Pleasure (American band)

Pleasure
Origin	Portland, Oregon, USA
Genres	R&B, Funk, Soul, Jazz
Years active	1972–1982
Labels	Fantasy Records, RCA Records
Associated acts	Wayne Henderson
Past members	Marlon McClain Sherman Davis Donald Hepburn Dennis Springer Nathaniel Phillips Dan Brewster Bruce Carter Michael Hepburn Bruce Smith Tony Collins Doug Lewis

Pleasure was a band from Portland, Oregon that blended soul, funk and jazz with a street edge that became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 1970s. They are perhaps best known for their 1979 hit, "Glide" from the album Future Now.

History

Pleasure was formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1972 as a merger of two Portland outfits: Franchise and The Soul Masters which included guitarist Marlon "The Magician" McClain, bassist Nathaniel Phillips, and drummer Bruce Carter, keyboardist Donald Hepburn, saxophonist Dennis Springer, trombonist Dan Brewster and lead singer Sherman Davis.

In 1974 The Crusaders's Wayne Henderson saw them performing in a Portland club. Impressed with what he heard, his enthusiasm led them to a deal with Fantasy Records. This was the beginning of a six-year relationship with the label and a four-year relationship with Wayne Henderson who through his own production company "At Home Productions", was the band's producer and mentor.

Along the way, members of the band did session work with artists like Side Effect, Gabor Szabo, Ronnie Laws and Willie Bobo to name a few. In 1979, Pleasure would have their best success with the Top Ten R&B hit "Glide". By 1982 after a one-off album for RCA the band called it quits.

Drummer Bruce Carter (December 28, 1956) died on August 12, 2006.

Discography

Studio albums Year Album Chart positions[1] Record label US US R&B 1975 Dust Yourself Off — 54 Fantasy Records 1976 Accept No Substitutes 162 32 1977 Joyous 113 34 1978 Get to the Feeling 119 42 1979 Future Now 67 27 1980 Special Things 97 27 1982 Give It Up 164 30 RCA

Singles Year Single Chart positions[2] US US R&B US Dance 1976 "Ghettos of the Mind" — 71 — 1977 "Joyous" — 35 — 1979 "Future Now" — 75 — 1980 "Glide" 55 10 — "Real Thing" — 65 — "Yearnin' Burnin'" — 30 —

External links

• Pleasure Discography at Discogs
• Pleasure at Soulwalking
• Pleasure 1976 Biography at Concord Music

References

1. "Pleasure US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
2. "Pleasure US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-05-14.