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Sweet-voiced vocalist and composer Don Carlos (born: Euvin Spencer) has had his greatest success singing with Black Uhuru, the reggae trio he formed in 1974 with two friends -- Rudolph Dennis and Derrick "Duckie" Simpson -- from the "Waterhouse" district in Kingston. Carlos recorded only one single with the group, leaving to pursue a solo career and to perform with a band, Don Carlos and Gold. Sixteen years later he returned and joined with Dennis and Simpson to resurrect the original trio. Their first album together, Now, released in 1990, helped Black Uhuru to recapture the popularity they enjoyed in the 1970s and '80s, though Carlos' involvement with the trio was brief. Shortly after helping Dennis and Simpson to record a second trio album, Iron Storm, Carlos resumed his solo career. While he's recorded some impressive albums, including his 1997 solo outing, Seven Days a Week, Carlos has yet to match the success he had with Black Uhuru. ~ Craig Harris

The sister of Chaka Khan, vocalist Yvonne Stephens forged a new identity by combining the Swahili word for "love of my people" ("Taka") with a last name derived from her ex-husband's occupation (demolitions expert). She worked alongside Khan locally in their hometown of Chicago until Chaka joined Rufus, and Taka moved to Los Angeles. Boom was a session vocalist in the early '70s, singing with the Gap Band and Carl Carlton, as well as being a member of George Clinton's Brides of Funkenstein. She served as lead vocalist for Undisputed Truth in 1975, then signed as a solo singer with Ariola. Her debut LP, Taka Boom, was released in 1979, and the single "Night Dancing" became her only R&B Top 20 hit (at 20). She later switched to Mirage, and made the LP Climate for Love in 1985. "Middle of the Night" got some attention as a single, but the LP went nowhere. After moving to London in the mid-'90s, she did session work and consistent live appearances. ~ Ron Wynn