The Family Stand consists of Dallas, Texas, native Sandra St. Victor, Jeffrey Smith, and Peter Lord, a native New Yorker. Lord and Smith originally answered to, Evon Jeffries and the Stand, and recorded under that name two years prior to becoming the Family Stand. Though they have three albums to their credit, their biggest fame has come from "Promise of a New Day," a tune co-written with Paula Abdul and sung by the former Los Angeles Lakers dancer. Jacci McGhee, replaced St. Victor on Connected, their latest CD, released in 1998. St. Victor left to solo, coming out with Mack Diva Saves the World on Warner Brothers Records. The members have played with the top names in rock, Smith, as a saxophone player. Lord, a vocalist and keyboardist, earned a degree in musical composition from Howard University and played with bands from the D.C. area. Returning to New York, Lord teamed with Smith and produced and wrote for Miki Howard, the Mac Band, Donna Allen, Good Fellaz, Will Downing, Corey Glover, and Ali to name a short list. St. Victor attended the University of Kansas and studied classical music. Moving to New York she became in demand as a vocalist on the road and in the studio working with Freddie Jackson, Roy Ayers, Chaka Khan, Nile Rodgers, Kashif, Glenn Jones, and others. The Family Stand's first LP Chain, produced the single "Ghetto Heaven," a favorite in discos, none of the Atlantic LP's other songs' "Sweet Liberation," "In Summer I Falled," "Chain," or "Twisted," broke out. A second LP Moon in Scorpio, appeared on East West Records but had too much rock and not enough soul for urban listeners and failed to register; they didn't release another CD until 1998, the much ballyhooed Connected, on Elektra/Asylum Records. The album loses the tripping acid sound and delves heavily into the brand of soul that made the '70s musically exciting. When it didn't sell, Elektra released them at their insistence. During the six years between albums, Lord and Smith, added McGhee and concentrated on writing and producing. Don't be surprised if the Family Stand rises again, it's hard to keep a good, talented group down. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
Written by Andrew Hamilton |
