The Dramatics

Formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1964, the Dramatics are a soul vocal group best known for the singles “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” (1971) and “In the Rain” (1972). Founded by Ron Banks, Larry Demps, Larry Reed, Rod Davis, and Elbert Wilkins, they originally performed under the name the Sensations before changing their name to the Dramatics the following year. Signed to Wingate Records, they released the single “Bingo” in 1965, which was followed by “Inky Dinky Wang Dang Doo” (1966), “All Because of You” (1967), and “Your Love Was Strange” (1969), which was their first single for Stax Records’ subsidiary, Volt Records. Line-up changes occurred before the band finally achieved chart success. Working with producer Tony Hester, the Dramatics released the single “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” (1971), which became their first Top 10 single (number 9 on the Hot 100 and number 3 on the R&B Singles chart). Their 1972 single “In the Rain” hit the top of the R&B Singles chart and number 5 on the Hot 100. Future singles didn’t enter the Top 40 although they had several Top 10 R&B hits including “Hey You! Get Off My Mountain” (1973), “Me and Mrs. Jones” (1975), “You’re Fooling You” (1975), “Be My Girl” (1976), “I Can’t Get Over You” (1977), “Shake It Well” (1977), and “Welcome Back Home” (1980). The Dramatics collaborated with Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound in 1994 on Snoop’s “Doggy Dogg World.” Line-up changes led to two different versions of the Dramatics touring the US in 2012. In 2015, The Dramatics featuring Willie Ford released the single “Victoria.”