Instant Funk

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Instant Funk
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
GenresSoul, disco, funk, post-disco, electro
Years active1975–1985
LabelsPhiladelphia International
Salsoul Records
Associated actsMFSB, Jammers, Dexter Wansel[1]
Past membersRaymond Earl
Scotty Miller
Kim Miller

Instant Funk were an American 1970s and 1980s disco band, best known for their disco classic, "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)".

History[]

Instant Funk came out of Trenton, New Jersey consisting of Raymond Earl, drummer Scotty Miller and guitarist Kim Miller. The group was then called The Music Machine and they were very successful as a back-up band for The Manhattans, Bunny Sigler and also the TNJs. Throughout their careers, Instant Funk would be the back-up band for many stars, including Lou Rawls, Loleatta Holloway, The O'Jays, MFSB, Curtis Mayfield and Evelyn Champagne King (they are the backing band on the hit single, "Shame").

The group relocated to Philadelphia in 1976 to release its first album, Get Down With the Philly Jump, as they started to formulate their own sound. The group followed this album up with a release for former MFSB guitarist Norman Harris' new record label Gold Mind, with front man Bunny Sigler entitled "Let Me Party With You".

The Gold Mind label folded, and Instant Funk's new cut "I Got My Mind Made Up" was transferred to the Salsoul label, which pushed the record heavily to all of the disco clubs. The remix of this song by club DJ Larry Levan and engineer Bob Blank quickly became the talk of Manhattan. "I Got My Mind Made Up" hit #1 on both the R&B and disco charts and #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1979. The group's eponymous first album on Salsoul was also a hit, reaching #1 R&B and being certified gold disc status.

Scotty Miller (born Steven Scott Miller on August 22, 1951 in Trenton, New Jersey) died on April 11, 2017, at the age of 65.[2]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Record label
US
[3] 		US
R&B
[3] 		CAN
[4]
1976 Get Down with the Philly Jump — — — TSOP
1979 Instant Funk 12 1 14 Salsoul
Witch Doctor 129 23 —
1980 The Funk Is On 130 62 —
1982 Looks So Fine 147 43 —
1983 Instant Funk V — 38 —
Kinky — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums[]

  • Greatest Hits (1996, The Right Stuff/Salsoul)
  • The Best of Instant Funk (1997, Charly UK)
  • The Anthology (2006, Salsoul)
  • I Got My Mind Made Up: The Best of Instant Funk (2006, Koch Records)
  • Greatest Hits (2008, JDC)

Singles[]

Year Title Peak chart positions
US
[3] 		US
R&B
[3] 		US
Dan
[3] 		BEL
[6] 		CAN
[4] 		NLD
[7] 		UK
[8]
1975 "Float Like a Butterfly, Part I" — — — — — — —
1976 "Philly Jump" — — — — — — —
"It Ain't Reggae (But It's Funky)" — — 24 — — — —
1978 "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" 20 1 1 16 13 20 46
1979 "Crying" — 41 — — — — —
"Witch Doctor" — 35 — — — — —
1980 "Bodyshine" 103 41 28 — — — —
"Slap, Slap, Lickedy Lap" — — — — — —
"The Funk Is On" — 87 22 — — — —
"Everybody" — — — — — —
1982 "Why Don't You Think About Me" — 59 — — — — —
1983 "No Stoppin' That Rockin'" — 32 — — — — —
"Who Took Away the Funk" — 70 — — — — —
"(Just Because) You'll Be Mine" — 71 21 — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also[]

  • List of number-one dance hits (United States)
  • List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[]

  1. ^ "Dexter Wansel Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. August 22, 1950. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Steven Scott "Scotty" Miller". Legacy.com. The Trentonian. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "US Charts > Instant Funk". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "CAN Charts > Instant Funk". RPM. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "US Certifications > Instant Funk". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  6. ^ "BEL Charts > Instant Funk". Top 30. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "NLD Charts > Instant Funk". MegaCharts. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "UK Charts > Instant Funk". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2015.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""