Here’s a little bit of Richmond History right in front of you. First of all, you’re looking at the original and only album cover (still in plastic) from the 1976 release by Richmond, Virginia’s own Whole Darn Family. In fact, if you look closely, the album cover was shot in front of Richmond’s historic Ethyl Corporation.
The Whole Darn Family was a seven-strong miscegenation band (augmented by a six-piece horn section) from Richmond, VA, featuring the production and writing skills of August Moon and lead vocalist Tyrone Thomas. Moon previously recorded obscure RB tunes (“Wasted Years” on O’Gee Records) with no success. He co-produced this album with Thomas at the Sound Pit in Atlanta, GA.
The tunes range from driving soul sounds as in “You Know That You Lied” to more complex numbers like “Fly Away Love Bird,” which exhibits Joel Smither’s lovely flute.
However, it was their smash hit, the seven-minute instrumental “Seven Minutes of Funk” is funk-fused with jazz elements, accented by Steve Carey’s synthesizer, Woody Hughes’ emphatic bass playing, Tommy Bryant and Kenny Mimms’ sweet guitar licks, and Thomas’ steady drumming. The song has been sampled in EMPD’s “It’s My Thing” and then again in Jay-Z’s “Ain’t No Nigga” featuring Foxy Brown produced by Big Jaz in 1996.
And there’s a little bit of Richmond history for ya.
