Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - L to Z»Artists - W
    Artists - W Music - 1980s 2 Mins Read

    Was (Not Was)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Was (Not Was) played contemporary R&B dance music, with lyrics that ranged from satire to completely bizarre.

    The group was led by Detroit-natives David Weiss (David Was) – who wrote those lyrics – and Don Fagenson (Don Was) but fronted at various times by many different singers, including big names like Ozzy Osbourne, Doug Fieger (from The Knack), Mitch Ryder and Mel Torme, to relative-unknowns Sweet Pea Atkinson and Harry Bowens.

    There were no permanent musicians to speak of either. Just a bunch of session players who varied from track to track, including (among many others) drummer Yogi Horton, former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, guitarist/singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw and current and former members of Parliament/Funkadelic.

    wasnotwas_002

    Was (Not Was) first gained notice for a dance single called Wheel Me Out in 1980, although their first (self-titled) album did not reach the charts. The follow-up LP, Born to Laugh at Tornados (1983), did.

    Little was heard from the group for five years, who returned in 1988 (thanks to British label Fontana Records buying out the band’s Geffen contract) with What Up, Dog? featuring the number 16 hit Spy in the House of Love and the number seven hit Walk the Dinosaur.

    During this period, Don Was had also become a prominent record producer, handling the board for Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning Nick of Time, among many other mainstream pop records.

    The fourth Was (Not Was) album, Are You Okay?, appeared in 1990 and was not as commercially successful as What Up, Dog?

    After the album’s release, Don Was continued to pursue his production career, which began to increase tensions between him and David. After their 1992 album, Hello Dad . . . I’m In Jail, Was (Not Was) officially parted ways.

    An unexpected new album (appropriately titled Boo!) appeared in 2008. The album once again featured Don and David, along with vocalists Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens. The duo were joined by guests including Kris Kristofferson and Booker T Jones.

    David Was (Weiss)
    Flute, saxophone
    Don Was (Fagenson)
    Bass

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Wang Chung
      Wang Chung
      The London-based new wave group Wang Chung had a handful of hits in the mid-80s, achieving their greatest popularity in…
    • Kansas
      Kansas
      Kansas started out as a bar band playing cover versions of contemporary songs and soul oldies in the American state…
    • Tygers of Pan Tang
      Tygers of Pan Tang
      Tygers of Pan Tang formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay on Tyneside and became a significant player in the NWOBHM…
    • DD Smash
      DD Smash
      Led by the highly respected singer/songwriter Dave Dobbyn, DD Smash was one of the most popular New Zealand bands of…
    • Lime Spiders, The
      Lime Spiders, The
      The Lime Spiders formed in the Liverpool area of Western Sydney (Australia) around a core of vocalist Mick Blood and…
    • Ratt
      Ratt
      This American heavy rock band was formed in 1980 in Los Angeles by vocalist Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Robbin Crosby. Pearcy's…
    • Megadeth
      Megadeth
      With a childhood spent moving from place to place dodging his estranged father, living in his own apartment and selling…
    • Guadalcanal Diary
      Guadalcanal Diary
      Jangle pop band Guadalcanal Diary originated in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta in the early 1980s. Singer/guitarist Murray Attaway's…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWishbone Ash
    Next Article W.A.S.P.

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Warhorse
      Warhorse was formed in 1969 by original Deep Purple bassist Nick […]
    • Bluebeard (1972)
      “He had a WAY with the world’s most beautiful, most […]
    • Killers Three (1968)
      Johnny (Robert Walker) and Carol (Diane Varsi) Warder (and her […]
    • Alien 3 (1992)
      Given that the first two films stand up as sci-fi classics in […]
    • 2 Tone
      The independent 2 Tone Records label was founded by Jerry […]
    • Far Country, The
      1 9 7 2 (Australia) 6 x 60 minute episodes This six-part serial […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    6 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢 ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Great band

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.