Slave

Slave proved that a band could be both raw and slick and exemplify funk regardless of the approach. Along with the likes of Ohio Players, Lakeside, and Zapp, the group built the reputation of their hometown Dayton, Ohio, as fertile ground for funk. As unique as any of their neighbors, Slave were distinguished foremost by the slithering and melodic basslines of Mark Adams, a key ingredient from the opening of the band's hit debut single, "Slide," an R&B chart-topper that sent the parent LP Slave (1977) to gold certification. Another crucial component was the energizing force of drummer-turned-frontman Steve Arrington, voice of the similarly everlasting Top Ten R&B hits "Just a Touch of Love," "Watching You," and "Snap Shot." Slave began to splinter around the time they released their second gold album, Stone Jam (1980), but they nonetheless continued with other founding members holding it together through the mid-'90s.