American group who emerged from the Washington, D.C., folk scene of the late 1960s, its roots dating back to the formation of the acoustic duo Fat City, comprised of future husband and wife Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Together the couple wrote a number of hits songs, the most famous of which is Take Me Home Country Roads with John Denver. In 1971 the duo began working as simply Bill & Taffy, regularly opening for Denver on tour. In 1974 the duo enlisted 18-year-old singer and pianist Jon Carroll for their second album. The couple was so impressed by Carroll's performance they decided to form a new group, adding the youngster as well as vocalist Margot Chapman to become the Starland Vocal Band. They soon signed to Denver's Windsong label and in 1976 issued their self-titled debut LP, which earned them 5 Grammy nominations (they won two, including Best New Artist). The single Afternoon Delight was so enormously popular that the group even landed its own short-lived CBS variety series, The Starland Vocal Band Show, which featured a then-unknown David Letterman.
The second Starland Vocal Band album, Rear View Mirror, followed in 1977, but failed to match the success of its predecessor. Late Nite Radio, issued a year later, also fared poorly by comparison, and after scoring one last minor chart entry with the single Loving You With My Eyes, the group disbanded in the wake of its fourth and final LP, 1980's 4 x 4. The Danoffs divorced in the wake of Starland Vocal Band's demise. Carroll and Chapman, who had also married at the peak of the group's success, later split up as well. All 4 members of the group later went on to mount solo careers, though never again recapturing the initial success. ~ Jason Ankeny
United States