B. B. & Q. band (Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens band)

Wow, what a fantastic band this is! Right from the start in 81 B. B. & Q. band showed what real music is about. With a smooth and irresistible pop funk sound with highly addective and catchy melodies they were a perfect blend of European writing and producing skills and American musician and vocalists that made this band to a classic!
Jacques Fred Petrus, the man behind Change and Peter Jacques band among others, was also the force behind B. B. & Q. band. Being the tycoon of Milan based Goody Music Productions (GMP) since the second half of the 70s together with his co-founder, song writer wizard Mauro Malavasi, he had plans ready for a hot new project. After a certain amount of success with his first productions in the late 70s Petrus wanted more of the US market. Change became a real breakthrough it that sense, but Petrus didn't stop there.

Besides his brilliant staff of Italian musicians like Malavasi, Romani and Gianolio he hired a handful of skillful musicians and vocalists in the US for the new deal, later know as The B. B. & Q. band. In that (search, as well as in other areas, guitarist Doc Powell from New York played an important role connecting Petrus with local key figures that might be useful for this new album. The competent and young musician of Powell, that earlier worked as musical director for Wilson Pickett was spotted by Petrus performing in a New York club. Petrus liked what he heard and invited him to come to Italy and play on the debut album of Change in 1980. Soon Powell not only became a guitar player but also the musical director of Change and soon for B. B. & Q. band as well. Powell was the one that got in touch with bassist Paris Ford (called Peewee Ford on the record) from Bronx in New York and introduced him to Petrus.

In November 1980 Petrus went to the studios and met up with Paris Ford and a couple of his "cats" together with the rest of the potential string of musicians and vocalists Petrus had brought in. Petrus handpicked the ones he liked to be the band as well as the additional players and vocalists. Paris Ford and his musicians were among the ones Petrus picked. But their final role was still a well kept secret that only Petrus did know about. Ford's "cats", that later did really became the band, were Abdul Wali Mohammed on guitar, Ike Floyd as lead singer, Dwayne Perdue on drums and Kevin Nance on keyboards (picture beneath). Ford had been a part of the obscure funk band Tyrone Thomas and the whole darn family in the mid 70s. In 1976 they released the classic underground funk hit "Seven minutes of funk" that is one of the most sampled tracks of modern rappers. Both Ford and Mohammed had also worked on Lonnie Liston Smith's jazz fusion album "Loveland" in 80 on which Petrus' "recruiter" Powell played guitar on as well. Nance, a competent keyboardist, was at the time a member of the famous soul, disco and funk band Machine, known for their socially engaged lyrics and their 1979 cult classic "There but for the Grace of God Go I". Petrus did also use the brilliant genius Malavasi to write the music that was the real inventor of the B. B. & Q. band sound and the following success! Malavasi wrote all tracks except one that fellow Italian Marco Tanasi took care of.

In the summer of 1981 everything was set for the release of the bands first single. Petrus, his core of Italian musicians and the hired American musicians and vocalists recorded Malavasi's songs during a session with lyrics by Paul Slade and Tanyanette Willoughby and a few others. At this moment Petrus asked Paris and his musicians if they were interested to be the actual "band", not surprisingly, they said yes. Meanwhile Petrus had manage to catch a deal with Capitol records in New York but still needed a name for his new act. Paris Ford came up with The Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens band, named after the three main parts of New York. They were all important parts to black music in the big apple as well as the boroughs from where the band members came from. As the name was very long the shortened version of "The B. B. & Q. band", and later only "B. B. & Q. band" or simply BB&Q band, was later used on their albums.
Jacques Fred Petrus, the man behind Change and Peter Jacques band among others, was also the force behind B. B. & Q. band. Being the tycoon of Milan based Goody Music Productions (GMP) since the second half of the 70s together with his co-founder, song writer wizard Mauro Malavasi, he had plans ready for a hot new project. After a certain amount of success with his first productions in the late 70s Petrus wanted more of the US market. Change became a real breakthrough it that sense, but Petrus didn't stop there.

Besides his brilliant staff of Italian musicians like Malavasi, Romani and Gianolio he hired a handful of skillful musicians and vocalists in the US for the new deal, later know as The B. B. & Q. band. In that search, as well as in other areas, guitarist Doc Powell from New York played an important role connecting Petrus with local key figures that might be useful for this new album. The competent and young musician of Powell, that earlier worked as musical director for Wilson Pickett was spotted by Petrus performing in a New York club. Petrus liked what he heard and invited him to come to Italy and play on the debut album of Change in 1980. Soon Powell not only became a guitar player but also the musical director of Change and soon for B. B. & Q. band as well. Powell was the one that got in touch with bassist Paris Ford (called Peewee Ford on the record) from Bronx in New York and introduced him to Petrus.

In November 1980 Petrus went to the studios and met up with Paris Ford and a couple of his "cats" together with the rest of the potential string of musicians and vocalists Petrus had brought in. Petrus handpicked the ones he liked to be the band as well as the additional players and vocalists. Paris Ford and his musicians were among the ones Petrus picked. But their final role was still a well kept secret that only Petrus did know about. Ford's "cats", that later did really became the band, were Abdul Wali Mohammed on guitar, Ike Floyd as lead singer, Dwayne Perdue on drums and Kevin Nance on keyboards (picture beneath). Ford had been a part of the obscure funk band Tyrone Thomas and the whole darn family in the mid 70s. In 1976 they released the classic underground funk hit "Seven minutes of funk" that is one of the most sampled tracks of modern rappers. Both Ford and Mohammed had also worked on Lonnie Liston Smith's jazz fusion album "Loveland" in 80 on which Petrus' "recruiter" Powell played guitar on as well. Nance, a competent keyboardist, was at the time a member of the famous soul, disco and funk band Machine, known for their socially engaged lyrics and their 1979 cult classic "There but for the Grace of God Go I". Petrus did also use the brilliant genius Malavasi to write the music that was the real inventor of the B. B. & Q. band sound and the following success! Malavasi wrote all tracks except one that fellow Italian Marco Tanasi took care of.

In the summer of 1981 everything was set for the release of the bands first single. Petrus, his core of Italian musicians and the hired American musicians and vocalists recorded Malavasi's songs during a session with lyrics by Paul Slade and Tanyanette Willoughby and a few others. At this moment Petrus asked Paris and his musicians if they were interested to be the actual "band", not surprisingly, they said yes. Meanwhile Petrus had manage to catch a deal with Capitol records in New York but still needed a name for his new act. Paris Ford came up with The Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens band, named after the three main parts of New York. They were all important parts to black music in the big apple as well as the boroughs from where the band members came from. As the name was very long the shortened version of "The B. B. & Q. band", and later only "B. B. & Q. band" or simply BB&Q band, was later used on their albums.
Albums:
The B. B. & Q. band - The B. B. & Q. band 1981

The B. B. & Q. band - All night long 1982

The B. B. & Q. band - Six million times 1983

The B. B. & Q. band - Genie 1985

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