Блю Мэджик: История американской R&B группы

American R&B and soul musical group

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".

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, "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.

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 number 11 on the R&B chart again in 1975.

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. 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. 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." Former lead Ted Mills continues to pursue a solo career. The name was formally trademarked by Wendell Sawyer and Keith Beaton some years earlier. Vernon Sawyer has his own version of the group, while Richard Pratt led another one at the time of his death in 2022. Former lead vocalist Rod Wayne died in 2016. Richard Pratt (born on June 30, 1952) died on March 1, 2022, at the age of 69. Keith Beaton (born on July 30, 1950) died on January 13, 2023, at the age of 72.

Year Single Peak chart positions US CAN 1973"Spell" — 30 — — — —"Look Me Up" — 36 — — — —"Stop to Start" 74 14 — — 59 — 1974"Sideshow" 8 1 35 68 5 —"Three Ring Circus" 36 5 26 62 87 — 1975"Love Has Found Its Way to Me" — 45 — — — —"Chasing Rainbows" — 17 — — — —"What's Come Over Me" (with Margie Joseph) — 11 — — — —"Magic of the Blue" — — — — — — 1976"Grateful" 104 15 — — — —"Freak N Stein" — 73 — — — —"Teach Me (It's Something About Love)" — 48 — — — —"Summer Snow" — 40 — — — — 1977"I Waited" — — — — — — 1981"Land of Make Believe" — 77 — — — —"Seems I Haven't Seen Her" — — — — — — 1983"See Through" — — — — — —"Magic #" — 69 — — — —"Since You Been Gone" — — — — — — 1989"Romeo and Juliet" — 20 — — — 89"It's Like Magic" — 31 — — — —"Secret Lover" — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.