Dynasty

Funk and disco group Dynasty was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978. The brainchild of producer / musician / songwriter Leon Sylvers III (formerly of R&B group The Sylvers) and producer Dick Griffey, who was the head of soul and funk label SOLAR (Sound of Los Angeles Records), Dynasty was initially a vehicle for the two veteran soul artists to create a new group to compete in the successful funk and disco scenes of the late 1970s. The initial line-up of Dynasty featured vocalist / musician Kevin Spencer and vocalists Nidra Beard and Linda Carriere. Beard and Carriere had already performed together in several other soul acts including DeBlanc and Starfire. After those bands dissolved, the two singers then performed with The Sylvers on a temporary basis. At the same time, Kevin Spencer auditioned for a position as a bassist for The Sylvers, setting a plan in motion that became Dynasty. Produced by Leon Sylvers, Dynasty released their debut album, Your Piece of the Rock, in 1979. The album was a success and featured two singles that reached number 38 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart: “Satisfied” and “I Don’t Want to Be a Freak (But I Can’t Help Myself)”. The latter song also hit the Top 40 on the R&B Singles chart and reached the number 20 position in the UK. Dynasty’s second album, Adventures in the Land of Music, was released in 1980 and included their biggest hit single, “I’ve Just Begun to Love You,” which climbed to number 6 on the R&B chart. The single even made number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 but stalled at number 51 in the UK. The album’s title track was later sampled by several hip hop and R&B artists including Wiz Khalifa, Jadakiss, Angie Stone, Camp Lo, and many others. Leon Sylvers moved from producer to official band member by the time of their third album, The Second Adventure, although it was not a commercial success. Their fourth album, Right Back at Cha! (1982) featured the mildly successful single “Check It Out” (number 39 on the R&B Singles chart), but the album barely made it into the Top 100. Two more albums followed – Daydreamin’ (1986) and Out of Control (1988) – but Linda Carriere had left the group by then and Nidra Beard had married Leon Sylvers and began using his last name. The group officially split up and all the members continued working on different projects in the music business. Since their split, several compilations have been released including The Best of Dynasty (1994) and Greatest Hits (2003). Vocalist Nidra Beard (also known as Nidra Sylvers during the group’s later period) died of cancer on December 8, 2023, at the age of 71.