C.J. & Co

Disco-soul band which hailed from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1977 by [a=Dennis Coffey] and [a=Mike Theodore]. Their first single, "The Devil's Gun", was also their biggest hit. Two albums followed after that but the success only faded. A projected 3rd album" "with a proposed release date of 1979" was never released but tracks intended for it appeared up on [r979852] (1998) and [r12932700] (2018). The origins of the band go way back. In 1966 the group, then known as [a=The Strides], cut a handful of tracks for M-S Records. While failing to achieve great commercial success outside of their Detroit hometown, the Theo-Coff association proved to be one that would pay dividends in future years. In 1974 a very short stint at [l=Sussex], saw the group, who had split up and reformed with two female members, calling themselves [a=C. C. & Company]. The Theodore-Coffey arranged contract proved to be short-lived as the label went out of business soon after. The group comprised of two female singers ([a=Joni Tolbert] and [a=Constance Durden]) and three male singers ([a=Charles Clark (2)] of [a=Floaters], [a=Curtis Durden] and [a=Cornelius Brown Jr.]). The group disbanded in 1979.