| Double Exposure | |
| Origin: | Philadelphia, United States |
| Genre: | Disco |
| Years Active: | 1961 - present |
| Label: | Salsoul |
| Website: | www.doubleexposuremusic.com |
| Current Members: | Leonard "Butch" Davis Joe Harris Kenny Pitt Petawane |
| Past Members: | Jimmy Williams Charles Whittington Lorenzo Bell |
Double Exposure is an American, Philadelphia-based disco group. They are best known for their 1976 hit, "Ten Percent".[1]
The group formed in 1961 with Leonard "Butch" Davis, Charles Whittington, Jimmy Williams and Joe Harris. They were originally known as the United Image[1] and released two singles, "Love's Creeping Up on Me" on Stax Records in 1971 and "The African Bump" on Branding Iron Records in 1972.
They were signed to Salsoul Records in 1975 and released their debut album, Ten Percent in 1976. The album featured the title track, which was remixed by Walter Gibbons and reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the dance/disco charts. The tracks "Everyman (Has to Carry His Own Weight) and "My Love Is Free" were also popular club songs.
In 2001, a dance group called M&S used samples from Double Exposure's "Everyman" in their song called "Salsoul Nugget".
In September 2008, they recorded new material an Eli/Dixon/Green composition called "Soul Recession"/Soultronics Records at Eli's Studio E (The Grooveyard) facility in Philadelphia. Some original Salsoul/Philly/TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)/MFSB (Gamble and Huff) session musicians have appeared on "Soul Recession", including Earl Young, Bobby Eli, Dennis Harris, T.G. Conway, Jimmy Williams and Rikki Hicks.
Jimmy Williams died in October 2016.[2]
In 2018, new members Kenny Pitt and Lorenzo Bell are performing with the original band members to keep the Double Exposure sound alive.
In 2022 Salsoul re-released the "Ten Percent" album and is also available for streaming.
In 2024 Petawane became the newest member replacing Lorenzo Bell.
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] | US R&B | ||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Ten Percent | 129 | 40 | Salsoul | |||||||||||
| 1978 | Fourplay | - | - | ||||||||||||
| 1979 | Locker Room | - | - | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Dan | |||||||||||||
| 1976 | "Ten Percent" | 54 | 63 | 2 | Ten Percent | ||||||||||
| "My Love Is Free" | 104 | 44 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| "Everyman (Has to Carry His Own Weight)" | - | 84 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | "Newsy Neighbors" | 107 | - | - | Fourplay | ||||||||||
| "Perfect Lover" | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| 1979 | "I Got the Hots for Ya" | - | 33 | 37 | Locker Room | ||||||||||
| 1982 | "After All This Time" | - | - | 57 | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||