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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS



THE DRAMATICS



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The Dramatics

biography albums video

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In the Rain
What You See is What You Get
Get Up and Get Down


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biography
Before assuming the name the Dramatics, the vocal sextet comprised of Rob Davis, Ron Banks, Larry Reed, Robert Ellington, Larry "Squirrel" Demps, and Elbert Wilkens initially released two singles as the Dynamics on the Wingate imprint that saw no chart action. The group became a quintet upon Ellington's exit, and also changed their name to the Dramatics. They migrated to the Sport label and in 1967 released their first single to hit the charts, "All Because of You," which peaked at number 42 on the R & B charts. However, in spite of the exposure and limited record sales, some groupmembers became discouraged, which facilitated a major personnel change. William "Wee Gee" Howard replaced lead singer Reed, and Willie Ford of the Capitols replaced bass Rob Davis. Also during this time, the Dramatics had signed with producer Don Davis' production company.

Even though the group managed to stay together, the ensuing years were unproductive for chart action and sales. Between 1967 and 1971, the Dramatics made very little noise on the national scene. By the end of 1971, Davis summoned the group to the studio to record producer/songwriter Tony Hester's "Watcha See Is Watcha Get." The single was the Dramatics' first major national hit, peaking at number three on the R & B charts, and sustaining chart action for 15 weeks. That single was followed by the R & B Top Ten single "Get Up and Get Down."

The following year the Dramatics released "In the Rain," which was also penned by Hester. The single torpedoed its way to the number one spot on the R & Bcharts, maintaining that position for four consecutive weeks; the single also peaked at number five on the pop charts. Ironically, in spite of the national attention the group was receiving, another personnel shuffle was simmering.

Larry "L.J." Reynolds, who had been a member of Chocolate Syrup and was pursuing a solo career during this time, met Dramatics member Banks at the Apollo following a performance by the group. It just so happened that Howard was absent that night. Reynolds auditioned for Banks backstage; it was not too long afterwards that Reynolds, who was also signed to Don Davis' production company, began to occasionally sit in with the Dramatics during Howard's absences.

In 1973, Howard's decision to leave the group opened the door for Reynolds' entrance; Reynolds' vocal presence and permanent entry into the group was manifested with the release of the R & BTop Ten single "Hey You! Get Off My Mountain." And while Reynolds was replacing Howard, Lenny Mayes was replacing Wilkens, which spelled out identity problems for the remainder of the group. Wilkens formed his own version of the Dramatics and began touring. During this time and pending legal procedures, the name of the group was changed to Ron Banks & the Dramatics.

The Dramatics' success continued with mainly R & B Top 20 hits during the heyday of disco, cracking the R & BTop Ten just once more with "Welcome Back Home" in 1980. In 1981, Reynolds went solo; the group disbanded after Banks went solo in 1983. The group managed to stay active, reuniting to record new material every three or four years since the early '80s. They occasionally reunite for concert events.


-- Craig Lytle, All Music Guide


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LINKS YEARTITLE
01. 1972Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
02. 1973Dramatically Yours
03. 1973A Dramatic Experience
04. 1974The Dells Vs The Dramatics
05. 1975The Dramatic Jackpot
06. 1975Drama V
07. 1976Joy Ride
08. 1977Shake It Well
09. 1978Do What You Wanna Do
10. 1979Any Time, Any Place
11. 198010 1/2
12. 1980The Dramatic Way
13. 1982New Dimensions
14. 1986Somewhere In Time
15. 1988The Live!
16. 1989Positive State Of Mind
17. 1990Stone Cold
18. 19942 Of A Kind
19. 1995Gimme Some Good Soul Music
20. 1997A Dramatic Christmas: The Very Best Christmas Of All
21. 1999If You Come Back To Me
22. 2000The Ultimate Collection
23. 2002Look Inside


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1972 Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get

01. Get Up And Get Down
02. Thank You For Your Love
03. Hot Pants In The Summertime
04. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
05. In The Rain
06. Gimme Some Good Soul Music
07. Fall In Love, Lady Love
08. Mary Don't Cha Wanna

1973 Dramatically Yours

01. And I Panicked
02. I Dedicated My Life To You
03. You've Got Me Going Through A Thing
04. I Pray She'll Never Go Away
05. I Made Myself Lonely
06. Highway To Heaven
07. Beautiful Feeling
08. Toast To A Fool
09. It's So Hard Trying To Get Over You

1973 A Dramatic Experience

01. The Devil Is Dope
02. You Could Become The Very Heart Of Me
03. Now You Got Me Loving You
04. Fell For You
05. Jim, What's Wrong With Him?
06. Hey You! Get Off My Mountain
07. Beautiful People
08. Beware Of The Man
09. Stand Up Clap Your Hands

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1974 The Dells Vs The Dramatics

01. I'm In Love
02. Choosing Up On You
03. Love Is Missing From Our Lives
04. Door To Your Heart
05. Strung Over You
06. Playin' The Love Game
07. Don't Make Me No Promises
08. I Wish It Was Me You Loved
09. Tune Up
10. Stay In My Corner

1975 The Dramatic Jackpot

01. I'm Going By The Stars In Your Eyes
02. Good Things Don't Come Easy
03. Trying To Get Over Losing You
04. I Cried All The Way Home
05. Never Let You Go
06. A Thousand Shades Of Blue
07. Me, Myself And I
08. I Dig Your Music
09. Me And Mrs. Jones
10. How Do You Feel

1975 Drama V

01. You're Fooling You
02. She's A Rainmaker
03. I Was The Life Of The Party
04. Things Are Changing
05. I'm Gonna Love You To The Max
06. Dramatic Theme/Treat Me Like A Man
07. Just Shopping (not buying anything)
08. Come Out Of Your Thing
09. I'll Make It So Good

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1976 Joy Ride

01. Finger Fever
02. Richest Man Alive
03. Stand Up And Move
04. Sing And Dance Your Troubles Away
05. I Get Carried Away
06. Be My Girl
07. After The Dance
08. Say The Word
09. I Can't Get Over You
10. Sundown Is Coming

1977 Shake It Well

01. Shake It Well
02. You Make The Music
03. My Ship Won't Sail Without You
04. Come Inside
05. Spaced Out Over You
06. That Heaven Kind Of Feeling
07. I Like Making You So Happy
08. Ocean Of Thoughts And Dreams
09. Music Is Forever

1978 Do What You Wanna Do

1979 Any Time, Any Place

01. I Just Wanna Dance With You
02. Bottom Line Woman
03. That's My Favorite Song
04. I Think About You
05. Get With The Band And Dance
06. Life Is Just A Playground
07. I'm Hooked On You
08. Stranger In My Life
09. Love Birds
10. A Marriage On Paper Only
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1980 10 1/2

01. Music Is The People's Choice
02. Welcome Back Home
03. Runnin' From My Love
04. Love Is Here
05. I Just Wanna Dance The Night Away
06. If You Feel Like You Wanna Dance, Dance
07. It Ain't Raining On Nobody's House But Mine
08. Be With The One You Love

1980 The Dramatic Way

1982 New Dimensions

01. Live It Up
02. Treat Me Right
03. I Can't Stand It
04. She's My Kind Of Girl
05. It's Dramatic Music
06. I Don't Want To Lose Your Love
07. I Believe In You
08. Night Life

1986 Somewhere In Time

01. Dream Lady
02. Razor Blade
03. One Love Ago
04. Show Me What You Got
05. When Love Is Over
06. Medley . . .
07. Days Of Yea And Ney
08. Luv's Callin'
09. She's Wild

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1988 The Live!

01. Intro
02. Get Up And Get Down
03. Thank You For Your Love
04. This Guy's In Love With You
05. Respect Yourself
06. That's The Way I Feel About 'Cha
07. Toast To A Fool
08. In The Rain
09. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get

1989 Positive State Of Mind

01. Positive State Of Mind
02. Live Your Life
03. Bridge Over Troubled Water
04. Blame It On New York City
05. Please Say You'll Be Mine
06. Give Me Some Attention Tonight
07. Come On And Stay

1990 Stone Cold

01. If U Really Love Me
02. She's Stone Cold
03. Just A Little Bit
04. If You Love Me
05. Let's Make Luv 4-Ever
06. Get On Up
07. Candy
08. Ready 4 Love
09. No Place To Live

1994 2 Of A Kind

1995 Gimme Some Good Soul Music

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1997 A Dramatic Christmas: The Very Best Christmas Of All

1. The Very Best Christmas
2. The Days Before Christmas
3. This Christmas
4. The Christmas Song
5. It's Christmas Time
6. A Holiday Night
7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
8. All I Want For Christmas Is My Baby
9. Here Comes Christmas Love
10. Christmas Ain't Christmas
11. The Golden Horn

1999 If You Come Back To Me

01. Maddy
02. If You Come Back To Me
03. Seductions
04. Scarborough Fair
05. The Lady In Red
06. For Reality's Sake
07. Hello Love
08. We Haven't Got There Yet
09. Maddy (revisited)

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2000 The Ultimate Collection

01. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
02. Get Up And Get Down
03. In The Rain
04. Hey You! Get Off My Mountain
05. Fell For You
06. Me And Mrs. Jones
07. Choosing Up On You
08. Door To Your Heart
09. You're Fooling You
10. Be My Girl
11. I'm Going By The Stars In Your Eyes
12. Finger Fever
13. Shake It Well
14. I Can't Get Over You
15. Stop Your Weeping
16. I Just Wanna Dance With You
17. Ocean Of Thoughts And Dreams
18. Welcome Back Home
19. That's My Favorite Song
20. You're The Best Thing In My Life

2002 Look Inside

01. Look Inside
02. Looks Like Rain
03. Got My Pride
04. Pushin' Up On 'Ya
05. What Must I Do
06. Baby Boo
07. Right In The Middle Of Heaven
08. Special Lady
09. I'm So Alone
10. Better Love As Friends


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