 BIOGRAPHY:
Enchantment is a soul/R&B
band known throughout the world. Originally formed in Detroit, Michigan
by Emanuel "EJ" Johnson, Joe "Jobie" Thomas, Bobby Green, Edgar "Mickey"
Clanton, and David Banks, they are best known for their hits, "Gloria",
"Sunshine" and "It's You That I Need" in the mid-1970s. Today, they still
feature original members Johnson (lead), Banks, and Clanton. They are joined
by Lacey Robinson and Anthony Harrell.
Enchantment were formed in
the late 1960s at Detroit's Pershing High School, with the visually impaired
Emanuel "EJ" Johnson as their lead singer. In 1971, Enchantment came to
the attention of Dick Scott, a former Motown executive who headed his own
artist development company, Artists International and in 1973, they formed
an alliance with Michael Stokes, producer of Creative Source's hit, "Who
Is He (And What Is He To You)".
By 1976, Stokes managed to
get the group a recording deal through his association with Fred Frank,
then head of Roadshow Records, who was also guiding the careers of B.T.
Express and Brass Construction. After starting off with a disco-oriented
song "Come On And Ride", they decided to focus more on ballads. Their self-entitled
debut album, Enchantment, contained two singles in that vein that charted
well on the Billboard R&B chart - "Gloria" at number five and "Sunshine"
at number three.
A second album, Once Upon
A Dream far surpassed its predecessor by charting on the R&B album
chart at #8 and Pop albums charts at #46. It featured the crossover ballad
"It's You That I Need", which topped the R&B charts. Attempts to diversify
their sound by appealing to the disco audience failed, though the song,
"If You're Ready (Here It Comes)" reached #14 on the R&B charts. In
1978, Roadshow ended its distribution agreement with United Artists and
formed an alliance with RCA Records. It would be nearly a year before their
next album, Journey to the Land Of... Enchantment was released in 1979,
the group's last album with Roadshow.
By 1980, Roadshow had folded
as a label and Enchantment signed with RCA Records, where they recorded
their fourth album,Soft Lights, Sweet Music, with top R&B producer,
Don Davis. Both singles released only charted at #47 each in 1981. They
then signed with Columbia Records in 1982 and released two more albums;
Enchanted Lady (1982) and Utopia (1984).
Today, Enchantment still
performs for fans worldwide. They appeared in the Boston portion of the
concert recorded at the Orpheus Theatre November 29, 2002 for the DVD The
Big Show and, in 2003, released "God Bless America", in honor of troops
fighting in Iraq. Proceeds from the single benefited the United Way. |
