The Best of the Gap Band

An “outstanding” R&B album

This R&B band was formed in 1967 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by three brothers, the sons of a Pentecostal Christian minister. The group’s name, “The GAP Band” is a shorten version of their original one, which was The Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Street Band. It was a reference to the names of three streets located in the historic African American community of Greenwood in their hometown.  This was the community that was destroyed in the infamous Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The band came to prominence during the early days of the post-Disco Era, in 1979, with the release of its song “Shake.”  Ironically, this song’s lyrics and beat strongly reflect the disco genre. Here’s the chorus: “Shake, shake, shake, - shake your booty at the disco, - yeah, yeah, yeah.”  This compilation of hits from the early eighties features a mix of both funky tunes such as “You Dropped the Bomb on Me” and slow jams including “Outstanding” and “Yearning for Your Love.”