He participated in an award-winning British Broadcasting Corp. Starr moved to England in the 1980s and spent much of his time touring Europe on the oldies circuit. He left Motown in 1975, recording for small labels in Britain and the United States, and found success in disco with the hits “Contact” and “H.A.P.P.Y. Starr began working on film soundtracks, recording the music for “Hell Up in Harlem” in 1973. It just happened to coincide with the war in Vietnam.” “It was about the neighborhood wars and the racial wars that were going on inside America at the time. “The song was never about the Vietnam War,” he told the weekly British newspaper the Voice in 2001. Over the years, however, Starr said the real meaning of the song had been lost. The song was later covered by Bruce Springsteen. The recording earned Starr a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. “War” entered Billboard’s Hot 100 on July 11, 1970, at No. According to the “Billboard Book of Number One Hits” by Fred Bronson, the song received huge support from college students around the country, encouraging its release as a single.Īccording to Bronson, Whitfield asked Starr if he wanted to record the song, and Starr said yes. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, the song first appeared on an album by the Temptations. 1 hit in 1970 during a time of unrest in America over the Vietnam War. His early hits included “Agent Double-O Soul” and “Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S).”īut Starr’s biggest success came with “War,” a No. The biggest compliment one can offer is that the show is for both those who fancy a boogie, and those who want to hear an experienced band at their finest.After his discharge, he toured for two years with the Bill Doggett Combo before being offered a solo deal in 1965. ![]() He brought the requisite abandon to the storming ‘Twenty Five Miles’ and the iconic ‘War’. Referencing Starr’s pre-Motown recordings with Ric-Tic Records, Angelo performed ‘Agent Double-O-Soul’ (1965) with a gorgeous a cappella intro before launching into the chorus. Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ into Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ and The Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ was particularly smart. Likewise with The Temptations’ ‘My Girl’ into a percussive take on Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and Sam Cooke’s ‘Wonderful World’. ![]() Poking fun at some of the common conventions in soul music, the band segued playfully from Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ into Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are’, Sam Cooke’s ‘You Send Me’, and The Drifters’ ‘Under The Boardwalk’. ![]() Beverley Miller on saxophone impressed particularly with her agile, fluid inflection. True, Angelo and the band actively encouraged their audience to participate, but never relinquished their own duties on stage.Īngelo is full of energy and passion, with a strong, full vocal reminiscent of his brother’s guttural tone. There can be tendency with such nostalgia-drenched setlists to descend into audience pandering. His original band, The Team, fronted by Starr’s younger brother and former musical director Angelo, are still performing and bringing their years of respective experience to venues across the UK.Įntering the Pizza Express Holbornstage to a rendition of Starr’s ‘Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S.)’, the band proceeded with a plethora of soul/Motown covers. Remembered most famously for his recording of the searing protest song ‘War’, Motown act Edwin Starr spent the last 20 years of his life in the UK.
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