Formed in 1980, Dayton was a funk band formed in Dayton, Ohio, a city that has been the breeding ground for many funk greats including Ohio Players, Zapp, Slave, Heatwave, Lakeside, Slave, and others. The band was comprised of former Sun member Chris Jones (trumpet/keyboards/vocals), former Over Night Low member Shawn Sandridge (guitar/vocals), Kevin Hurt (drums), Jennifer Matthews (vocals), Derrick Armstrong (vocals), Rachel Beavers (vocals) and keyboardist Dean Hummons, who left after the band’s second album. Dayton signed to Liberty Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1980. The album featured the singles “Dank” and “Eyes on You”. Their second album, Cutie Pie (1981), featured the singles “Body Shakin’” and the title track, which was their first charting hit, reaching Number 62 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Moving over to Capitol Records, the band released their third album, Hot Fun, in 1982. The album included their R&B Top 20 hit version of Sly Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and the song “Krackity-Krack” featuring Bootsy Collins. Feel the Music (1983) was their fourth album and featured new member Rahni Harris on vocals and keyboards. The album included the UK hit single “The Sound of Music”. While Rahni Harris handled most of the songwriting and production, the track “Love You Anyway” was produced by Roger Troutman (Zapp). Dayton’s fifth album, This Time, was released in 1985. The album didn’t sell as well as their previous releases and the band split soon after.
