"DER" KINKY FOX
My musical journey started with the band “Foxfire.” A talented group of young men, which included: Kevin Bassett, Donny Fox, Joseph “Kinky” Fox, Timmy Allen, Johnny Kemp Jr., and myself. The band would later change its name to “Der Kinky Fox” and add Larry Robinson and Burnis Stubbs to its roster.
Since the 1960s, American cities like Oakland, California; Plainfield, New Jersey; Dayton, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; and Minneapolis, Minnesota were turning out many bands, playing a new style of music called “Funk“ and by the 1980s, New York City – Jamaica, Queens to be exact – would be no exception.
Der Kinky Fox was part of that new sound growing in America. The group quickly built a reputation around the New York City music scene because of its exceptional ability to entertain audiences. Der Kinky Fox was visually captivating in addition to having a uniquely incredible sound. The band took extreme pride in its stage performance. It was not enough to play good music; the band’s objective was to be great Entertainers.
Johnny Kemp, Timmy Allen, and I would eventually leave Der Kinky Fox and go on to solo music careers and also find success in groups like Change, BB&Q Band, and Mtume. There is little doubt that the Der Kinky Fox experience was the crucial ingredient in all of our future musical successes.
