Half a lifetime ago in Chicago, ‘Move Your Body’, sometimes referred to as ‘The House Music Anthem’ by some, helped kick-start the house music revolution. Originally credited to On The House, the group followed it up in 1986 with house cut ‘Ride The Rhythm’ — also on Trax Records — before issuing singles such as ‘Give Me Back The Love’ and ‘Let’s Get Busy’ a couple of years later.
The vocals on ‘Move Your Body’ and subsequent On The House tracks were sung by Curtis McClain, while the main On The House producer was Marshall Jefferson, one of the original pioneers of house music.
Despite not being paid — EVER — by Trax Records, ‘the label that put out so much early house music by black artists but failed to pay most of them’, the pair have remained friends. And now they have brought back the On The House project.
Marshall Jefferson & Curtis McClain present On The House ‘City Life’ is a house track ‘written by some of the masters in the game’. Over Marshall’s piano chords and pizzicato strings, Curtis sings an urban tale of dreams and togetherness in his soulful fashion and even boasts a guitar solo towards the end.
© justaweemusicblog.com
