Stargard

Heavily influenced simply by Labelle as well as the Pointer Sisters, Stargard was a lady R&B vocal group which was most widely known for providing the theme song in the 1977 film Which Method Is Up. Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson, and Janice Williams — who comprised Stargard’s primary three-woman lineup — didn’t choose the sort of breathy, sugary, girlish vocals which the Supremes as well as the Three Levels had been known for. Like Labelle as well as the Pointer Sisters, Stargard preferred robust, intense belting and brought a gospel-like interest to its funk, spirit, and disco. Stargard agreed upon with MCA in 1977, when its initial one, the ultra-funky “Theme from ‘Which Method Is normally Up'” (a Norman Whitfield jewel), soared to number 1 over the R&B singles graphs. Stargard’s self-titled debut record arrived in early 1978, and afterwards that calendar year, MCA released the trio’s sophomore work EVERYTHING YOU Waitin’ For. That album’s funky name track (also compiled by Whitfield) became a high Ten R&B strike, but from then on, Stargard dropped its industrial momentum. In 1979, Stargard remaining MCA for Warner Bros. and documented its third recording, The Changing from the Guard, that was made by Robert Wright and Globe, Wind flow & Fire’s Verdine White colored (Maurice White’s sibling) and included the solitary “USE IT Out.” That outstanding album got the makings of the smash, but regrettably, it didn’t perform nearly in addition to it should possess. In 1980, Anderson remaining the group, and Runnells and Williams made a decision to carry on like a duo rather than hiring an upgraded. Like a duo, Runnells and Williams documented 1981’s Norman Whitfield-produced Back again 2 Back again for Warner Bros. and 1982’s Nine Lives (which Runnells created) for MCA. Both of these LPs received hardly any interest, and in 1983, Stargard split up.