Tribe

Tribe is a funk group led by Earl J. Foster Jr.

Producer Difosco T. "Big Dee" Ervin recruited Earl J. Foster Jr. from the band The Fourth Parallel to play and sing a song which Big Dee released as "Coke", attributed to the made-up artist name Tribe.

Lineup for "Coke" (a.k.a. "Koke" or "Smoke") single with producer Difosco T. "Big Dee" Ervin:
Earl J. Foster Jr. (All lead instruments & vocals)

Following the chart success of "Coke", Foster was signed to ABC-Dunhill Records and he changed the name of his band from The Fourth Parallel to Tribe. They recorded two albums for ABC-Dunhill: Ethnic Stew and Tribal Bumpin'.

Lineup for Ethnic Stew with producer Difosco T. "Big Dee" Ervin:
Benton Miles Little (Drums & Vocals)
Donald D. Eubanks (Percussion & Vocals)
Earl J. Foster Jr. (Keyboards & Vocals)
Edward H. Romias (Guitar & Vocals)
Robert P. Apodaca (Bass & Vocals)

Lineup for Tribal Bumpin' with producers Big Dee Ervin and Earl J. Foster Jr.:
Gelon Lau (Violin & Vocals)
Benton Miles Little (Drums & Vocals)
Edward H. Romias (Guitar & Vocals)
Robert P. Apodaca (Bass & Vocals)
Earl J. Foster Jr. (Keyboards & Vocals)

Tribe then signed to indie label Farr Records for their final album of the era, Dedication.

Lineup for Dedication with producers Jardine Clyde Powell, Harold Davis & Earl J. Foster Jr.:
Earl J. Foster Jr. (Keyboards & Vocals)
Clyde Jardine Powell (Bass)
Billy Soto (Guitar & Vocals)
Jimmie A. Clapper (Saxophone)
Benjamin Taylor (Lead Vocals)
Harold Clayton (Lead Vocals)
Harold Davis (Drums)

In 2009, Foster assembled a new version of Tribe for a fourth album, Resurrection, with the following lineup:
Earl J. Foster Jr. (Keyboards & Lead Vocals)
Joey Leavy (Keyboards & Lead Vocals)
Jeff Colbert (Guitar & Vocals)
Ron Dixon (Bass)
Andrew Williams (Guitar & Vocals)
Earl Siler (Drums)
James Antunez (Drums, Keys, Percussion & Lead Vocals)

Ben Little, Earl J. Foster, Jr.

Ethnic Stew, The Tribe