Formed by multi-instrumentalist and producer Vaughan Mason (born in Harlem, New York on October 24, 1950), funk and post-disco act Vaughan Mason & Crew was a short-lived group best known for their “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” single, which was a hit on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles and Disco Top 100 charts in 1980. Vaughan Mason had already achieved success as a songwriter, musician, and producer in the 1970s and while working on other projects, he was inspired by the roller disco craze and decided that he wanted to capitalize on it. He wrote the basic idea for a song called “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” and hired a group of musicians to help finish the song and record it. On the single, Vaughan Mason’s ‘crew’ consisted of Jerome Bell (vocals), Gregory Bufford (drums), and Ben Epps (keyboards). The single became a smash hit in 1980, climbing to Number 5 on the Hot Souls Singles chart and Number 38 on the Disco Top 100 chart. The album of the same name was released that same year, featuring more musicians added to his ‘crew’. The album’s tracks were all written to embrace the roller disco craze, which died off a short while later. Vaughan Mason & Crew failed to capitalize on the success of their debut single and the group’s leader moved on to other projects, although still touring under the crew’s name. However, “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” has been acknowledged as a classic and has been sampled by many artists include De La Soul, Daft Punk, Lil Kim, Heavy D, The Game, and many others.
