Orleans is an American pop-rock band best known for its hits Dance With Me (1975), Still the One (1976), and Love Takes Time (1979) Orleans began as a trio in 1972 in Woodstock NY Guitarist John Hall, drummer Wells Kelly and multi-instrumentalist Larry Hoppen played tirelessly all over the Northeast and up / down the Eastern “corridor” for nine months, then added Lance Hoppen (Larry’s brother) fresh out of high school on bass to form the quartet that would record its debut LP in 1973 at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama Orleans found its core audience touring the clubs and college circuit of the Northeast US, crossing paths with other up-and-comers such as Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and Hall & Oates Rolling Stone called Orleans "the best unrecorded band in America" Showcase performances in NYC gave rise to a recording contract with ABC Dunhill Records and the release of an eponymous debut album in 1973 But it was not until Orleans was produced by Chuck Plotkin, then head of A&R for Asylum Records, that the band scored its first Top 40 hit with "Let There Be Music" in early 1975The follow up single "Dance With Me" brought Orleans into the Top 5 and the mainstream of American pop music Atypical of the high-energy, earthy, R&B/Rock 'n' Roll mix of styles they had been previously identified with, "Dance With Me" cast the band in a more "soft-rock" light and landed them a tour with Melissa Manchester, when they really were more at home on tour with bands such as Little FeatIt was the smash hit "Still the One" that cemented Orleans' relationship with the American public
musicfestivalsworld.com 2024
