ABOUT
B.T. Express was a hugely popular male-female R&B/disco group that became famous during the mid 1970s. They are best known for such era-defining hits as the funky "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" (1974) and the rip-roaring instrumental, "Express" (1975), featuring intermittent train whistle noises throughout.
Formed in Brooklyn, New York, B.T. Express's origins trace back to the King Davis House Rockers, a local dance band that first recorded on Verve Records during the late 1960s. By 1974, after a number of name and personnel changes, the group had morphed to Brooklyn Trucking Express with an original lineup consisting of Richard Thompson (guitar, vocals), Barbara Joyce Lomas (vocals), brothers Bill (tenor saxophone, flute, vocals) and Louis Risbrook (bass, vocals), Carlos Ward (alto sax, flute, piccolo, woodwinds), Dennis Rowe (percussion), and Terrell Wood (drums). They landed their first recording contract later that year with Scepter Records and shortened their name soon after to B.T. Express.
B.T. Express hit the ground running beginning in late 1974 with two R&B chart toppers that also made the Pop/Rock Top 5 and became their biggest hits: "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" (1974) and "Express" (1975). These smashes, which both became million-sellers, were followed by several hits on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts that include "Peace Pipe" (1975), "Give It What You Got" (1975), "Can't Stop Groovin' Now, Wanna Do It Some More" (1976), and their slow, soulful remake of the Carpenters' "Close To You" (1976). The band's later hits, which continued on the R&B charts through 1980, include "Energy To Burn" (1976), "Shout It Out" (1977), and "Give Up The Funk (Let's Dance)" (1980).
B.T. Express continued performing and recording through around the late 1980s with a number of personnel changes that included the addition of keyboardist Michael Jones (December 26, 1956 - September 25, 2016) in 1976, who later became a solo artist and producer better known as Kashif.
LINKS
- The New York Times remembers R&B singer, songwriter, and producer Kashif.
MERCHANDISE
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- B.T. Express - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
- B.T. Express - Digital music - Amazon.com
- B.T. Express - Rare vinyl, CDs, & more - MusicStack.com
SONGS
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B.T. Express
- Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) 1974
- Express 1975
(Instrumental) - Give It What You Got 1975
- Peace Pipe 1975
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