The guy dancing at the video (Jeffery Daniels) is reportedly the man who taught Michael Jackson how to moonwalk. Shalamar was one of my favorite vibes while driving to the LA nightclubs back in the early 80's. Especially this jam.
Shalamar was the the ish back in the day one of my favorite groups. They were even bigger in Europe especially in the UK selling out Wembley Arena and Jeffery Daniel hosting Soul Train UK.
For those of us old enough to remember when Jody was a Soul Train dancer. She had a different look and was a fan favorite. As a matter of fact Shalamar was a Don Cornelius creation to get SOLAR records jump started…
GET READY! No way you wouldn't love this bop. Yes Jody broke this classic out of the closet on her stop in Waikiki and sang the first verse, then asked if anyone in the audience knew the 2nd verse. If you know the history of Shalamar you know that was the kindest way for her to throw a lil shade, and I ate it UP!! Needless to say I didn't hear many singing the 2nd verse for her. HA! Jody was a lot of fun and worked the crowd halfway through the show, I got an elbow bump from her as she passed by. She was very gracious and posed for several selfies as she made the rounds. She didn't sing Borderline.... but she did all the other hits. There is an Empress reaction over at Patreon for Some Kind of Lover, another of my requests. I see another Jody Watley coming to Empress again in the future. Lets hope it makes it to YT. I'm thinking of asking for the legendary "Friends" for the next Jody reaction. A reaction to remember indeed! loved that closer.
Jared, I owe you a response to your comment about Nation in DC! I’ve lived in DC since 1999. Can’t remember what Empress reaction it was where we had similar comments about the song. But I guarantee we were there same night as my comment came from remembering the song being played at Nation. 😜
I love Shalamar! My favorite song of their’s is Second Time Around off their album, Big Fun, which I have on vinyl and the whole thing is fire! Jody and Jeffrey started on Soul Train as dancers and were fan favorites! They also had a romantic relationship! FYI: Jeffrey is rumored to have taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk! Howard can sing like an Angel but can’t dance! ❤️❤️
The only major change when Jody and Jeffery left after their 7th album “The Look” due to Howard Hewitt’s backstabbing and drug abuse. After that the Shalamar wasn’t the same anymore. Jody went on to have a successful solo career; winning a Grammy for best new artist and Jeffery became a choreographer teaching Michael Jackson to moonwalk and became the host for UK Soul Train.
True. I’ve always wondered about the origin of the group’s name. But the perfume is spelled Shalimar with an “i.” It was always my mom’s favorite. Shalimar was considered a top-shelf perfume on par with Chanel for many years up until the late 1970s when fashion designers like Halston and Ralph Lauren got into the game. It’s still manufactured by Guerlain, a French luxury brand. My thinking is Don Cornelius wanted a name that rolled off the tongue, sounded sexy and also had a French connection, which was all the rage at the time from a marketing perspective. Very similar to the group Chic (Le Freak) which was riding high on the charts at the same time. So I agree that Shalimar the perfume likely inspired the name Shalamar, but maybe they changed the i to an a to avoid copyright infringement.
@@tomrobinsondc it's very possible. I looked it up, and it says that it means "abode of light" or "Moonlight". It comes from Sanskrit and can also mean princess
Empress the other song you reacted to was Full Of Fire, my favorite of theirs. But this song brings back stronger memories for me cause of my older siblings. This song was their high school graduation theme song.
The good old 80s jam… This chorus cannot be denied! I love Jody… I still have a mix CD of all the Jody Watley hits. Only God knows where it is right now, though!
I love love love this song, but looking back at the music video now and knowing today about all the bad blood in this group, you can see there is absolutely no chemistry between Jody Watley and Howard Hewett whatsoever. Like ZERO f*cks. So here’s the tea… It all started when Jody, Jeffrey Daniel and Jermaine Stewart (We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off) were all dancers from Soul Train who auditioned for Don Cornelius when he decided to put Shalamar together. Jody and Jeffrey got in, but Don C. decided to bring in vintage snack Howard Hewett to front the group and appeal to the ladies. That left Jermaine out. But Jermaine and Jody were BFFs, so they kept him on as a backup dancer. Meanwhile, Jody and Jeffrey were mostly relegated to backup vocals and this was a constant source of friction as Miss Watley wanted HER TURN to sing lead. Jody knew where she wanted to be- and it wasn’t standing behind Howard Hewett as backup eye candy. She couldn’t wait to bolt, and when Shalamar finally disbanded her star ⭐️ rose high and fast. She deservedly snatched the 1988 Best New Artist Grammy. Score: Jody 1, Howard 0. Howard also went solo post-Shalamar and had some decent R&B success, but nothing like Jody’s mega-crossover pop career. He eventually went back to touring as Shalamar with two new members, and did so for many years. During this time, the two occasionally traded barbs in the press and basically confirmed all the rumors of ill will. But in 2015 the feud kicked up a notch when Jody finally managed to gain the legal rights to sole use of the name Shalamar and put a cease and desist on Howard’s a**! Score: Jody 2, Howard 0. So definitely no love, no way ever between these two! 💔 The best performance of this song is not the music video, but the group’s 1982 appearance on Top of the Pops, the UK’s alternative to American Bandstand. Shalamar had a lot of chart success in the UK, and their label wisely sent them there to tour. Any UK tour meant a mandatory appearance on TOTP. But this particular appearance caused quite a stir because Jeffrey Daniel was feelin’ kinda funky and decided to improv a little dance move of his that he called the “backslide.” Viewers in the UK were gobsmacked. And this was a full year before MJ introduced the “moonwalk” at Motown 25 in 1983. So yes, Jeffrey Daniel did that and rightfully gets credited as originating the moonwalk as we know it. See video link below. Side note: I believe this is also the same UK tour that Jermaine Stewart, who was still traveling with Shalamar as a backup dancer, finally connected with Culture Club and eventually got his first recording break singing backup vocals on their hit Miss Me Blind. ua-cam.com/video/END_WYdf8pw/v-deo.html
Great post and I well remember Jeffrey Daniels iconic appearance on Top of The Pops a music show which 'most of the country' used to watch! Don Cornelius chose wisely with his choice of Howard Hewitt because his was the soulful voice which enabled Shalamar to achieve the big global hits. I don't think Jermaine Stewart would have been the 'right fit' for what Don wanted to achieve, in terms of 'appealing to the ladies' his image and his falsetto type vocals (RIP Jermaine Stewart) Personally I never rated Jody Watley that much as a singer (even though I fancied her) Added to this Jody never really had any big UK hits (Looking for a new love hit number 13 the highest)
I’m 16 again! One of my all time favorites!
Still a BOP!
The Bar Tender is Jeffrey Daniels hes also the same guy that taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk or back then it was called the backslide
oh wow!!
The guy dancing at the video (Jeffery Daniels) is reportedly the man who taught Michael Jackson how to moonwalk. Shalamar was one of my favorite vibes while driving to the LA nightclubs back in the early 80's. Especially this jam.
Oh cool
Shalamar
Call me a pig but Jody Whatley in the 80s is what every woman should be 💯
Their hits are abundant and smooth af
🧡
Member of the group, Jeffrey Daniel, the smooth dancing dude behind the bar taught Michael Jackson the backslide which MJ renamed the moonwalk.
And he also a co-choreographer for the Bad music video too. Even appeared as one of the dancers in that and Beat It videos too
Jody’s my girl forever! Love it!
Shalamar was the the ish back in the day one of my favorite groups. They were even bigger in Europe especially in the UK selling out Wembley Arena and Jeffery Daniel hosting Soul Train UK.
Interesting ‼️
I wish he were hosting Soul Train over here again
For those of us old enough to remember when Jody was a Soul Train dancer. She had a different look and was a fan favorite. As a matter of fact Shalamar was a Don Cornelius creation to get SOLAR records jump started…
Oh wow!
I loved this song as a kid. Had no idea what it was about. But I knew there was impending joy.
chile we used to club to this song
this was back the days when rhythm and blues has soul and for everyone and NOT just black music for black people
GET READY! No way you wouldn't love this bop. Yes Jody broke this classic out of the closet on her stop in Waikiki and sang the first verse, then asked if anyone in the audience knew the 2nd verse. If you know the history of Shalamar you know that was the kindest way for her to throw a lil shade, and I ate it UP!! Needless to say I didn't hear many singing the 2nd verse for her. HA! Jody was a lot of fun and worked the crowd halfway through the show, I got an elbow bump from her as she passed by. She was very gracious and posed for several selfies as she made the rounds. She didn't sing Borderline.... but she did all the other hits.
There is an Empress reaction over at Patreon for Some Kind of Lover, another of my requests. I see another Jody Watley coming to Empress again in the future. Lets hope it makes it to YT. I'm thinking of asking for the legendary "Friends" for the next Jody reaction.
A reaction to remember indeed! loved that closer.
Jared, I owe you a response to your comment about Nation in DC! I’ve lived in DC since 1999.
Can’t remember what Empress reaction it was where we had similar comments about the song. But I guarantee we were there same night as my comment came from remembering the song being played at Nation. 😜
@@tomrobinsondc might have been Kristine W or Angie Stone?
Dancing in the sheets is a bop. They are a smooth band.
Love Shalamar. Love Jody Watley! So good.
I loved Shalamar-especially Jody Watley-she was so cute-they were real big in the UK
Check out Jeffrey Daniel video on Top of the Pops !
What a Classic. My Favorite was "I Can Make You Feel Good."
El deBarge. So adorable. Always makes me feel better.
Shalamar is a perfume, BTW!
I love Shalamar! My favorite song of their’s is Second Time Around off their album, Big Fun, which I have on vinyl and the whole thing is fire! Jody and Jeffrey started on Soul Train as dancers and were fan favorites! They also had a romantic relationship! FYI: Jeffrey is rumored to have taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk! Howard can sing like an Angel but can’t dance! ❤️❤️
🤣wow all these random interesting facts. ❤it
It would be good to see you react to Jeffrey Daniel dancing to this song on TOTP.
Hi Empress ! Good Band ! One of the member was the choregraphier of M.J. 😉
The dude dancing in the red became Michael Jackson's choreographer
Oh wow‼️
Though they had many group incarnations, a là Destiny's Child, they made some fire hits. 🤣This was my mother's jam.
The only major change when Jody and Jeffery left after their 7th album “The Look” due to Howard Hewitt’s backstabbing and drug abuse. After that the Shalamar wasn’t the same anymore. Jody went on to have a successful solo career; winning a Grammy for best new artist and Jeffery became a choreographer teaching Michael Jackson to moonwalk and became the host for UK Soul Train.
Another great reaction girl💕💕💕!! And I was at the Jody Watley concert !!!❤️she was phenomenal!!!!!
You got me I don't remember them they sound good
Shalamar is actually the name of a very famous perfume. This is the long dance version, which I think is on the album too.
True. I’ve always wondered about the origin of the group’s name. But the perfume is spelled Shalimar with an “i.” It was always my mom’s favorite.
Shalimar was considered a top-shelf perfume on par with Chanel for many years up until the late 1970s when fashion designers like Halston and Ralph Lauren got into the game. It’s still manufactured by Guerlain, a French luxury brand.
My thinking is Don Cornelius wanted a name that rolled off the tongue, sounded sexy and also had a French connection, which was all the rage at the time from a marketing perspective. Very similar to the group Chic (Le Freak) which was riding high on the charts at the same time. So I agree that Shalimar the perfume likely inspired the name Shalamar, but maybe they changed the i to an a to avoid copyright infringement.
@@tomrobinsondc it's very possible. I looked it up, and it says that it means "abode of light" or "Moonlight". It comes from Sanskrit and can also mean princess
That is such an amazing song!!!!!!!!!
Empress the other song you reacted to was Full Of Fire, my favorite of theirs. But this song brings back stronger memories for me cause of my older siblings. This song was their high school graduation theme song.
jody was such a babe
Her sister was a flicks star back in the day.
Being jareds husband I was also at the concert. It was fun :)
The good old 80s jam… This chorus cannot be denied! I love Jody… I still have a mix CD of all the Jody Watley hits. Only God knows where it is right now, though!
I hate Howard and Jody fell out. Their voices blended so beautiful together. Like they were ordained to sing together
please react to Jody Watley. REAL LOVE!!!!! amazing video
I love love love this song, but looking back at the music video now and knowing today about all the bad blood in this group, you can see there is absolutely no chemistry between Jody Watley and Howard Hewett whatsoever. Like ZERO f*cks.
So here’s the tea…
It all started when Jody, Jeffrey Daniel and Jermaine Stewart (We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off) were all dancers from Soul Train who auditioned for Don Cornelius when he decided to put Shalamar together. Jody and Jeffrey got in, but Don C. decided to bring in vintage snack Howard Hewett to front the group and appeal to the ladies. That left Jermaine out. But Jermaine and Jody were BFFs, so they kept him on as a backup dancer.
Meanwhile, Jody and Jeffrey were mostly relegated to backup vocals and this was a constant source of friction as Miss Watley wanted HER TURN to sing lead. Jody knew where she wanted to be- and it wasn’t standing behind Howard Hewett as backup eye candy. She couldn’t wait to bolt, and when Shalamar finally disbanded her star ⭐️ rose high and fast. She deservedly snatched the 1988 Best New Artist Grammy. Score: Jody 1, Howard 0.
Howard also went solo post-Shalamar and had some decent R&B success, but nothing like Jody’s mega-crossover pop career. He eventually went back to touring as Shalamar with two new members, and did so for many years.
During this time, the two occasionally traded barbs in the press and basically confirmed all the rumors of ill will. But in 2015 the feud kicked up a notch when Jody finally managed to gain the legal rights to sole use of the name Shalamar and put a cease and desist on Howard’s a**! Score: Jody 2, Howard 0. So definitely no love, no way ever between these two! 💔
The best performance of this song is not the music video, but the group’s 1982 appearance on Top of the Pops, the UK’s alternative to American Bandstand. Shalamar had a lot of chart success in the UK, and their label wisely sent them there to tour. Any UK tour meant a mandatory appearance on TOTP. But this particular appearance caused quite a stir because Jeffrey Daniel was feelin’ kinda funky and decided to improv a little dance move of his that he called the “backslide.” Viewers in the UK were gobsmacked. And this was a full year before MJ introduced the “moonwalk” at Motown 25 in 1983. So yes, Jeffrey Daniel did that and rightfully gets credited as originating the moonwalk as we know it. See video link below.
Side note: I believe this is also the same UK tour that Jermaine Stewart, who was still traveling with Shalamar as a backup dancer, finally connected with Culture Club and eventually got his first recording break singing backup vocals on their hit Miss Me Blind.
ua-cam.com/video/END_WYdf8pw/v-deo.html
Great post and I well remember Jeffrey Daniels iconic appearance on Top of The Pops a music show which 'most of the country' used to watch! Don Cornelius chose wisely with his choice of Howard Hewitt because his was the soulful voice which enabled Shalamar to achieve the big global hits. I don't think Jermaine Stewart would have been the 'right fit' for what Don wanted to achieve, in terms of 'appealing to the ladies' his image and his falsetto type vocals (RIP Jermaine Stewart)
Personally I never rated Jody Watley that much as a singer (even though I fancied her) Added to this Jody never really had any big UK hits (Looking for a new love hit number 13 the highest)
On of my all time fave disco jams. Gorgeus...The video is HORRIBLE though, lol.