Atlantic Starr

With their roots in disco and funk, the R&B group Atlantic Starr evolved into adult contemporary balladeers throughout the 1980s and notched a No. 1 hit with 1987’s “Always”. • Atlantic Starr was formed in Greenburgh, New York, in the late ’70s. The nine-member crew comprised musicians from three separate bands at local Woodlands High School. • The band signed to A&M Records and found modest success with their first five albums on the label. The fourth of these, 1982’s Brilliance, reached No. 1 on the R&B albums chart. • Original lead singer Sharon Bryant left the group in 1984 and was replaced by Barbara Weathers. The new lineup scored their first pop crossover hit with “Secret Lovers”, from 1985’s gold-selling As the Band Turns album. The single reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. • Their 1987 album All in the Name of Love went platinum, thanks to the smooth ballad “Always”, which reached No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts. • Atlantic Starr notched their third and final Top 10 single with 1992’s “Masterpiece”. By this time, Rachel Oliver, a former Miss Black America, had taken the reins as lead singer. • Although their hitmaking days were behind them, Atlantic Starr continued touring into the 21st century. The album Metamorphosis arrived in 2017.