Cameo were formed in 1974 in New York as a 13-piece band by Larry Blackmon. The funk/disco band are most famous for their single "Word Up!" and for their adoption of the codpiece as a fashion accessory.
With a steady schedule of album and single releases the band gained commercial and critical success with one of their early singles, when "Find My Way" made its way into the 1978 disco film Thank God It's Friday. As the 70s turned to the 80s the band incorporated synths and the electronic funk sound into their work.
The stripped down band, now down to five members, got to the top 30 of the Billboard charts and No. 1 in the R&B charts with the 1984 album She's Strange. The follow up "Single Life" was a success on both sides of the Atlantic and prepared the ground for their best known track, 1986's "Word Up!".
"Word Up!" was a worldwide success, assisted in part by the video featuring Larry Blackmon in a red codpiece. The single has been described by some as the defining sound of the 80s. The single was used by advertisers for Coca Cola, in the films Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and The 40 Year Old Virgin, and has been covered by artists including KoЯn and former Spice Girls member Mel B.
Cameo were not able to replicate the success of "Word Up!" and subsequent releases failed to capture the record buying public's imagination to the same degree. The band's influence can be heard in a host of rap and hip-hop tracks, including work by The Wu Tang Clan, Tupac Shakur and Nate Dogg.
