Formed in 1978 by record producer John Rocca, Freeez were a British jazz-funk outfit who enjoyed international success in the early 1980s with their hit single “I.O.U”. Composed of John Rocca (vocals), Peter Maas (bass), Andy Stennett (keyboards), and Paul Morgan (drums), the group made their official debut with Southern Freeez (1980), whose title track peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. They were soon signed by Beggars Banquet Records and followed up with "Love's Gonna Get You" (1983), recorded in New York with legendary producer and DJ Arthur Baker. The album’s lead single, "I.O.U", turned out to be a smash success, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and topping Billboard’s Club Play Singles chart in the US. Freeez managed to score yet another hit across the Atlantic with “Pop Goes My Love/Scratch Goes My Dub", an electro-boogie track that reached number five on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. John Rocca left the band shortly after, and by the time Idle Vice (1985) came out, Peter Maas was the only remaining original member. In subsequent years, John Rocca scored two number-one hits on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart under the pseudonym MIDI Rain, and Peter Maas and Paul Morgan tried to revive the band under the moniker Dazzling Urbanites in the mid-1990s with little to no success. In 2021, "Stay" was reissued as a 12" single with the title "Stay / Hot Footing It".
