Josephine Superstar is a disco concept album by Phylicia Rashad, released by Casablanca Records in 1978.[2][3][4] It is a musical biography, dedicated to Josephine Baker,[5][6] detailing Baker's life as she runs away from home and finds fame and love in St. Louis, Broadway, and eventually Paris.[7]It was performed by American actress Phylicia Rashad, and produced by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo.[8]
It was Rashad's only album, and was created during Rashad's brief marriage to Village People lead vocalist Victor Willis.[9]
Village People[10] and The Ritchie Family[11] contributed background vocals.
Production
The album was produced by Morali and Benlolo's Can't Stop Productions, Inc. (then located at 65 East 55th Street, New York City) with Sigma Sound Studios.[8]
Album photography was done by John Galluzzi, who also photographed contemporaneous album covers such as Village People's Macho Man and The Ritchie Family's African Queens.[3]
The prologue states Rashad's intentions for the album:
My name is Phylicia Allen. It gives me great honor to dedicate this album to the first Black female international star, Miss Josephine Baker. May her spirit live forever.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue" | 0:29 |
| 2. | "St. Louis" | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Broadway" | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Star of Paris" | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Around the World" | 4:38 |
| 6. | "Two Loves Have I (J'ai Deux Amours)" | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Josephine Superstar" | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Colors" | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Don't Cry Mommy" | 4:26 |
Release and reception
The album was released on August 5, 1978.[13] It peaked on August 19, 1978 at #28,[13] running for 5 weeks on the Dance Club Songs chart. During its peak day, it was superseded by contemporary chart-toppers such as "Dance (Disco Heat)" by Sylvester (#1), "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey (#4), "Last Dance" by Donna Summer (#5), "In The Bush" by Musique (#6), "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones (#8), "American Generation" by The Ritchie Family (#19), and "You Got Me Running" by Lenny Williams (#25).[14]
Personnel
- Phylicia Rashad – lead vocalist
- Jacques Morali – producer; arrangement of rhythm, percussion, and vocals
- Henri Benlolo – executive producer
- Victor Willis – arrangement of vocals
- Alfonso Carey – bass
- Nathaniel "Crocket" Wilke – clavinet
Baker's banana outfit, on which the album cover is based. - Errol "Crusher" Bennett – congas
- Russell Dabney – drums
- Jimmy Lee – lead guitar
- Rodger Lee – rhythm guitar
- Peter Whitehead – percussion
- The Ritchie Family – backing vocals
- Village People – backing vocals
- John Galluzzi – photography
Legacy
In 1989, as-yet-unidentified song(s) appeared in the revue Phylicia Rashad & Co.[15] in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured the actress and her costar Bill Cosby.[16]
See also
- Rasputin, a 1978 Boney M. disco song detailing the life of a historical figure
- Dschinghis Khan, a 1979 disco song also detailing the life of a historical figure
- The Cosby Show, on which Phylicia Rashad later starred as Clair Huxtable
References
- ^ "Colors Discography on Discogs". | single1label = RCA Victor
- ^ Harris, Larry Alan (2009). And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-982-4.
Catalog #: NBLP7108. Album: Josephine Superstar. Artist: Phylicia Allen.
- ^ a b Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series: Commercial prints and labels. Part 11B. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1978.
- ^ Aletti, Vince (2009). The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week by Week. DJhistory.com. ISBN 978-0-9561896-0-8.
Phylicia Allen's musical biography of Josephine Baker, "Josephine Superstar" (Casablanca)
- ^ Aletti, Vince (2009). The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week by Week. DJhistory.com. ISBN 978-0-9561896-0-8.
- ^ Jordan, John H. (November 2013). Black Americans 17th Century to 21st Century. Trafford Publishing. p. 439. ISBN 978-1-4907-1732-6.
In 1978, she released the album Josephine Superstar, a disco Concept album telling the life story of Josephine Baker.
- ^ Jeffery, Alex (2021-05-06). Donna Summer's Once Upon a Time. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-5548-6.
Curiously, Morali's 1978 concept album about Josephine Baker (Josephine Superstar, sung by later Cosby show star Phylicia Allen) charts the reverse march eastwards [as compared to Village People's Go West], as Baker passes through "St. Louis" and "Broadway," en route to success and infamy in Paris.
- ^ a b Billboard. Vol. 90 #37. Nielsen Business Media. 1978-09-16.
- ^ Shapiro, Peter (2015-06-23). Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco. Macmillan + ORM. ISBN 978-1-4668-9412-9.
- ^ Jones, Randy; Bego, Mark (2008-12-30). Macho Man: The Disco Era and Gay America's Coming Out. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-275-99963-6.
During Victor and Phylicia's short marriage, from 1978-80, Phylicia actually recorded an album, Josephine Superstar, for which Village People contributed background vocals. She also was the opening act for several of the early Village People concerts.
- ^ Phylicia Allen - Josephine Superstar, 1978, retrieved 2025-02-13
- ^ Søren Jensen (2023-02-04). Phylicia Allen: Josephine Superstar [Full Album + Bonus] (1978). Retrieved 2025-02-13 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b ""Josephine Superstar (LP)"". www.racpro.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
- ^ "Dance Club 1978-08-19". RacPro, a deluxe music chart archive.
- ^ Motion Picture Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 2003. ISBN 978-0-900610-71-4.
Jospehine Superstar (1979). Conceived (with Michael Peters) and appeared in revue Phylicia Rashad & Co. in 1989 in Las Vegas.
- ^ McDougal, Dennis (1990-03-04). "Mom and Dad Huxtable Do Vegas : A showroom act by Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad is part of the gaming resort's wooing of families". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
