Raydio

{{Short description|American funk and R&B vocal group}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Raydio | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], U.S. | instrument = | genre = [[R&B]], [[funk]], [[disco]] | years_active = 1977–1981, 2014–present | label = [[Arista Records|Arista]] | website = {{URL|www.facebook.com/TheOriginalRaydio|Raydio}} | current_members = Arnell Carmichael Giovanni Rogers | past_members = [[Ray Parker Jr.]] [[Jerry Knight]]<ref name="VF"/> Darren Carmichael Charles Fearing Larry Tolbert James Carmichael Vincent Bonham<ref name="VF"/> }}

'''Raydio''' (known as Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio 1980-81) is an American [[funk]] and [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] vocal group formed in 1977 by [[Ray Parker Jr.]], with Vincent Bonham, [[Jerry Knight]], and Arnell Carmichael. In 1978 Charles Julian Fearing and Larry "Fatback" Tolbert joined the band, along with Darren Carmichael.

==Career== ===1970s and Raydio=== After securing a record deal, the group scored their first big hit in early 1978 with "[[Jack and Jill (Raydio song)|Jack and Jill]]", which was taken from their self-titled debut album. The song peaked at No. 8 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart,<ref name="VF">{{cite web|title=Raydio Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography|url=https://www.musicvf.com/Raydio.art|website=Music VF|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref> and reached No. 11 in the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book|first=David |last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5 |page=451}}</ref> earning a [[Music recording sales certification|gold record]] in the process. "Is This a Love Thing" peaked at No. 27 in the UK in August 1978.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> Their next successful follow-up hit, "[[You Can't Change That]]" was released in 1979, and lifted from their ''Rock On'' album. The single reached No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' chart that year.<ref name="VF"/> In September 1979, they participated in an anti-nuclear concert at Madison Square Garden. Their performance of "[[You Can't Change That]]" at this show appears on the ''No Nukes'' album.

===The 1980s and "Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio"=== By late 1980, by which point Knight had left to pursue a solo career, the group had become known as Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio, and they released two more albums: ''[[Two Places at the Same Time]]'' (1980), and ''[[A Woman Needs Love]]'' (1981).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=998/9}}</ref> These spawned another two [[top 40]] singles ("[[Two Places at the Same Time (song)|Two Places at the Same Time]]" - No. 30 in 1980; and "[[That Old Song]]" - No. 21 in 1981).<ref name="VF"/> Their last, and biggest hit, "[[A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)]]," was released in 1981<ref name="Larkin"/> and peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="VF"/>

After acknowledging the band had come to a crossroads and with Parker wanting to go solo, they quietly broke up in 1981.<ref name="Larkin"/>

===Solo careers=== Parker then started his solo career, scoring six top 40 hits in the 1980s, including "The Other Woman" (Pop No. 4), and "[[Ghostbusters (song)|Ghostbusters]]". The latter song was the title track of the box office hit film ''[[Ghostbusters]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> The single stayed at No. 1 for three weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1984.

Knight went on to have a moderately successful solo career of his own, later forming [[Ollie & Jerry]], with [[Ollie E. Brown]] (who had been a session drummer on all of Raydio's albums) in the mid-1980s. Their two biggest hits also came from soundtracks: "[[Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us]]" was the theme to the motion picture ''[[Breakin']]'', and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the [[Hot Dance Club Play]] chart;<ref name="O&J">{{cite web |title=Ollie and Jerry Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography|url=https://www.musicvf.com/Ollie+and+Jerry.art|website=Music VF|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref> their second single "[[Electric Boogaloo (song)|Electric Boogaloo]]" (from the movie ''[[Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo]]''), did not enter the Hot 100, but climbed to No. 43 on the dance chart.<ref name="O&J"/>

In 2014, original members Arnell Carmichael and Vincent Bonham revived Raydio, recruiting two new members, James Carmichael formerly of the [[Arista Records|Arista]] group Q.T. Hush, and up-and-coming young singer Giovanni Rogers. They toured with [[Average White Band]], [[War (band)|War]], [[Switch (band)|Switch]], [[DeBarge]], among several other major tours.

Vincent Bonham died in March 2024, at age 67.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2024 |title=Vincent Bonham, original member of 70s hitmaking group Raydio, dies |url=http://www.soultracks.com/story-vincent-bonham-dies |access-date=March 25, 2024 |website=SoulTracks |language=}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Discography}}Discography== ''All albums and singles listed below were issued on [[Arista Records]]. For Ray Parker Jr.'s solo releases. see [[Ray Parker Jr. discography]].''

===Studio albums=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Title ! colspan="5"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]] ([[List of music recording sales certifications|sales thresholds]]) |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="30"| [[Billboard 200|US Pop]] <ref name=BD>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/tlp/|title=Raydio: Billboard 200|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118004636/https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/tlp/|archive-date=November 18, 2021}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|US R&B]] <ref name=BD1>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/blp/|title=Raydio: Top Soul Albums|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]] <ref name="kent">{{cite book|title=Australian Charts Book 1970—1992|author=David Kent|isbn=0-646-11917-6|year=1993|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W.}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]] <ref name="can">{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/list.aspx?OCRText=Raydio&|title=Raydio: RPM Charts|publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|website=bac-lac.gc.ca|date=July 17, 2013 }}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Sverigetopplistan|SWE]] <ref name="swe">{{cite web|url=http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Raydio|title=Raydio: Swedish Charts|publisher=[[Sverigetopplistan]]|website=swedishcharts.com}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1"| 1978 | align="left"| ''[[Raydio (album)|Raydio]]'' | 27 | 8 | 43 | 29 | — | align=left| * [[Music recording certification|Gold]]: [[RIAA]]<ref name="riaa">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Raydio#search_section|title=Raydio|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|website=riaa.com}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1"| 1979 | align="left"| ''[[Rock On (Raydio album)|Rock On]]'' | 45 | 4 | 65 | 42 | — | align=left| * [[Music recording certification|Gold]]: [[RIAA]]<ref name="riaa"/> |- | rowspan="1"| 1980 | align="left"| ''[[Two Places at the Same Time]]'' | 33 | 6 | — | — | 40 | align=left| * [[Music recording certification|Gold]]: [[RIAA]]<ref name="riaa"/> |- | rowspan="1"| 1981 | align="left"| ''[[A Woman Needs Love]]'' | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | align=left| * [[Music recording certification|Gold]]: [[RIAA]]<ref name="riaa"/> |- | colspan="10" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Title ! colspan="11"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Album ! rowspan="2"| Certifications |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="30"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop]] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/hsi/|title=Raydio: Hot 100|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127130338/https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/hsi/|archive-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B]] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/bsi/|title=Raydio: Hot Soul Songs|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127133043/https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/bsi/|archive-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|US A/C]] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/asi/|title=Raydio: Adult Contemporary Songs|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127130349/https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/asi/|archive-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Hot Dance Club Play|US Dan]] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/raydio/chart-history/dsi/|title=Raydio: Dance Club Songs|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|website=billboard.com}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]] <ref name="kent"/> ! width="30"| [[Ultratop|BEL]] <ref name="bel">{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Raydio|title=Raydio|publisher=[[Ultratop]]|website=ultratop.be}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]] <ref name="can"/> ! width="30"| [[Irish Singles Chart|IRE]] <ref name="ire">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement|title=IRE Charts Search > Raydio|publisher=[[Irish Recorded Music Association]]|access-date=December 21, 2012}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Dutch Charts|NLD]] <ref name="nld">{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Raydio|title=Raydio|publisher=[[Dutch Charts]]|website=dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|NZ]] <ref name="nz">{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Raydio|title=Raydio|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand]]|website=charts.nz}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] <ref name="uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16802/raydio/|title=Raydio|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|website=officialcharts.com}}</ref> |- | rowspan="3"|1978 | align="left"| "[[Jack and Jill (Raydio song)|Jack and Jill]]" | 8 | 5 | — | — | 4 | 14 | 5 | — | 24 | 4 | 11 | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Raydio'' | * [[Music recording certification|Gold]]: [[RIAA]]<ref name="riaa" /> |- | align="left"| "[[Is This a Love Thing]]" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | 27 | |- | align="left"| "Honey I'm Rich" | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="2"|1979 | align="left"| "[[You Can't Change That]]" | 9 | 3 | 25 | — | 6 | 17 | 9 | — | 12 | 12 | — | align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Rock On'' | |- | align="left"| "[[More Than One Way to Love a Woman]]" | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="3"|1980 | align="left"| "[[Two Places at the Same Time (song)|Two Places at the Same Time]]" | 30 | 6 | 34 | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Two Places at the Same Time'' | |- | align="left"| "[[For Those Who Like to Groove]]" | — | 14 | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "Can't Keep You from Cryin'" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="4"|1981 | align="left"| "[[A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)]]" | 4 | 1 | 11 | — | 47 | 16 | 8 | — | 9 | 10 | — | align="left" rowspan="4"| ''A Woman Needs Love'' | |- | align="left"| "Still in the Groove" | — | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "[[That Old Song]]" | 21 | 26 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "It's Your Night" | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | colspan="16" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p20097|label=Raydio}} * {{discogs artist|Raydio}} * {{imdb name|9657615}} * [http://www.myspace.com/arnelldcarmichael Arnell Carmichael's MySpace page] * [http://www.soulinterviews.com/ray-parker-jr-2012/ Ray Parker Jr 2012 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com]

[[Category:African-American musical groups]] [[Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups]] [[Category:Arista Records artists]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1977]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1981]] [[Category:Musical groups from Detroit]] [[Category:Ray Parker Jr.]]