October 5, 2023Scott Goldfine

TIR 8: Gap Band Originals Tell How They Made Their ‘Outstanding’ Contributions

The Gap Band Experience, or GAPX, featuring some original and longtime group members like Raymond Calhoun and Oliver Scott.

Brought to you by FUNKNSTUFF.NET and hosted by Scott “DR GX” Goldfine — musicologist and author of “Everything Is on THE ONE: The First Guide of Funk” ― “TRUTH IN RHYTHM” is the interview show that gets DEEP into the pocket with contemporary music’s foremost masters of the groove. Become a TRUTH IN RHYTHM Member at https://www.patreon.com/truthinrhythm.

Featured in TIR Episode 8: (3 parts): Drummer Raymond Calhoun and keyboardist & horn player Oliver Scott, both original Gap Band players. These largely unheralded musicians, composers and background singers were literally and figuratively instrumental in many of the Gap Band’s great albums and songs during their run as one of the most popular funk & soul groups of the late 1970s and through the 1980s.

Their work can be heard on classic hits that include “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops Upside Your Head),” “Outstanding,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me),” “Early in the Morning,” “Humpin’,” “Party Train” and “Yearning for Your Love.” Several of those tracks and their albums reached No. 1 and sold millions.

The credit, fame and riches that came with that massive success, however, was for the most part limited to the three Wilson brothers, Charlie, Ronnie and Robert. They were the only ones pictured on the album covers and key collaborators and contributors like Raymond and Oliver were not officially recognized as full-fledged members of the Gap Band. They were relegated to basically being hired hands, despite participating at a level usually associated with greater recognition.

Ironically, for the past several years, they have been the ones keeping the legacy most alive by continuing to bring those unforgettable songs to the people, touring as The Gap Experience, or GAPX. Find out more about Raymond and Oliver, how they hooked up with the Wilson brothers, what went into creating those hit albums and songs, what their lives were like during the Gap Band’s heyday, why and how the band declined and disbanded, the frustrations and hardships of not being recognized as an official band member, and how they continue to put the music first.

RECORDED MAY 2017

CLICK ON THE VIDEOS BELOW!

Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.