Hot was a Los Angeles-based vocal trio formed in 1976, which comprised Gwen Owens, Cathy Carson, and Juanita Curiel. Owens began singing in church and later worked as a session vocalist, while Carson and Curiel brought diverse backgrounds that shaped the group’s multiracial identity. The trio’s breakthrough came with the single “Angel in Your Arms” (1977), which reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1977 and achieved RIAA gold certification for sales of one million copies, also charting in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the same year, their debut album Hot (1977) reached number 125 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 28 on the R&B Albums list. Subsequent singles included “The Right Feeling at the Wrong Time” (1977) and “You Brought the Woman Out of Me” (1978). The trio also released the albums If That's the Way You Want It...You Got It (1978) and Strong Together (1980), both produced by Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford at Wishbone Studios. The group’s later single, “Tonight” (1982), appeared on Boardwalk Records, though only Curiel’s participation could be confirmed. Hot disbanded in 1980 but competed in the inaugural season of Star Search in 1984, finishing second in the Vocal Group category. Owens later worked in the music industry in a non-performing capacity, while Carson died of lung cancer in 2014.
