Blue Magic (Band)

Blue Magic (band)
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Blue Magic is an American R&B and soul

group, and one of the more popular
Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.
Founded in 1972, the group's original
members included lead singer Ted Mills
with Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith
Beaton, and Richard Pratt. Their most
notable songs included smooth soul
ballads such as "Sideshow", "Spell",
"What’s Come Over Me", "Three Ring
Circus" and "Stop to Start".[1]
Blue Magic
Blue Magic Promo Photo in 1973
Background information
Origin Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United
States
Genres R&B, Philadelphia

soul, Soul
Years active 1972–present
Labels ATCO, Capitol, OBR,

Mirage
Origins
Blue Magic was formed in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 1972 when former
member of The Delfonics, Randy Cain,
brought in singer-songwriter Ted Mills to
do some writing with the Philly-based
WMOT production company to create a
new band. A short time later the group
Shades of Love, featuring Keith Beaton,
Richard Pratt, Vernon Sawyer and his
brother Wendell, came in to audition.
(According to Marc Taylor in his book 'A
Touch of Classic Soul of the Early 1970s',
[1] "although the group performed
admirably, they lacked a standout lead
singer".) The execs decided to replace the
Toppicks, the act Mills recorded with. They
inserted Shades of Love (which they
owned contractually) with Ted Mills and
retitled the group Blue Magic. They were
signed with Atco Records through WMOT
in the same year.
Recording, early singles, and

their first album
The group was one of the earliest acts
produced by Norman Harris, a Philadelphia
recording veteran. The group's harmonies
were supported by the MFSB studio house
band. Their first early song release in 1973
was "Spell" which went onto the Billboard
R&B chart peaking at No. 30 (it was written
and co-produced by Mills). They were
known for making dreamy ballads and
their choreographed stage moves.[2]
Their second release was the uptempo

"Look Me Up"; which reached number 36,
stayed on the R&B chart for 11 weeks, and
was popular on the early disco scene.
Their next single was the ballad "Stop to
Start". This hit was even more successful,
reaching #14 on the Billboard R&B chart
and #74 on the pop chart. The next single
release became their first Billboard US Top
10 R&B and Pop hit, "Sideshow", It sold
over one million copies, and was awarded
a gold disc by the RIAA on August 16,
1974.[3] It climbed to #8 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart.[4] The
Blue Magic album also went Gold, and is
considered a classic, as well as one of the
best Philly soul albums of all-time. In
addition to the four hit singles, it also
included another Richard Dickson inspired
creation, the hit ballad "What's Come Over
Me", a 7-minute rendition of the Main
Ingredient million seller "Just Don't Want
To Be Lonely", the solid album closer "Tear
It Down", and the uptempo "Welcome to
the Club" (which would become a classic
of the Chicago House Music scene in the
late 1980s). The first single from their
1975 follow-up album The Magic of the
Blue, entitled "Three Ring Circus", also sold
well, reaching #36 in the pop chart and #5
R&B. MFSB guitarist Bobby Eli and Vinnie
Barrett co wrote both "Sideshow" and
"Three Ring Circus".[5]
Because their biggest hits were slower

songs, the group became known mostly
for their ballads.
Success, their second album

and their first world tour
The album Thirteen Blue Magic Lane in
1975 maintained the group's popularity
and spawned their version of the popular
dance number "We're On The Right Track",
as well as the ballad "Chasing Rainbows".
The song "What's Come Over Me" from
their debut album was re-worked as a duet
with Margie Joseph dubbed in alongside
Mills' original lead vocals. The new
approach saw the song climb to #11 on
the R&B chart again in 1975.In total the
group had two R&B chart singles in 1975
and four in 1976.
The group had their first world tour that

year which lasted for 42 weeks. The tour
included 48 states in the United States,
five countries in Europe and a 10-day stay
in the Philippines. They concluded their
tour with a two-week engagement in the
Virgin Islands.
Blue Magic were known also for their

choreography. As a visually oriented
group, they had several major television
appearances, including Soul Train, The
Mike Douglas Show, The Jerry Blavat Show,
Dancin' On Air, and A.M. Philadelphia.
In April 1975, they were chosen as the best

new group of the year which earned two
Ebony Awards. The first was presented in
New York City by Aretha Franklin, the
second in Florida by the female recording
artist Vanity.
They have shared the stage with other

performers such as The Jacksons, Lionel
Richie, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye,
Gladys Knight and the Pips, Natalie Cole,
The Temptations, The Four Tops, The
Spinners, Earth, Wind & Fire, New Edition,
The Stylistics, Mick Jagger and others.
The group also contributed background

vocals for Alyson Williams and the Rolling
Stones (on the song "If You Really Want To
Be My Friend" from the album It's Only
Rock 'n' Roll).
Decline in popularity
By 1977, the group's popularity had faded
with the rise of disco and changing music
styles, and despite the group continuing to
record consistently they failed to chart.
Subsequent label moves to Capitol
Records for a reunion with Norman Harris
(who had left two years earlier) and then
the smaller label Mirage resulted in some
smaller R&B charting, but no major
success.
The 1980s, disbanding,
regrouping in the 1990s
Background singer Richard Pratt left in the
early 1980s. After sibling singers Vernon
and Wendell Sawyer left, the remaining
two members Mills and Beaton hired two
other singers and traveled to Los Angeles,
California, to record with Skip Scarborough
and some members of the popular group
Earth Wind & Fire on the album Message
from the Magic.
In 1988, the original group got back

together and had some renewed popularity
in late 1989 with the album From Out of the
Blue. Also in 1989, they appeared on the
song "To Be Your Man", the third single
from Big Daddy Kane's second album, It's a
Big Daddy Thing.
In 1990, The Amsterdam News carried the

story of Mills' near-fatal car accident. After
surgery in 1996, Mills returned to the
music scene as a solo act, recording an
album for Casablanca Records that year
entitled This Magic Is Real, featuring the
remake of "Tear It Down". The other
members of the group brought in new lead
Rod Wayne (real name Roderick
Bronaugh), who remained with the group
until 2004. Bronaugh now teaches at
Tennessee State University.[6]
The 2000s and incidental
work
Mills appeared in the touring play, Girl, He
Ain't Worth It with The Manhattans, Meli'sa
Morgan and Tito Jackson, and appeared in
the play Looking For Love In All the Wrong
Places. In 2007, Mills recorded the album 3
Tenors of Soul with Russell Thompkins, Jr.,
original lead singer of The Stylistics, and
William Hart of The Delfonics released on
Shanachie Records and produced by
Bobby Eli.[7]
Mills appeared and gave two concerts for

the audiences at the 2014 Soul Train
Cruise in February 2014 on the Holland
America Eurodam.
On March 11, 2018, Blue Magic reunited to

appear on the television series, Unsung on
TV One season 12, episode 4.[8]
On July 14, 2018, Mills rescued a man

from a burning car on route 22 in Hillside,
New Jersey. "I knew it was somebody
trapped in there and needed help getting
out," said Mills, a Summit resident. "It was
flipping in the direction that I was driving."
[9]
Three versions of the band

touring
Former lead vocalist Rod Wayne died in
2016.[10] Former lead Ted Mills continues
to pursue a solo career. The name was
formally trademarked by Wendell Sawyer
and Keith Beaton some years earlier.
Richard Pratt and Vernon Sawyer each
have their own versions of the group.
Original 1974 members

Ted Wizard Mills - lead tenor
Wendell Sawyer – baritone, lead
Keith "Duke" Beaton – tenor
Richard Pratt - bass
Vernon Sawyer- tenor
Discography
Studio albums …
Peak chart
positions
Year Album US
Record label
US CAN
[11]
R&B [12]
[11]
Blue Magic 45 4 42
1974 ATCO
The Magic of the Blue 71 14 —
1975 Thirteen Blue Magic Lane 50 9 —

ATCO/WMOT
1976 Mystic Dragons 170 44 —
1977 Message from the Magic — — — ATCO
1981 Welcome Back — — — Capitol
1983 Magic # — 52 — Mirage
1989 From Out of the Blue — 48 — OBR, Columbia
1995 My Magic Is Real — — — Hot Prod.
2020 Share a Dream — — — Essential Media Group

"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Live albums …
Live! (with Major Harris & Margie
Joseph) (1976, WMOT)
Compilation albums …
Greatest Hits (1986, Omni)

The Magic of the Blue: Greatest Hits
(1990, Atlantic)
The Best of Blue Magic: Soulful Spell
(1996, Rhino)
Singles …
Peak chart positions
Year Single US US
US AUS CAN UK
[11]
R&B A/C [13] [12] [14]
[11] [11]
"Spell" — 30 — — — —
1973 "Look Me Up" — 36 — — — —
"Stop to Start" 74 14 — — — —
"Sideshow" 8 1 35 68 5 —
1974
"Three Ring Circus" 36 5 26 62 87 —
"Love Has Found Its Way to Me" — 45 — — — —
"Chasing Rainbows" — 17 — — — —
1975
"What's Come Over Me" (with Margie Joseph) — 11 — — — —
"Magic of the Blue" — — — — — —
"Grateful" 104 15 — — — —
"Freak-N-Stein" — 73 — — — —
1976
"Teach Me (It's Something About Love)" — 48 — — — —
"Summer Snow" — 40 — — — —
1977 "I Waited" — — — — — —
"Land of Make-Believe" — 77 — — — —
1981
"Seems I Haven't Seen Her — — — — — —
"See Through" — — — — — —
1983 "Magic #" — 69 — — — —
"Since You Been Gone" — — — — — —
"Romeo and Juliet" — 20 — — — 89
1989 "It's Like Magic" — 31 — — — —
"Secret Lover" — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
References
1. Halliburton, Karen (29 January 2020).
"Blue Magic's Wendell Sawyer
discusses the magic of the blue" .
50BOLD. Retrieved 25 September
2020.
2. "Blue Magic Biography" . AllMusic.
Retrieved 11 June 2016.
3. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of
Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London:
Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 343 .
ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
4. "Blue Magic Songs ••• Top Songs /
Chart Singles Discography ••• Music
VF, US & UK hits charts" .
www.musicvf.com. Retrieved
25 September 2020.
5. "Blue Magic | Songs" . AllMusic.
Retrieved 25 September 2020.
. "Roderick Bronaugh" . Tnstate.edu.
Retrieved 2014-07-29.
7. "Blue Magic original members reunite
for "Unsung" episode" . SoulTracks -
Soul Music Biographies, News and
Reviews. 30 July 2017. Retrieved
25 September 2020.
. "Watch Unsung: Blue Magic" . TV One.
12 March 2018. Retrieved
25 September 2020.
9. NJ.com (23 August 2018). "R&B
legend saves young man from burning
car" . nj. Retrieved 25 September
2020.
10. "R.I.P. former Blue Magic lead singer
Rod Wayne" . SoulTracks - Soul Music
Biographies, News and Reviews. 15
November 2016. Retrieved
25 September 2020.
11. "US Charts > Blue Magic" . Billboard.
Retrieved 2010-02-09.
12. "CAN Charts > Blue Magic" . RPM.
Archived from the original on 2015-
02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
13. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts
Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart
Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W.
ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. "UK Charts > Blue Magic" . Official
Charts Company. Retrieved
2011-01-14.
External links
Blue Magic at AllMusic
Blue Magic on Soul Tracks
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Blue_Magic_(band)&oldid=985985048"
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This article needs additional citations for

Blue Magic is an American R&B and soul

Blue Magic Promo Photo in 1973

Genres R&B, Philadelphia

Years active 1972–present

Labels ATCO, Capitol, OBR,

Recording, early singles, and

Their second release was the uptempo

Because their biggest hits were slower

Success, their second album

The group had their ﬁrst world tour that

Blue Magic were known also for their

In April 1975, they were chosen as the best

They have shared the stage with other

The group also contributed background

In 1988, the original group got back

In 1990, The Amsterdam News carried the

Mills appeared and gave two concerts for

On March 11, 2018, Blue Magic reunited to

On July 14, 2018, Mills rescued a man

Three versions of the band

Original 1974 members

1975 Thirteen Blue Magic Lane 50 9 —

1977 Message from the Magic — — — ATCO

1981 Welcome Back — — — Capitol

1983 Magic # — 52 — Mirage

1989 From Out of the Blue — 48 — OBR, Columbia

1995 My Magic Is Real — — — Hot Prod.

2020 Share a Dream — — — Essential Media Group

Greatest Hits (1986, Omni)

1973 "Look Me Up" — 36 — — — —

"Love Has Found Its Way to Me" — 45 — — — —

"Magic of the Blue" — — — — — —

1977 "I Waited" — — — — — —

1983 "Magic #" — 69 — — — —

"Since You Been Gone" — — — — — —

"Romeo and Juliet" — 20 — — — 89

1989 "It's Like Magic" — 31 — — — —

Last edited 2 months ago by Nick Number

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

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