Average White Band
Renown for the hits Pick Up The Pieces Cut the Cake, Average White Band has been performing sold-out shows around the world for the last 30 years. While their roots are Scottish, AWB performs infectiously danceable funky soul based on the sounds of Memphis, Motown and Philadelphia.
Biography
AWB are widely regarded as one of the best soul and funk bands in the history of music. Though best known for their timeless instrumental mega-hit 'Pick Up the Pieces' the band's strength actually lay in their consistently accomplished song-writing, stretching across several gold selling albums and multi- grammy nominations for the legendary Atlantic Records. Somewhat incongruously, given their Scottish roots, the six piece took the influences of their R&B; heroes - people like Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Donny Hathaway and others - and developed their own 'authentic' sound which was eagerly adopted by black audiences in the US and elsewhere. While a good number of cuts - 'Cut The Cake' and 'Let's Go Round Again'- became hit singles, many other album tracks, like 'Schoolboy Crush' and 'Stop The Rain' became much sampled grooves. Many more tunes, such as 'Cloudy', and 'A Love Of Your Own'- amongst many others- stand alongside some of the finest soul 'album tracks' ever recorded.
The current line-up of the band - this time with noted US recruits augmenting founder members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre - continue to record and tour around the world to ongoing critical and audience acclaim.
All this and more is perfectly illustrated in the band's latest release, "AWB R&B", a live CD recorded in Austin,Texas in September of 2015.
Discography
1973-Show Your Hand
1974-AWB
1975-Cut The Cake
1976-Soul Searching
1976-Person To Person
1977-Benny & Us (with Ben E. King)
1978-Warmer Communications
1979-Feel No Fret
1980-Shine
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1980-Volume VIII
1982-Cupid's In Fashion
1989-Aftershock
1997-Soul Tattoo
1999-Face to Face (Live)
2002-Tonight (Live DVD)
2003-The Ultimate Collection
2003-Living in Colour
2005-Greatest & Latest
2006-Soul & The City
2009-Times Squared
2015-AWB R&B
CHARTS AND AWARDS
Albums:
AWB (Gold Album)
# 1 Pop Album (Billboard)
# 1 R&B Album (Billboard)
Cut The Cake (Gold Album)
# 1 R&B Album (Billboard)
# 4 Pop Album (Billboard)
Soul Searching (Platinum Album)
# 2 R&B Album (Billboard)
# 9 Pop Album (Billboard)
Benny and US (with Ben E. King)
# 9 R&B Album (Billboard)
# 28 Pop Album (Billboard)
Warmer Communications (Gold album)
# 12 R&B Album (Billboard)
Feel No Fret (Silver Album - UK)
Singles
Pick Up The Pieces
# 1 Pop Single (Billboard)
# 5 R&B Single (Billboard)
# 6 U.K. chart
Grammy Nomination - ‘Best R&B Instrumental Performance’
Work to Do
#10 R&B Single (Billboard)
Cut The Cake
# 7 R&B single (Billboard)
Grammy Nomination – ‘Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance’
Schoolboy Crush
# 22 R&B single (Billboard)
Soul Searching
# 4 Dance Single (Billboard)
Get it Up For Love
# 21 R&B Single (Billboard)
A Star in The Ghetto
# 25 R&B Single (Billboard)
Sweet & Sour
Grammy Nomination - ‘Best R&B Instrumental Performance’.
Walk On By
# 32 R&B single (Billboard), # 18 UK chart
Atlantic Avenue
# 24 UK chart
Let's Go Round Again
#12 UK chart, #1 Japanese chart.
