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The Gap Band

I Owe It To Myself

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I love the piano or keys that seem to break in.
 
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2009 Soul Train Awards ~ Nov. 23, 2009

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I've been trying to get my hump on for the longest now. :lol:
The Gap Band always took me there!

You got me humpin' night and day baby! Baby!:punk:

Jack be nimble Jack be quick! Hee hee!


CW has the mose unique voice.

I'm making a CD and something from Charlie on there would make a great addition. Yep.


Thanks guys!
 
Oh my God, I love The Gap Band! :D "Outstanding", "Early in the Morning" and "Yearning for Your Love" are my songs! :punk:
 
Robert passed away

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Robert Wilson of the Gap Band, 'Godfather of bass guitar,' dead at 53


By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
Published: 8/15/2010 11:38 PM
Last Modified: 8/15/2010 11:55 PM

The “Godfather of Bass Guitar,” Robert Wilson of the legendary Tulsa jazz and funk group the Gap Band, died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 53, confirmed his publicist and manager, Don Jackson, in a late-night Sunday phone call to the Tulsa World.

Wilson died from a massive heart attack in his home, Jackson said. His family became concerned about him when they didn’t receive their regular phone calls from him throughout the day. His adult son found Wilson's body on Sunday afternoon in Palmdale, Calif.


His family could not be reached for comment on deadline. Funeral and memorial details will be shared as they become available, confirmed his publicist.

In a Tulsa World phone interview last week - his last public interview - Wilson expressed joy about returning to his boyhood home of Tulsa and an upcoming festival headlining show and following tour.

He is the son of a preacher and brother to Charlie and Ronnie, and was raised in Tulsa. The three brothers started the funk band The Gap Band in the 1970s, which was discovered by Tulsa Sound music icon Leon Russell.

“Leon came to my house and promised her he’d get me a tutor. He wanted me on the road, he knew we’d be a big thing,” Wilson laughed during the interview last week. “My mamma cooked him catfish, and we couldn’t believe he was eating dinner with us in our house,” he remembered of his early days. Wilson’s mother agreed - only to see Wilson later kicked out of the school for truancy. Too many late-night concerts, he laughed, “But I was all over the newspapers. My teachers knew I wasn’t sick,” he said, then laughed again. "I was famous at age 14,” he said, “But my brother Ronnie always took care of me."

The band, originally the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, shortened its name to help it better stand out on gig posters, said Wilson in his last known press interview last week with the Tulsa World. The group’s hits include “You Dropped A Bomb On Me,” “I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops),” “Party Train” and others.

Indeed, before age 20, Wilson had played bass with some of the biggest names in music, including Eric Clapton and Billy Preston.

Wilson had been working on a new album, expected out this fall, confirmed Jackson. The project was co-produced by jazz master, sporting great and Tulsa native Wayman Tisdale before his death from cancer in 2009. Wilson was an early mentor during Tisdale’s budding jazz career, he said.

Details on funeral and memorial arrangements have not been announced, said Jackson. It’s likely that the Timeless Music Festival Wilson would have headlined on Aug. 28 will now be a tribute show to his memory, he said. Details are below.

The festival was planned as a traveling event, with more than 30 stops coast to coast, said Wilson.

Brother Ronnie has since left the Gap Band to become a bishop, said Wilson. His brother Charlie was nominated for two Grammy awards this year for best R&B solo album, “Uncle Charlie,” and best vocal performance for the tune “There Goes My Baby.”

Wilson said he and Charlie both still performed the canon of Gap Band hits in live shows. The last concert Robert Wilson did in Tulsa was four years ago, he said.

Wilson’s Facebook fan page hasn’t been updated since he posted a recent status to fans: “Thank you for your prays and support!!! Looking forward to sharing my new music and touring soon. And to all you Gapper’s... Oops Up Side Of Your Head. Love you, Robert.”

He is survived by a circle of close family and friends in the Tulsa area, including a sister, his brothers, nephews and “lots and lots” of friends, he said during the Tulsa World interview.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?pg=scene&articleid=20100816_269_A12_CUTLIN206688
 
Statement by Charlie



"My brother Robert was a bad boy on the bass," Charlie Wilson said in a statement released Monday. "We shared a bond as brothers, musicians and friends. I loved him, and losing him is difficult for both Ronnie and I. The music world has lost a very talented man."
 
He is the son of a preacher and brother to Charlie and Ronnie, and was raised in Tulsa. The three brothers started the funk band The Gap Band in the 1970s, which was discovered by Tulsa Sound music icon Leon Russell.

“Leon came to my house and promised her he’d get me a tutor. He wanted me on the road, he knew we’d be a big thing,” Wilson laughed during the interview last week. “My mamma cooked him catfish, and we couldn’t believe he was eating dinner with us in our house,”...

Indeed, before age 20, Wilson had played bass with some of the biggest names in music, including Eric Clapton and Billy Preston.
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There's a rich musical history here, the Wilson brothers should be proud of it. As with all great talent, they played for and with some legendary rock stars and that enabled them to find a place among the soul music giants.

Thanks for the unforgettable funk Robert. RIP

Marty In LA
 
Marty In LA said:
There's a rich musical history here, the Wilson brothers should be proud of it. As with all great talent, they played for and with some legendary rock stars and that enabled them to find a place among the soul music giants.
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I've heard that Charlie is writing a book. I wonder if he's going to discuss the early days.
 
Uncle Charlie Talks

By: kmurphy
9-8-2010 10:27 am

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Charlie Wilson is in high-demand. Which is news to the 57-year-old singer-songwriter who was a platinum star as a member of the late ‘70s and early 80’s R&B-funk trio The Gap Band. Three plus decades later, Wilson has enjoyed an artistic and commercial rebirth following collaborations with Snoop Dogg(“Beautiful”), Snoop and Justin Timberlake (“Signs”) and R. Kelly(“Charlie, Last Name Wilson”). Now after experiencing Billboard chart success with his comeback albums Charlie, Last Name Wilson (2005) and Uncle Charlie (2009), the heavily influential vocalist is again making his presence felt in the hip-hop world, appearing on Kanye West’supcoming work Dark Twisted Fantasy. VIBE talked to the re-energized Uncle Wilson about his thoughts on his unlikely reinvention, his early connection with the rap world, the recent death of his Gap Band brother and why Kanye is the best producer on the planet. —Keith Murphy





VIBE: You are set to release a new single (“You Are”) going into nearly 40 years in the music business both as a member of the Gap Band and as a solo artist? Are you amazed that a new generation of hip-hop artists and R&B fans have embraced you?
Charlie Wilson: It’s been amazing to know that I’m still wanted. I’ve been in the studio with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Kanye West. This particular single, “You Are,” is basically about a strong man who has the support of a stronger woman. It’s going to be the wedding song of the millennium. When we were writing that song I was thinking about Michelle Obama and how she stuck by her man from their college days all the way to the Senate and all the way to the White House. She’s just a strong woman. I feel the same way about my wife. She’s the one who told me when we got married 15 years ago, “Hey, I’m going to show you that we are going back to the top.” She did not let up on me when I didn’t have the belief in myself to [make a comeback.] She’s my anchor. Sometimes she tells me what licks to sing on my songs. She’s all in my damn business [laughs]. You want to have someone like that in your corner.
Your brother Robert recently passed away. People are finally starting to acknowledge his influence as a songwriter and a bassist. What did he mean to the legacy of the Gap Band?
When you listen to all those Gap Band hits like “Burn Rubber” and “Outstanding” you hear that bottom. He was the anchor of all those songs. My brother was a true showman. I had to duck his bass just about every live show we did because he was so energetic; he would spin on you in a minute. He was the other frontman who was just as powerful. My brother used to tune his four-string bass down so low and go deep on the songs. You can hear it on “Yearning For Your Love.” Everybody was trying to figure out how he played those low notes, but he played his bass like it was a guitar with a lot of vibrato. To lose a brother is just crazy. I watched the Jacksons lose Michael a year ago and I was one of millions of people witnessing that tragic loss. But now I can understand what Janet, Randy, Tito and all those guys were going through. Before my brother passed, we were talking about doing a Gap Band reunion. It’s still hard for me to talk about. My brother was incredible.
During the height of the Gap Band in the early 80s, rap groups were starting to tour with R&B and funk acts. Did you guys share the perception of the majority of your peers that hip-hop was just a fad?
I remember going on the road with Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. Let me tell you something about Doug…when they released [“The Show”], it was a wrap after that! But we had a good time with those guys. They actually picked up a lot from being on the road with Gap, Zapp, and Parliament. Doug just took it all in and absorbed all the things we were doing onstage. They learned how to take hold of a crowd and not just use the song to entertain.
A lot of the R&B bands back then were dismissive of hip-hop acts because they didn’t play instruments. How shocking was it to see these young rap artists show up onstage with just a pair of turntables and a microphone?
[Laughs] Actually that’s what a lot of the guys around me used to point out… that the rappers didn’t play instruments. But I never used those words. I didn’t care that they were using turntables because when I saw hip-hop first come in, I would just watch those guys do their thing. It was a new form of expression and that’s how they came in the game. I respected that. Some of them even started getting bands to back them up. They were advancing hip-hop.
You talked briefly about your staying power. Why do you think the hip-hop world has gravitated towards Charlie Wilson?
Wow. I really don’t know the answer to that. But I think it may be because I can still sing [laughs]. I have to blow my whistle a little bit. These young artists trust in what it is I’m going to deliver. The generation is getting younger. I just got finished doing a song with The New Boyz. Uncle Charlie with the New Boyz?! That’s crazy. Those guys were not even alive when we were releasing the third Gap Band album. It’s just been incredible. The stars are aligning for me. I’m truly blessed. I was just in New York for a week with Kanye.
One of the new Kanye West songs you appear on is “See Me Now.” How did that collaboration come about?
I just think Kanye believes that I’m one of the guys that still has the voice…I’m still that go-to-guy. Call Uncle Charlie and he will deliver for you. You hear all the stories about him being an egomaniac, but Kanye West is more than that. He’s an incredible producer who is driven, ambitious, humble and yes, he’s also the guy that is arrogant and speaks his mind.
That’s an understatement.
Well, he’s not going to sit at a dinner table and repeat something that he heard and look like an idiot. He’s going to speak from the heart. That guy is the best right now.
Will Kanye be producing any tracks on your new album?
Hopefully, yes. We worked on a lot of songs. ‘Ye told me, “Let me put my hand on your new album.” And I was like, “Sure” [laughs]. I’m still finishing up my album, but we are on a tight deadline. I’m not afraid of anything, musically. I’m making music for the younger generation and the older generation. I’ve been cutting songs by myself and with some young producers. I have this kid named Wiley, who is out of the ATL. There’s Gregg Pagani, who produced my last hit “There Goes My Baby.” Babyface also wants to come to the table, again. And of course, Kanye wants to do some things. I’ve gotten blessings from a lot of people.
On a serious note, you have been very active in the fight against prostrate cancer, a disease that you were diagnosed with in 2008. You have since been cancer free. Talk about your work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the importance of African-American men being tested.
I am blessed to be cancer free right now. I teamed up with the Prostrate Cancer Foundation to have a platform to speak from. I want to really educate everyone about this disease, but especially African-American men. 1 in 6 Americans will develop prostate cancer, but 1 in 3 African-American men will develop prostrate cancer. We are two times more likely to die from this disease than any other ethnic group. Black men have to understand that they need to get to the doctor and know their family history. They need to know if their grandfather or father battled prostrate cancer. I remember the feeling that I had when this brother walked up to me when I was Atlanta and said, “Uncle Charlie, I want to thank you, man. I remember when you came out and said you had prostrate cancer and you urged all the brothers to get a check up. I took me and four of my brothers to get tested and we all had prostrate cancer.” He thanked me for saving his life. But I’m just a messenger. Still, it makes me feel good that some of these brothers are listening.

http://www.vibe.com/content/uncle-c...m-his-respect-hip-hop-and-why-kanye-west-best
 
mjscarousal said:
Dang Charlie looks pretty good for his age.... I love the Gap band..
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I was hoping for a Gap reunion album, but it's not going to happen now. Their last album came out in 1999. I wonder if the record Robert was working on is going to be released.
 
DuranDuran said:
I was hoping for a Gap reunion album, but it's not going to happen now. Their last album came out in 1999. I wonder if the record Robert was working on is going to be released.
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That would have been great!! At least Charlie is doing this thing.. They should definitly be acknowledge for a lifetime achievement
 
I only have one lp by them....gap band 3 lp....the one that has humping and burn like rubber (why you wanna hurt me) and yearning for your love on it.
 
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Love the Gap Band!!!
I have alot of their records.
I just recently made some kids i work with listen to my extended version record "Outstanding" we played it over and over
they loved it!
 
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