CA$HFLOW

In 1986, the Atlanta-based funk quartet CA$HFLOW unleashed… Read Full Bio ↴CA$HFLOW

In 1986, the Atlanta-based funk quartet CA$HFLOW unleashed their self-titled debut via the Atlanta Artists label, founded by Cameo leader Larry Blackmon. At a time when pop & soul music went though a new-wave synthesis thanks to the emergence of electronic keyboards & drum machines, CA$HFLOW gave funk fans solid grooves & beats thanks to group members Gaylord Parsons (drums), James Duffie (keyboards), Regis Ferguson (keyboards) and Kary Hubbert – whose fiery gospel-tinged lead vocals graced their work. While CA$HFLOW’S had hits with “Party Freak” and “Mine All Mine” (the latter a Top 20 smash in the UK) and cut a second album, music business politics stood in the way of potential future success – a shame indeed, especially since the band had what it took to create more hit records.

The CA$HFLOW story begins in 1980, when Kary Hubbert moved from his hometown of Macon GA to study at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Kary – “Gaylord heard me singing around campus and asked if I was interested in forming a band. I had been singing in church back home since I was a child and even fronted a Jackson 5-type group in my early teens. So yes, I wanted to sing in a band while attending college. We formed the South Side Coalition with James Duffie, Edsel Robinson (keyboards), Jack Campbell (guitar), Stanley Hackett (sax) and Kenneth Brown (co-lead singer). We sang covers of the popular tunes during that time but after a few gigs, Gaylord – who was the band’s leader – felt we should come up with original material. Group members started writing songs and over time we had some pretty solid tunes.”

After gigging for two years, the South Side Coalition cut a four-song demo and started label shopping. The group also changed their name to CA$HFLOW since it was shorter than their former moniker. Fortunately, luck was (literally) around the corner. “James Duffie lived a few houses down from Larry Blackmon,” explained Kary. “He’d see Larry drive through the neighborhood in his Ferrari. So one day, James approached Larry and gave him our demo. Not too soon afterward, Larry contacted us and said he liked what he heard. He then offered us a deal to sign with his label, Atlanta Artists.” To backtrack, Blackmon had reduced his mega-funk band Cameo from ten members to five due to the economic downturn the music industry faced in 1980. He also relocated from New York City to Atlanta. Thanks in part to Atlanta’s long history for having a hotbed of talent from 60s pop-soul hit-makers the Tams to 70s funk band Brick, Polygram Records helped bankroll Blackmon’s Atlanta Artists label with the hopes of mining music gold in the Peach-Tree City.

CA$HFLOW signed with Atlanta Artists/Polygram in 1982 but had to wait four years before they could record their first album. This was due in part to Cameo’s success with the hits “Alligator Woman”, “She’s Strange” and “Single Life” – all released during this period. As a result, Blackmon focused all marketing & promotional efforts on his own band. The wait took a toll on CA$HFLOW. Kary - “One by one – Stanley, Edsel, Kenneth, Jack – left the band. They simply lost patience. At the same time, we did gain a member – Regis joined the group to play keyboards.”

Finally, in early 1986, Larry was ready to produce CA$HFLOW’S debut album – and he didn’t want to waste any time. “He flew us to New York City to complete the album in four days,” Kary explained. “Note that I said complete – Larry, guitarist Charlie Singleton and (the late) Michael Burnett (a/k/a “Calamari”) - a tremendous bassist - cut the backing tracks so all we had to do was cut vocals and do some instrument overdubs. Larry produced our first record but it was Michael who did the bulk of the studio work.”

cashflow was a group that was produced by cameo,along with many others such as la connection.larry blackman's(cameo's leader)brother was a member of cashflow.