Uptown Festival Explained

Uptown Festival
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Shalamar
Cover:	Uptownfestival.jpg
Studio:	Wally Heider Studios, The Sound Factory
Genre:	Disco, R&B
Length:	38:30
Label:	Soul Train Records
Producer:	Dick Griffey, Don Cornelius, Simon Soussan
Next Title:	Disco Gardens
Next Year:	1978

Uptown Festival is the debut album by American R&B group Shalamar, released in 1977 on the Soul Train label. The album was in fact recorded by session singers. It peaked at No. 22 on the US R&B chart and No. 48 on the Billboard albums chart.

The title track, "Uptown Festival" was recorded at Ike & Tina Turner's Bolic Sound studio.^[1] It's a medley of ten Motown classics sung over a 1970s disco beat. The single was a hit in both the US and the UK.^[2]

Singles

Two singles were released from the album:

• "Uptown Festival (Part 1)" (US Hot 100 #25, US R&B #10, Australia #20, UK #30)
• "Ooo Baby Baby" (US R&B #59)^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ian Dewhirst. Red Bull Music Academy. en.
2. Web site: Uptown Festival (song by Shalamar) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. www.musicvf.com.
3. Web site: Ooh Baby, Baby (song by Shalamar) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. www.musicvf.com.
4. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 270.