Pleasure

Pleasure is a funk and soul group from Portland, United States, active from 1972 to 1983. The band also draws on jazz and electro-funk, and is best known for the 1979 single “Glide”.

Formation and members

The group forms in 1972 when Bruce Edward Carter’s Portland R&B band, the Franchise, merges with the rival Soul Masters. The core line-up includes Marlon McClain, Bruce Carter, Sherman Davis, Randy Hall, Donald Hepburn, Michael Hepburn, Nate Phillips, Bruce Smith and Dennis Springer, with Dan Brewster on trombone and Tony Collins on trumpet and flugelhorn in the original group. McClain is credited on guitar and background vocals, Carter on drums, the Hepburn brothers on keyboards and background vocals, Phillips on bass and background vocals, Smith on percussion and background vocals, Davis on lead and background vocals, and Springer and Brewster on saxophone and trombone respectively.

Sound and reputation

Pleasure blends soul, funk and jazz with a hard-edged sound. The group develops a cult following on the underground Black music scene of the late 1970s.

Recordings

The band works closely with producer Wayne Henderson in Los Angeles and records for Fantasy Records. Its albums include Dust Yourself Off, Accept No Substitutes, Joyous, Get To The Feeling, Future Now, Special Things and Give It Up. The Fantasy releases include “Midnight At The Oasis”, “Ghettos Of The Mind”, “Sassafras Girl”, “Ladies Night Out” and “Glide”, with “Glide” becoming the group’s best-known track. The band also records with label mates Side Effect on a version of “Always There”.

Later activity

After the group parts ways, Marlon McClain issues a solo project called Changes. Bruce Carter dies in 2006.