Atlantic Starr 可说是八0年代最名利双收的成人杼情灵魂乐团之一, 他们的音乐基调还是承继当时相当讨喜放克跟灵魂乐风格。大西洋之星的最前身是"The East Coast outfit”, 它是由路易士三兄弟在76年纽约所成立的, 最初期的团员主要有主唱兼吉他手David Lewis、 keyboard手Wayne Lewis及长号手Jonathan Lewis。但之后为了充实乐团阵容,他们又一口气加入许多成员,如女主唱Sharon Bryant (在比较后期离开后,由vocal很棒的Barbara Weathers取代她的位置)、小号手William Sudderth、萨克斯手Damon Rentie (81年时, 因不可考因素由Koran Daniels取代)、 贝士手 Clifford Archer、鼓手Porter Carroll Jr及长笛的Joseph Phillips。所以大西洋之星前身是个相当庞大9人制的乐团。 在七0年代未,当时许多的放克乐团都不免受到Earth, Wind & Fire、 the Commodores、 New Birth, 及 L.T.D.的影响, 大西洋之星自也不例外 。早先的他们也皆是在美国东北部一些俱乐部演出一些流行的放克乐, 直到78年,被发掘后才与A&M 唱片公司签约并在当年发了同名专辑。 之后的Atlantic Starr精雕细琢他们的柔情曲风, 结果相当对乐迷的味, 他们的音乐很快便袭捲全美,如82年专辑” Brilliance”跟86年专辑” As the Band Turn”皆是当年最受欢迎的前二十名专辑之一。而87年后,他们转投华纳兄弟唱片公司门下, 成绩更胜以往, 尤其是单曲”Always"便相当难得为他们拿下了流行榜跟R&B榜双料冠军的好成绩! 有点不可解的是, 在他们整个音乐生涯中,也就只有这首歌拿下过榜首…… 不过他们在八0年代的好歌其实真的很多.唱片发到1994后,就不再有新作品出现了! 不过人们在回想八0年代一些很经典的灵魂乐团时, 应该很快就会回忆到他们这些slow jam!Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the 80s and fared well in the adult contemporary market as well, but their roots were 70s soul and funk. The East Coast outfit was formed in White Plains, NY, in 1976 by three brothers: lead singer/guitarist David Lewis, lead singer/keyboardist Wayne Lewis, and trombonist/percussionist Jonathan Lewis. After the Lewis Brothers hired lead singer Sharon Bryant, trumpeter William Sudderth, saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was replaced by Koran Daniels in 1981), bassist Clifford Archer, drummer Porter Carroll, Jr., and percussionist/flutist Joseph Phillips, Atlantic Starrs original nine-person lineup was in place. Influenced by 70s funk/soul bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, New Birth, and L.T.D., Atlantic Starr started playing around the northeastern U.S. They had only been together for about two years when they signed with A&M and started working with Bobby Eli, a well-respected producer/songwriter from Philadelphia. Produced by Eli in 1978, Atlantic Starrs self-titled debut album wasnt a mega-platinum blockbuster but did reasonably well and contained the funk hit Stand Up (which made it to number 16 on Billboards R&B singles chart). Eli went on to produce the bands second album, Straight to the Point; while that 1979 release did OK, A&M knew that Atlantic Starr could be bigger. So in 1981, the band changed producers and enlisted James Carmichael for their third album, Radiance. It was a wise move; Radiance and its hit single When Love Calls established Atlantic Starr as a supergroup in the R&B market. It was on Radiance that the charismatic Bryant (who was featured on When Love Calls) really blossomed as a singer and her lead vocals played a major role in the bands success. Carmichael went on to produce 1982s Brilliance (which contained the number two R&B single Circles) and 1983s Yours Forever; the latter includes Touch a Four Leaf Clover, another major hit featuring Bryant. Although Bryant was never Atlantic Starrs only lead singer — Wayne and David Lewis also provided their share of lead vocals — she was a major asset. So it came as quite a disappointment when she left Atlantic Starr in 1984 to pursue a solo career. But all was not lost. The talented Barbara Weathers was hired as a replacement and 1985s As the Band Turns — Atlantic Starrs first post-Bryant album and sixth album overall — found the outfit unveiling a smaller lineup that consisted of Weathers, the Lewis Brothers, and Phillips. Sudderth, Daniels, Archer, and Carroll were all gone, but despite those personnel changes, Atlantic Starr was still distinctive and recognizable. As the Band Turns, which contained the major hit Secret Lovers, turned out to be Atlantic Starrs last album for A&M; in 1987, they moved to Warner Bros. and fared well with the album All in the Name of Love and the smash hit Always. A syrupy adult contemporary ballad, Always reflected the Lewis Brothers desire to have the type of crossover success that Whitney Houston and Lionel Ritchie had been enjoying in the 80s; they got their wish when Always soared to number one on both the pop and R&B charts. After All in the Name of Love, Weathers left the band to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Porscha Martin, who was featured on 1988s Were Movin Up. Martin was around for a few years before being replaced by Rachel Oliver (Atlantic Starrs fourth female vocalist) in the early 90s. Atlantic Starrs relationship with Warner Bros. ended after 1991s Love Crazy, and in 1994, the band recorded one album for Arista: Time. That album was a commercial disappointment and the single Ill Remember You only made it to the fifties on Billboards R&B and pop singles charts. Time (which was David Lewis last album with the band) found a fifth female singer, Aisha Tanner, replacing Oliver. And when 1999s Legacy was distributed by the small, independent Street Solid label, Atlantic Starr unveiled yet another lineup — one that consisted of two Lewis Brothers (Wayne and Jonathan) as well as Oliver (who had returned and replaced Tanner) and a new male singer named DeWayne Woods. Although Legacy received very little attention, Atlantic Starr hung in there and was still performing for die-hard fans when the 21st century arrived.