L.T.D.

Long-running funk outfit L.T.D. -- Love, Togetherness and Devotion -- were formed in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1968 by keyboardist Jimmie "J.D." Davis and saxophonist Abraham "Onion" Miller, both of whom previously backed the great Sam & Dave. Upon relocating to New York City, the duo recruited guitarist Johnny McGhee, horn player Carle Vickers, saxophonists Arthur "Lorenzo" Carnegie and Toby Wynn, and trombonist Jake Riley, Jr. Vocalist and drummer Jeffrey Osborne also signed on before the group settled in Los Angeles, where Osborne's brother, keyboardist Billy Osborne, joined the lineup as well. L.T.D. signed with the A&M label to issue their 1974 debut, Love, Togetherness & Devotion. On their third LP, 1976's Love to the World, L.T.D. scored their first Top 20 pop hit, "Love Ballad." The follow-up, 1977's Something to Love, included the Top Five smash "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again," and four years later the group returned to the Top 40 once again with "Shine On." However, Osborne exited to pursue a solo career, and despite the additions of vocalists Leslie Wilson and Andre Ray, the band's commercial fortunes dimmed. In the wake of 1983's For You, L.T.D. disbanded. At the tail end of the '90s, some of the original members formed a new version of the band and toured during the following decade. They released an album of new studio material, Bringing It Home, in 2007. ~ Jason Ankeny