The Gap Band

The Gap Band are a funk, soul and rhythm and blues group from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The band is fronted by the three Wilson brothers: Charlie, Robert, and Ronnie. The Wilson brothers are the sons of a Pentecostal minister and began their music careers singing in their father's church. The Wilson brothers first got together as a group in 1967 and initially called themselves the Greenwood Archer and Pine Street Band, named for North Tulsa's former African American business hub (once known as the Black Wall Street, destroyed in 1920) which ran along Greenwood Avenue bordered by Pine Street to the North and Archer Street to the South. The Gap Band started out performing in various venues all over their native Tulsa and recorded an unsuccessful debut album in 1974. The Gap Band hit their stride in the late 70's with such songs as "I'm in Love" and "Shake" (the latter was a Top five R&B radio hit). They scored a huge smash in 1979 with the groundbreaking single "I Don't Believe You Wanna Get Up and Dance (Oops Upside Your Head)." The Gap Band continued their winning streak into the 80's with such hit songs as "Steppin' Out," "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)," "Humpin'," "Yearning for Your Love," "Party Train," "Early in the Morning," "I Found My Baby," "Outstanding," and the especially funky "You Dropped a Bomb on Me." They had a #4 UK radio hit with "Big Fun" in 1987. Charlie left the band in the mid 80's to pursue a hugely successful solo career and Ronnie became a born-again Christian in 1984. The group's songs have been either sampled or covered by such artists as Snoop Dogg, Warren G., Da Brat, Notorious B.I.G., Blackstreet, Nas, Shaquille O'Neal, Mia X, and Mary J. Blige. Songs from the Gap Band have been featured on the soundtracks to the movies "Next Friday," "At First Sight," "Kiss Me, Guido," "Sleepers," "Le Haine," "Working Girl," "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (they recorded the titular theme song in just a single day!), "Krush Groove," and "Moscow on the Hudson." They appear as themselves in the outrageously campy straight-to-video gut-buster "Death Drug." After reuniting in 1996, the Gap Band record the occasional album and continue to tour all over the world.