Sun, an American R&B, soul, funk, and disco band formed in 1976 in Dayton, Ohio, was founded by Byron M. Byrd, a tenor saxophonist, keyboardist, and vocalist, who brought together former members of Over Night Low and recruited additional musicians to complete a full rhythm section. The group’s breakthrough came with the single "Live On, Dream On" in 1976, which peaked at Number 31 on Billboard’s R&B chart, followed by the hit "Wanna Make Love" from the same release. In 1977, Sun issued its debut studio album Sun Power, recorded on orange vinyl, and continued a steady output with Sunburn (1978), Destination Sun (1979), Sun Over The Universe (1980), Force Of Nature (1981), Let There Be Sun (1982), and Eclipse (1984) while signed to Capitol Records. The band’s sound incorporated talk‑box embellishments from Roger Troutman and featured collaborations with members of Zapp, contributing to the early use of the talk box in funk. Sun’s tracks were later sampled by artists such as Dr. Dre and covered by MC Eiht, indicating the group’s influence on hip‑hop and contemporary R&B. After a prolific period of releases and touring, the band disbanded in the mid‑1980s; Byron M. Byrd passed away in 1988.
