Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was one of the most original musical ensembles of the disco era. They were formed in the Bronx in 1974 by Stony Browder, Jr. (b. 1949), his brother August Darnell (born Thomas Browder, 1951), singer Cory Daye (b. 1952), Andy Hernandez (b. 1950), and Mickey Sevilla (b. 1953). The concept of the group was the re-creation of a '30s dance band, à la Cab Calloway, with witty lyrics and a disco beat. All of this was in evidence on their debut album, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, released in 1976. It produced the dancefloor hit "Cherchez la Femme" and went gold. A follow-up album, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Pennett, was less successful. After the release of a third album, James Monroe HS Presents Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington, the group fragmented, with Darnell and Hernandez going off to form Kid Creole & the Coconuts. Browder reorganized and issued a Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band (dropping the "original") album titled Calling All Beatniks! in 1984. ~ William Ruhlmann