Tyrone Brunson (musician)
Tyrone Brunson (born Calvin Tyrone Brunson; March 22, 1956 – May 25, 2013)[1][2] was an American singer and musician, who played the bass guitar. One of his most successful singles was an electro-funk instrumental titled "The Smurf" (1982), which reached #14 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1983 and led to further dance records about The Smurfs.[3]
Tyrone Brunson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Calvin Tyrone Brunson |
| Also known as | Ty Brunson, Tystick |
| Born | March 22, 1956 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | May 25, 2013 (aged 57) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, electro, funk, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1970s–1993 |
| Labels | Believe in a Dream, MCA |
Life and career
Calvin Tyrone Brunson was born in Washington, D.C. In his early career he played in several local groups. He was the leader of the mid-1970s funk band The Family. Later he was the bassist for the late-1970s funk band Osiris. His first single, "The Smurf", released in the UK on the Mercury Records label, entered the UK singles chart on December 25, 1982, and reached #52; it remained in the chart for 5 weeks.[4] "The Smurf" appeared on Brunson's debut studio album, Sticky Situation. In 1983, the follow-up U.S. single, the album's title track, reached #25 on the R&B chart.[5]
In 1984, Brunson released his second studio album, Fresh. While the title track reached #22 on the R&B chart,[5] no other singles made a significant dent on the chart. In 1987, Brunson released his third studio album, Love Triangle, but with no successful singles, the album fizzled on the charts. Later on, Brunson was a backing vocalist, most notably for the R&B/pop trio Levert.[6]
After leaving the music business in the 1990s, he became an IT instructor.
Tyrone Brunson died on May 25, 2013, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 57.[1][2]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [7] | |||||
| 1983 | Sticky Situation | 25 | |||
| 1984 | Fresh | — | |||
| 1986 | The Method | — | |||
| 1987 | Love Triangle | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [5] |
US Dance [5] |
UK [8] | |||
| 1982 | "Sticky Situation" | 25 | — | — | |
| "The Smurf" b/w "I Need Love" | 14 | 35 | 52 | ||
| 1983 | "Hot Line" | 70 | — | — | |
| 1984 | "Fresh" | 22 | — | — | |
| "Don't You Want It" b/w "In Love with You" | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "The Method" | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | "Love Triangle" (featuring Gayle Adams) b/w "Free Bee" | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | "Say Yeah" | — | — | — | |
| "The Big Payback" (featuring Desi Dez) | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | "All of Me" (featuring Chanelle) | — | 33 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
References
- "Respect 2013". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- "Tyrone Brunson Obituary". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- "The Smurfs". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. 11 (8): 164. August 2003. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- Rice, Tim; Rice, Jonathan; Gambaccini, Paul (1990), Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness World Records and Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-398-8
- "Tyrone Brunson Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- Wynn, Ron. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- "Tyrone Brunson - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- "TYRONE BRUNSON - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2020.