The Hues Corporation

The group was formed in 1969. Songwriter Wally Holmes founded the group with his friend Bernard St. Clair Lee. Female singer H. Ann Kelley was found at a talent show in Los Angeles. As a result of notices placed in southern California record stores, Karl Russell turned up. They recorded a single “Goodfootin'” / “We’re Keepin’ Our Business” that was released by Liberty Records in 1970. It did not chart.

Still with Karl Russell, the group’s first big break came in 1972, when they were invited to appear in the blaxploitation film, Blacula, starring William Marshall. They were also asked to record three songs for the film’s soundtrack: “There He Is Again”, “What The World Knows”, and “I’m Gonna Catch You”. After their participation in the Blacula-project Karl Russell was replaced by Fleming Williams and the group signed with RCA Records; their second single for the label, “Freedom For The Stallion”, from the album of the same name, became a moderate hit, reaching #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The third single from the album, “Rock the Boat”, became a #1 hit on the Billboard chart and the group’s signature song. The bass player on the session for “Rock the Boat” was Wilton Felder, not James Jamerson as previously reported. “Rock the Boat” was written by Holmes, who also wrote the Blacula songs, and was released in the U.S. in February 1974 and in the UK in July of that year. It went to #1 for one week in the U.S. and #6 for two weeks in the UK, staying for 18 weeks in the U.S. chart with a gold disc awarded by the RIAA on 24 June 1974. The track sold well over two million copies. The song is considered one of the earliest disco songs. Some authorities proclaim it to be the first disco song to hit #1, while others give that distinction to “Love’s Theme” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra, a chart-topper from earlier in 1974.

After the success of “Rock the Boat”, the Hues Corporation’s other charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100 included “Rockin’ Soul” (1974, #18), “Love Corporation” (1975, #62), and “I Caught Your Act” (1977, #92).

The group was unable to duplicate the success of their earlier hits and disbanded sometime around 1980. Whereas some sources claim the year of disbanding as early as 1978, archive footage of a television special for the Chilean TV in 1979 promoting their performance at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival proves the opposite. Furthermore, in 1980 the Hues Corporation released one last single in the US and a sixth album in at least New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa. With the renewed popularity of disco music in the 1990s, the group reunited for tour dates and special events, including the PBS special Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion.

Continue To Rest In Peace; Flemming Williams (26th December 1943 – 15th February 1998), St. Clair Lee (24th April 1944 – 8th March 2011)