Change (band) facts for kids

Change is an Italian-American music group that started in Bologna, Italy, in 1979. It was formed by producer Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi. The group was very inspired by the popular disco band Chic. Today, a new version of the group has been active since 2018.

How Change Started and Grew

The Idea Behind the Music

Change began in early 1979 as a studio band. This means they were a group of musicians who mostly recorded music in a studio, rather than performing live all the time. The main people behind the music were Jacques Fred Petrus, Mauro Malavasi, and Davide Romani.

The band had a mix of Italian and American influences. The music, except for the singing, was written and recorded in studios in Italy. Then, these music tracks were sent to the USA. American singers would add their voices, and the songs were finished in big studios in places like New York City.

Early Success and Big Hits

Change's first album, The Glow of Love, came out in 1980. It featured songs written by a small team. Their first big hit was "A Lover's Holiday." This song sold over a million copies!

Other popular songs from the album were "Searching" and the title song, "The Glow of Love." These songs featured the amazing voice of Luther Vandross, who later became a very famous solo singer. These three songs were so popular that they spent nine weeks at number one on Billboard magazine's dance charts. This made "The Glow of Love" the top disco recording of the year.

At this time, Change was often compared to another disco group called Chic. Both groups were on the same record label and even shared some of the same backup singers.

New Singers and More Albums

The next album, Miracles, was released in 1981. It was made by the same team. However, Luther Vandross could not sing lead vocals on this album due to other agreements. He only sang backup on a few songs. After Miracles, Luther Vandross left Change to start his successful solo career.

James 'Crab' Robinson joined the band to replace Luther Vandross. He sang lead vocals along with Diva Gray for the Miracles album. This album was also very successful. Three of its singles, "Paradise," "Hold Tight," and "Heaven of My Life" all reached number one on the Billboard dance charts in 1981.

In 1982, Change released Sharing Your Love. This album moved the band's sound more towards R&B and Funk music, and less towards pure disco. The song "The Very Best in You" was a great example of their new R&B style. While this album sold well, the band's overall popularity started to slowly go down.

Ups and Downs

During the making of their fourth album, This Is Your Time (1983), Change faced some challenges. The band's members and their success started to change. This album did not have any major hit songs.

After this album, Rick Brennan took over as lead singer, and James Robinson left. Also, the producers Davide Romani and Mauro Malavasi left to work on other projects. However, the band gained new members like bassist Timmy Allen and singer Deborah Cooper. Deborah Cooper became a lead singer and stayed with the band until it ended. She later worked with C+C Music Factory in the 1990s.

Because the 1983 album wasn't as successful, the future of Change was uncertain. So, Jacques Fred Petrus brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were famous producers. They helped write and produce the 1984 album, Change of Heart.

This album was very successful around the world, bringing the group back to the music charts in Europe and the USA. The song "Change of Heart" became one of Change's top R&B hits in years.

However, the next album in 1985, Turn on Your Radio, was not as popular. It sounded different from their usual dance and R&B style. Even though it didn't do as well, Europe still liked the group. The song "Let's Go Together" was their last hit in the US.

The End of an Era and New Beginnings

Turn on Your Radio was the least successful album for Change, but it wasn't meant to be their last. The group officially stopped making music after Jacques Fred Petrus, one of its founders, passed away in 1987.

Even though the original Change group ended, Davide Romani and others tried to bring the project back in 1990. They planned to release a new album in 1992 under the name X-Change, but it wasn't released at that time.

In 2009, those recordings finally came out as the album Change Your Mind. It was produced by Davide Romani and Francesco Puccioni, with Patrick Boothe as the main singer.

In 2001, the famous American singer Janet Jackson used a part of Change's song "The Glow of Love" in her number one hit single "All for You." This showed how much influence Change's music had.

In 2018, Change made a comeback! Original members Davide Romani and Mauro Malavasi returned, along with a new singer, Tanya Michelle Smith. They released a new song and video called "Hit or Miss" in June 2018. This song was from their new album, "Love 4 Love," which came out in September 2018.

Who Was in Change?

Change was mainly a studio group. This means they had a core team of musicians and singers who worked together in the studio. The main leaders were Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi. After their first two albums, Petrus wanted the group to have a more public image. So, he put together a group for live shows and promotions. This group stayed together for their next four albums. Since then, different musicians and singers have toured and performed under the Change name.

First Group (1980 to 1981)

• Luther Vandross - Lead and background singing
• Jocelyn Shaw - Lead singing
• Krystal Davis - Singing on "The Glow of Love" and background singing
• Yvonne Lewis - Group singing on "The Glow of Love"
• Dennis Collins - Group singing on "The Glow of Love," "Miracles," and "Sharing Your Love"
• Zachary Saunders - Group singing on "The Glow of Love" and "A Lover's Holiday"
• Diva Gray - Lead singing
• James "Crab" Robinson - Lead singing (starting in 1981)
• David Romani - Bass guitar
• Paolo Gianolo - Guitar
• Rudy Trevisi - Saxophone (1981)
• Doc Powell - Guitar
• Larry McRae - Bass guitar (1981)
• Terry Silverlight - Drums
• Leno Reyes - Drums
• Onaje Allan Gumbs - Keyboards
• Andy Schwartz - Keyboards
• Nathaniel S. Hardy, Jr. - Keyboards
• Maurizio Biancani - Synthesizer

Second Group (1982 to 1985)

• Deborah Cooper - Lead singing
• James "Crab" Robinson - Lead singing (1982–83)
• Rick Brennan - Lead singing, percussion (1983–85)
• Timmy Allen - Bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, background singing
• Vincent Henry - Guitar, saxophone
• Michael Campbell - Guitar
• Jeff Bova - Keyboards
• Rob Aries - Piano and synthesizer
• Toby Johnson - Drums (1983–84)
• Rudy Trevisi - Saxophone (1983)
• Bernard Davis - Drums (1983)
• Carole Sylvan - Background singing (1982–1983)
• John Adams - Music director, keyboards (1982–1983)
• Mary Seymour - Background singing (1982–1983)

Change's Music

The group Change has released eight studio albums, nine collection albums, and twenty-five singles (individual songs).

Albums

Change released several studio albums throughout their career, including:

• The Glow of Love (1980)
• Miracles (1981)
• Sharing Your Love (1982)
• This Is Your Time (1983)
• Change of Heart (1984)
• Turn on Your Radio (1985)
• Change Your Mind (2010)
• Love 4 Love (2018)

Singles

Some of Change's most famous singles include:

• "A Lover's Holiday" (1980)
• "The Glow of Love" (1980)
• "Searching" (1980)
• "Paradise" (1981)
• "Hold Tight" (1981)
• "Heaven of My Life" (1981)
• "The Very Best in You" (1982)
• "Change of Heart" (1984)
• "Let's Go Together" (1985)
• "Hit or Miss" (2018)

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart