The Dynamic Superiors / Pure Pleasure

Description

RE-PRESS: CD ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN 2010

• Two Motown albums by ‘70s soul group The Dynamic Superiors.
• The group’s self-titled Motown debut includes the now-classic ‘Shoe Shoe Shine’, a Top 20 US R&B hit and the follow-up, ‘Leave It Alone’ which reached #13 on the US R&B charts, along with the Ashford & Simpson chestnut, ‘Don’t Send Nobody Else’ (also recorded by Millie Jackson and Ace Spectrum).
• The second LP, ‘Pure Pleasure’ includes the dance hit, ‘Face The Music’, a Top 10 Disco hit in 1975.

Based in Washington DC, The Dynamic Superiors (Tony Washington, Maurice Washington, George Spann, George Peterbark and Michael Maccalphin) spent several years performing before being signed to Motown in 1974 by then-label president Ewart Abner.

The group’s first two albums, ‘The Dynamic Superiors’ and ‘Pure Pleasure’, both released in 1975 were produced by the hitmaking husband-and-wife team of Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson (artists in their own right, best known for Motown work with Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell among others).

The Dynamic Superiors were no strangers to controversy: lead singer Tony Washington was openly gay and seemingly, the first openly gay black recording artist, predating Sylvester and Carl Bean by a number of years.

Washington sometimes performed in drag onstage, drawing a positive response from audiences when the group toured with the likes of Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5 in the US.