JoBoxers - "Just Got Lucky"

(Debuted September 10, 1983, Peaked #36, 15 Weeks on the Chart)

The story of the group JoBoxers begins in 1982, when Vic Goddard left the British punk band Subway Sect. The remaining group members teamed up with the expatriate American singer Dig Wayne and the resulting synthesis mixed the Northern Soul sound that was really big in the U.K. with the still-nascent New Wave sound (circa 1983). The group appeared to be on the verge of breaking out as 1984 dawned, but were done by 1985. They managed a few U.K.-based hits, but "Just Got Lucky" was their only Stateside hit.

On the surface, you wouldn't think a synthesizer-based tune would work with a Stax-styled brass section, but the two different sounds blend well on the record. The old-school rhythm section features a live bass player and drummer, and Wayne stays out front with his vocal, an American backed by singers who are blatantly British. It was a mash-up of old and new, American and British styles, and was a deserving hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It was a burst of adrenaline and the fact that it stood out in late 1983 was something special.

It's a shame it wasn't meant to last. Wayne started a solo career in the 1980s, but has since returned to the States and has focused on a career in acting as well as singing.