(August 3, 2021) The Fatback Band was a self-contained band that is representative of all of the great soul, funk, blues and fusion bands formed in the 20 years between 1965 and 1985. Bearing one of the best band names of all time, The Fatback Band drew upon all of the influences that leader Bill ‘Fatback’ Curtis took in from the many legends that he played with and the myriad of sounds that he heard in the music and cultural hotbed of New York to create a sound that was up to date and also pointed the way to the future.
(August 3, 2021) The Fatback Band was a self-contained band that is representative of all of the great soul, funk, blues and fusion bands formed in the 20 years between 1965 and 1985. Bearing one of the best band names of all time, The Fatback Band drew upon all of the influences that leader Bill ‘Fatback’ Curtis took in from the many legends that he played with and the myriad of sounds that he heard in the music and cultural hotbed of New York to create a sound that was up to date and also pointed the way to the future.
The future and the present was hip-hop and Curtis and the Fatback Band put it on wax before anyone outside of New York knew that rap was a thing with the song “King Tim III (Personality Cult). That track featured a rap that fit in with what emcees like Kurtis Blow and the Sugarhill Gang would be doing in the late 1970s and early 80s, but backed by a live band putting out some brassy, bass popping funk. Of course, Fatback was better known for their straight ahead funk jams like “Back Strokin’” and “I Like Girls.”
Like many bands that emerged from that great era, Fatback’s fortunes have waxed and waned. There have been personnel changes, but Bill ‘Fatback’ Curtis has kept the funk party going. Now, as the last of the original members still with the group, Curtis returns with a Fatback Band for a new generation and a new song titled “Dem Words.” The track sports a mid-tempo bouncy groove and some soulful vocals from vocalist Isabella Dunn Gordon. The track finds Gordon letting someone know that they need to choose their words more carefully, because the insensitivity used in what they say is hurting someone who is committed and wants to be there for the long haul.
Curtis grew up hearing the music of the Caribbean blaring throughout New York and that influence can definitely be heard in this track from the percussion to elements of Gordon’s vocal delivery. Check “Dem Words” out here.
By Howard Dukes
The Fatback Band - "Dem Words"