S6 Episode 4B- Grammy Award Winning Music Group The System Mic Murphy and David Frank @Thesystemmusic @Thesystemmicmurphy @davidfrankthesystem on @VPR_Radio

VPR Radio

VPR Radio got the chance to interview the legendary, Grammy-award-winning group The System. Mic Murphy and David Frank stopped by to chop it up with DJ FMI and Qianathegoddess just days before the election. The duo was promoting their new hit single- People Get Up! featuring Sandra St. Victor and hip-hop artist Melle Mel. The timely track encourages Americans of all ages, genders and belief systems to hit the polls.

The pair told VPR how they came together in the 1980's when Mic, who was a road manager and David a keyboardist for the band Kleeer met. Later in New York City, David Frank was working on a session that evolved into a track called "It's Passion" which was to feature a pre-stardom Madonna on vocals. However, due to creative differences, Madonna bowed out. Frank then remembered Murphy's soulful vocal ability and invited him work to on it. The results were so impressive that Atlantic Records offered Murphy and Frank a recording deal of their own. Murphy came up with the band's name, and within weeks "It's Passion" was receiving massive radio airplay in New York.

Their first two albums featured hits like "Sweat," "I Won't Let Go" and the iconic "You Are In My System", which became a number ten R&B smash. In 1983, Mic and David also wrote and produced Pump the Nation, a one-off album for a project called Attitude. Attitude featured Khris Kellow, who worked on many of the later The System albums and appears as a member of the band in Beat Street video clip for Baptize the Beat. "Promises Can Break", "I Wanna Make You Feel Good" and "I Can't Take Losing You." The System also appeared in the 1984 breakdancing film Beat Street and the soundtrack, performing Baptize The Beat.

Their version of the Marc Benno song "Rock N' Roll Me Again" became famous in the 1984 action comedy Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy. The soundtrack album would go on to win a Grammy. They would also reach No. 23 on Billboard's R&B chart with the title track from the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. All of this success occurred while they were contributing their talents to projects such as the Scritti Politti album Cupid & Psyche 85, Phil Collins' "Sussudio," Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You," and "This Is My Night," and Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," among many others.

The System's greatest success came in 1987 with the release of the single "Don't Disturb This Groove," from the album of the same name and the duo achieved their biggest US Pop hit, "Don't Disturb This Groove". The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Nighttime Lover," was also a top 10 R&B hit, peaking at No. 7.

The duo came back together in 2000 and are in the process of crafting more projects together that will be releasing in 2020 and 2021.

Follow The System- @TheSystemMusic @Thesystemmicmurphy @davidfrankthesystem and www.thesystemmusic.com

Follow Hosts- @Qianathegoddess @DJFMI + @VPR_Radio

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