Fat Larry's Band

This was an entertaining Philadelphia funk band, fronted by drummer "Fat" Larry James. Fat Larry's Band never scored any major hits, but their singles for Stax, Fantasy, and Omni were prototypical late-'70s and '80s East Coast jazz-tinged funk. Trumpeter and flutist Art Capehart, trombonist and alto saxophonist Jimmy Lee, saxophonist Doug Jones, keyboardist Erskine Williams, guitarist Ted Cohen, bassist Larry Labes, and percussionist Darryl Grant completed the lineup. Their best song aesthetically was "Act Like You Know," a 1982 tune with a surging bass line and simple but catchy lyric refrain. James also played with the Delfonics and Blue Magic and managed the group Slick. A good performer and charismatic personality, James died very prematurely in 1987 at age 38. ~ Ron Wynn