Tyrone Brunson

Washington, D.C. bassist and vocalist Tyrone Brunson played and sang in area bands through the '70s. He was signed to the Columbia-distributed Believe in a Dream label after some demos he'd submitted impressed CBS executives in 1982. His first single, the instrumental "The Smurf", tapped into what was then a New York dance craze, and the song won international club recognition. But when the smurf trend cooled, so did Brunson. While "The Smurf" reached number 14 on the R&B charts in 1982, the follow-up, "Sticky Situation," stalled at #25. Brunson made a slight comeback in 1984 with "Fresh", which reached #22. But neither of his LPs, Sticky Situation or Fresh, managed consistent sales. Brunson moved to MCA in 1987. Mtume produced Love Triangle, but it flopped. Brunson later did background vocals for Levert.