Rare Gems Odyssey

Based in LA, Rare Gems Odyssey was an obscure disco/funk/soul combo that documented two little-known LPs in the past due ’70s. The music group was shaped in 1976, when its six-person lineup contains vocalist Debra Givings, drummer/vocalist Charles Givings, keyboardist/vocalist Johnny Ross, guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Gough, bassist/vocalist Darryl Coleman, and percussionist/vocalist Tony Coleman. Made by Arthur G. Wright, its self-titled debut record arrived on Casablanca in 1977; once the LP didn’t sell, Casablanca lowered Rare Gems Odyssey. In 1978, the music group omitted Odyssey from its name — perhaps since it didn’t desire to be baffled with the group Odyssey, which got a major strike with “Local New Yorker” in 1977 — and began going simply by Rare Gems. Using that name, it documented its second record, Million Money Disco, for the tiny L.A.-structured California Precious metal label in 1979. That LP was also suffering from too little interest, and in 1980 Rare Gems split up. In 2012, Gough created a new edition of Rare Gems offering original users Darryl Coleman and Tony Coleman, alongside new users vocalist Sheree Dunn, drummer/vocalist Mykale Thomas, and keyboardist/vocalist Carl Johnson.