8]
1981	Show Time	46	7	—
1982	Visions of the Lite	177	46	—
1983	Bad Enuff	168	30	—
1984	New Plateau	—	—	—
1985	Unchained at Last	—	56	—		Ichiban
1987	Make Believe	—	44	—
1988	88	—	—	—
1990	Rebirth	—	—	—
1992	The Funk Strikes Back	—	—	—
1995	Masters Of The Fungk	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Peak	Record label
Year	Album	US R&B ^[6]	Record label
1984	Best of Slave	—	Cotillion
1994	Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave	44	Rhino
1997	Slide and Other Hits	—	Rhino
1998	From the Archives	—	T.F.L.
2001	Greatest Hits	—	Goldenlane
2003	Party Lights: More of the Best	—	Rhino
2006	The Definitive Groove Collection	—	Rhino
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart Positions					Album
Year	Single	US ^[9]	US R&B ^[9]	US Dan ^[9]	CAN ^[7]	UK ^[10]	Album
1977	"Slide"	32	1	—	58	—	Slave
1978	"The Party Song"	110	22	—	—	—	The Hardness of the World
	"Baby Sinister"	—	74	—	—	—	The Hardness of the World
	"Stellar Fungk"	—	14	—	—	—	The Concept
	"Just Freak"	110	64	—	—	—	The Concept
1979	"Just a Touch of Love"	—	9	26	—	64	Just a Touch of Love
1980	"Foxy Lady (Funky Lady)"	—	55	—	—	—	Just a Touch of Love
	"Sizzlin' Hot"	—	57	—	—	—	Stone Jam
	"Watching You"	78	6	23	—	—
1981	"Feel My Love"	—	62	23	—	—
	"Snap Shot"	91	6	21	—	—	Show Time
	"Party Lites"	—	—		—	—
	"Wait for Me"	103	20		—	—
1982	"Intro (Come to Blow Ya Mind)"	—	81	—	—	—	Visions of the Lite
1983	"Do You Like It... (Girl)"	—	73	—	—	—
	"Be My Babe"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Shake It Up"	—	22	—	—	—	Bad Enuff
	"Steppin' Out"	—	73	—	—	—	Bad Enuff
1984	"Ooohh"	—	41	—	—	—	New Plateau
1984	"The Word Is Out"	—	—	—	—	—	New Plateau
1986	"Jazzy Lady"	—	—	—	—	—	Unchained at Last
	"Thrill Me"	—	84	—	—	—
	"All We Need Is Time"	—	85	—	—	—
1987	"Juicy-O"	—	83	—	—	—	Make Believe
1987	"I Like Your Style"	—	—	—	—	—	Make Believe
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that territory.