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Though they were subsequently best known for their soulful ballads, 70's band The Commodores practically defined funk music with heavy dance hits like "Brick House" and "Fancy Dancer." The band met as freshmen while studying at Tuskegee University and quickly scored a touring spot with The Jackson 5 that led to a record deal with Motown. The Commodores are also notable for launching the successful solo career of soul-man Lionel Richie, who retained the band's funk influence in his later hit recordings. The band developed a niche for themselves with their deep groove instrumentals that left dance clubs breathless-tracks like "Machine Gun" and "Cebu" have since proven a gift to DJs looking for hot samples ("Machine Gun" also appears memorably in 70's era blockbusters Boogie Nights and Looking For Mr. Goodbar.") 1974's Caught in the Act remains a funk epic with wall-to-wall classics like "Slippery When Wet," "The Bump" and "Look What You've Done to Me." The 1977 album Commodore captures the group at their frenzied peak and featured their boogie classic "Brick House" along with "Squeeze the Fruit" and "Funny Feelings." In 2003, "Brick House" was incongruously covered by death metal king Rob Zombie and Lionel Richie and featured in Zombie's gore-fest House of 1,000 Corpses. After Lionel Richie's departure, The Commodores recruited ex-Heatwave singer J.D. Nicholas. The Commodores had one more big hit with the Grammy winning "Nightshift," a tribute to Marvin Gaye and other Motown legends. The Commodores still record, though few original members remain and their new material is more gospel than funk.

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