Ozone

Funk and R&B group Ozone was formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1977 by three former members of the funk band the Endeavors, Benny Wallace, Jimmy Stewart, and Charles Glenn. This trio recruited Thomas Bumpass, William White, Ray Woodard, Greg Hargrove, and Paul Hines to add instrumental and vocal support. The group perfected a mix of uptempo dance material and romantic ballads heavily influenced by the Commodores, and they were signed to the same record label as their mentors, Motown, in 1979. Motown initially used Ozone as backing musicians for artists including Billy Preston, Teena Marie, and Syreeta, before allowing them to record the first in a series of low-key albums, Walk On, in 1980. The instrumental title track brought them an initial taste of chart success, and they scored two more R&B hits, "Strutt My Thang" and "Gigolette."