Ozone

Ozone was formed in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, 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 lend them instrumental and vocal support. The group perfected a mix of up-tempo dance material and romantic ballads that was heavily influenced by the Commodores, and they were signed to the same record label as their mentors in 1979. Motown initially used Ozone as backing musicians for artists including Billy Preston and Syreeta, before allowing them to record the first in a series of low-key albums in 1980. The instrumental ‘Walk On’ brought them an initial taste of chart success, but like their subsequent Black music hits, it failed to cross over into the pop market.