Vaughan Mason & Crew originated in the United States of America, led by Vaughan Mason, who began his career as a musical director and studio engineer before forming the funk and post‑disco group. Mason’s early background in studio work positioned the group to capitalize on the emerging roller disco scene, and their breakthrough came with the single "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" in 1980, which reached Number five on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and Number thirty‑eight on the Disco Top 100. The track’s bass line, inspired by Chic’s "Good Times", became a widely sampled foundation for later hip‑hop and electronic artists. In 1981 the group released the single "Jammin' Big Guitar", which peaked at Number sixty‑five on the R&B chart, and subsequently collaborated with Butch Dayo, forming the group Raze. Vaughan Mason continued to produce for artists such as Doug Lazy, Barbara Joyce, and Spyder‑D, and authored The Music Business Bible in 2016. The group’s sole studio album, Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll, issued by Brunswick Records in 1980, remains a cultural touchstone, featured in the 2005 film Roll Bounce and sampled by over 160 artists according to WhoSampled. Vaughan Mason passed away from natural causes on 2 April 2020 at age sixty‑nine.
