Slave

An Ohio band that rode the funk wave in the 1970s and '80s, Slave had a number one hit on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1977 with 'Slide' and their album 'Stone Jam' reached number five on the R&B Albums Chart three years later. Founding member Steve Washington was one of the originators of the so-called "electric trumpet" that helped define the band's sound with simple melodies but vibrant and complex arrangements.

New Jersey-born Washington formed the band in Dayton, Ohio, with guitarist Mark 'Drac' Hicks joined by trombonist Floyd Miller, Tom Lockett Jr. and Orion 'Bimmy' Wilhoite on saxophones, Carter Bradley on keyboards, Mark Adams on bass, Danny Webster on guitar and Tim 'Tiny' Dozier on drums for their first album, 'Slave', which debuted in 1977 and went gold. Singers Steve Arrington and Starleana Young were added in 1978 and over subsequent years various musicians and vocalists came and went as the band continued to make records although interest in funk began to diminish and they faded away in the mid-'90s. An anthology of their most popular tracks, 'Stellar Funk: The Best of Slave', was released in 1994, disbanding just two years later. Original member, guitarist Hicks, died in 2011 aged 52.