Freeez

This British-.funk group was led by John Rocca (b. 23 September 1960, London, England), included Peter Maas (bass), Andy Stennet (keyboards) and Paul Morgan (drums). Rocca, a former van salesman for the dance music specialist shop Disc Empire, formed the group in 1978. They released their first single ‘Keep In Touch’ on their own Pink Rythm (sic) label (one of the first British acts to form their own label) and it narrowly missed the UK Top 40 in 1980 when picked up by Calibre. After moving to the Beggars Banquet label in 1981 they hit the UK Top 10 with ‘Southern Freeze’, which included vocals by Ingrid Mansfield-Allman (b. London). The album of the same name reached the Top 20. The group expanded to a seven piece with the addition of Gordon Sullivan, George Whitmore and new vocalist Alison Gordon. Later reduced to the basic duo of Rocca and Maas, they had their biggest success in 1983 with ‘I.O.U.’, written and produced in the USA by noted New Yorker Arthur Baker with mixing help from John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez. In 1985 Rocca and Stennet recorded as Pink Rhythm whilst Freeez continued with Maas, Morgan, Billy Crichton and Louis Smith and recorded on Siren in 1986. As a solo artist Rocca had a US dance number I with ‘I Want To Be Real’ in 1987, the same year a remix of Freeez’s ‘I.O.U.’ on Citybeat made the UK Top 30. Rocca later recorded on Who’d She Coo and Cobra (where he re-recorded ‘Southern Freeze’) and re-appeared in 1991 as Midi Rain on Vinyl Solution.

Albums: Southern Freeze (1981), Gonna Get You (1983).                  BACK      MORE