Starland Vocal Band
- Soundtrack
Starland Vocal Band were a 70s soft-rock group who will always be best
remembered for their sensuous #1 hit song "Afternoon Delight". The
group had its roots in the Washington, D.C. folk scene of the late 60's
and began as "Fat City", an acoustic folk duo consisting of
singer/songwriters Bill Danoff and
Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert
collaborated with John Denver on his hit
song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and sing back-up vocals on said
song. "Fat City" released two albums and regularly opened for Denver in
concert. Changing their name to Bill and Taffy, the duo enlisted
vocalist/keyboardist Jon Carroll
for their 1974 album "Aces". Subsequently adding singer
Margot Chapman to the line-up as well,
they changed their name to Starland Vocal Band and signed up with
Denver's "Windsong" label. Their self-titled debut album begot the hit
single "Afternoon Delight", which soared to #1 on the pop charts in the
summer of 1976. The album likewise did well; it peaked at #20 on the
album charts. Moreover, the group was nominated for five Grammy Awards
and won two for Best New Artist and Best Vocal Arrangement
respectively. The smash success of "Afternoon Delight" even led to the
short-lived 1977 comedy/variety TV program
The Starland Vocal Band Show (1977)
which featured none other than a then-unknown
David Letterman as a series regular.
Alas, the group never managed to either match or surpass the monumental
success of their first album; the follow-up albums "Rear View Mirror",
"Late Night Radio" and "4X4" were all flops. Starland Vocal Band broke
up in 1981 and all the individual members went on to pursue solo
careers. One of the most beloved of one-hit wonder songs of the 70's,
"Afternoon Delight" has been featured on the soundtracks to such films
as "The Spirit of '76," "PCU," "Boogie Nights,"
Will Hunting (1997),
Les lois de l'attraction (2002)
and Starsky & Hutch (2004).
Moreover, the song has also popped up on episodes of such TV shows as
Les Simpson (1989),
Les Griffin (1999),
Urgences (1994) and
Earl (2005).
Starland Vocal Band have reunited on several occasions throughout the
years; they performed at a 1998 John Denver
memorial concert and sang their signature tune "Afternoon Delight" on a
1996 episode of
The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986).
