Cameo

Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group from New York, United States. It forms in 1974 and remains active. The group’s membership fluctuates over time, with a line-up that includes William Seth Allen, Larry Blackmon, Jeryl Bright, Michael Burnett, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, Aaron Mills and Charlie Singleton. New York City Players, Inc. is listed as a label associated with the group.

Style and development

The group works across contemporary R&B, disco, funk, pop soul, soul and synth funk. It develops a hard-driving funk sound that crosses several styles, and it becomes known for an unusual stage presence and a strong sense of humour. Larry Blackmon is the constant figure in the group and serves as singer-songwriter.

Notable songs

Cameo’s catalogue includes a number of well-known singles, among them “Word Up”, “Attack Me With Your Love”, “Candy”, “Freaky Dancin’”, “I Just Want To Be” and “Sparkle”. “Word Up” appears in 1986 and becomes a major radio staple, also reaching the top of the U.S. Hot Dance Singles and U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts. It is later covered by acts including Gun and Korn.

Place in funk and R&B

During the 1970s and 1980s, Cameo stays closely aligned with current trends and at times moves ahead of them. The group draws comparisons with Parliament/Funkadelic in its early years, then develops a reputation of its own and becomes an influence on later R&B and hip-hop artists. Its popularity begins to decline in the late 1980s, but the band continues to tour.