# Cameo (band)
**Cameo** is an American funk and R&B band formed in New York City in 1974 and led throughout its history by singer-songwriter Larry Blackmon. After a decade of large-ensemble funk, the band reinvented itself in the mid-1980s with an electronic, synthesizer-driven sound that produced its biggest hits, "[Word Up!](https://www.edgepedia.org/word-up-song)" and "Candy", from the 1986 album *Word Up!*[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 in New York City by the then 18-year-old Larry Blackmon, as The New York City Players[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/) |
| Renamed | Became Cameo in 1976 to avoid confusion with The Ohio Players[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/) |
| First album | *Cardiac Arrest*, released 1977[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/) |
| Label history | Eight albums (1977–82) on Chocolate City, followed by six albums (1983–90) on Atlanta Artists[3](https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/cameo/) |
| Biggest hits | "Word Up!" (chart-topping R&B and Top Ten pop hit) and "Candy" (number one on the US R&B chart in early 1987)[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000223998) • [5](https://maxazine.com/2026/03/29/precious-pop-pearls-the-story-behind-cameo-word-up/) |
| Constant member | Larry Blackmon, the only constant in a lineup that has fluctuated since formation[6](https://www.last.fm/music/Cameo) |
| Later activity | 1995 album *In the Face of Funk* on the band's own Way 2 Funky Records; 2016 Las Vegas residency *Cameo: The Show*[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/03/10/cameo-faces-the-future/68f08a23-2d34-4f58-8fc6-e1c04f12481e/) • [8](https://www.eventworld.com/cameo-tickets/performer/17063) |
## Origins and early funk years
Blackmon founded the group in 1974 as The New York City Players; the name changed to Cameo in 1976 so audiences would not confuse the band with The Ohio Players, the group behind "Fire" and "[Love Rollercoaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/love-rollercoaster)"[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/). Accounts of the original size differ: AllMusic describes a founding membership of 13, while a 1989 Billboard profile calls the band an 11-man funk band at its New York start[9](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3822) • [10](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-soul.pdf).
The debut album *Cardiac Arrest* appeared in 1977, and AllMusic notes that although the group drew countless comparisons to Parliament and [Funkadelic](https://www.edgepedia.org/funkadelic) in its early days, the album made Cameo's case for belonging in the same division[1](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/) • [9](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3822). Through 1982 the band released eight albums on Chocolate City, with Blackmon's vocals, drums, and percussion anchoring a septet lineup of layered horns, guitars, and keyboards[3](https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/cameo/). Ballads from this period, such as "Feel Me", "Sparkle", and "Why Have I Lost You", remained favorites decades later[11](https://www.jay-quan.com/post/an-interview-with-gregory-johnson-of-cameo).
## The electronic turn of the 1980s
By 1980 the group had stripped down from its large lineup to a spare trio with what Billboard described as a hi-tech look and sound[10](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-soul.pdf). From 1983 Cameo recorded on Atlanta Artists, releasing six albums there through 1990[3](https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/cameo/). Inspired by the edgy synthesizer arrangements of the new wave groups of the time, Blackmon moved the band into a hard-core "electronic funk" direction[12](https://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/artist/cameo/eighties/overview).
The 1984 single "She's Strange" set the template for this phase; the *Word Up!* album notes describe "Word Up" as following the vibe of that earlier hit[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519). AllMusic's retrospective places the band's most successful phase in the mid-1980s, when the new wave-influenced funk style carried it onto both R&B and pop charts[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000223998).
## Word Up! and the mid-1980s peak
*Word Up!* was released on September 9, 1986, a seven-song, 35-minute R&B/soul album led by Blackmon as chief songwriter and lead singer[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519). The title track was built around a slang phrase popular in the day; AllMusic reports that Blackmon heard the expression "word up" while making his rounds in the party scene[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519) • [13](https://www.allmusic.com/song/word-up%21-mt0032745570). Grammy.com's account adds that Blackmon and partner Tomi Jenkins got out the keytars and appropriated jailhouse and hip-hop slang to create the song[14](https://www.grammy.com/news/cameos-got-the-word/).
"Word Up!" became the band's chart-topping R&B hit and reached the pop Top Ten[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000223998). The album's second single, "Candy", reached number one on the US R&B chart in early 1987[5](https://maxazine.com/2026/03/29/precious-pop-pearls-the-story-behind-cameo-word-up/). The album also carried strong funk cuts such as "Fast, Fierce and Funny" and "Back and Forth"[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519).
## Later career and influence
In 1995 Cameo released *In the Face of Funk* on its own label, Way 2 Funky Records, and organized its own tour, which joined [Teena Marie](https://www.edgepedia.org/teena-marie) and the Gap Band[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/03/10/cameo-faces-the-future/68f08a23-2d34-4f58-8fc6-e1c04f12481e/). In 2016 Blackmon led the band into a Las Vegas residency, *Cameo: The Show*, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, presenting its established concert set in a casino showroom[8](https://www.eventworld.com/cameo-tickets/performer/17063). The band's lineup has fluctuated constantly since formation, with Blackmon the only constant, and it continues to tour[6](https://www.last.fm/music/Cameo).
The band's songs have traveled widely through later music. Rock band Korn covered "Word Up!" and shot a video portraying the band as dogs in heat, and in 1997 Blackmon joined [Will Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-smith) for a rap variation of "Candy"; Cameo songs have also been sampled by rappers such as [Heavy D](https://www.edgepedia.org/heavy-d)[14](https://www.grammy.com/news/cameos-got-the-word/). The Maxazine retrospective notes that covers of "Word Up" have shown the song fits funk, hard rock, or heavy metal treatments alike[5](https://maxazine.com/2026/03/29/precious-pop-pearls-the-story-behind-cameo-word-up/).
## References
1. [Maxazine Presents: Cameo Essentials, Maxazine.com](https://maxazine.com/2022/07/23/maxazine-presents-cameo-essentials-curated-by-nathan-leftenant-tomi-jenkins-arnett-leftenant-charlie-singleton-jeryl-bright-and-greg-johnson/)
2. [Word Up! – Album by Cameo, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-up/1443854519)
3. [Cameo – JazzRockSoul.com](https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/cameo/)
4. [Cameo: Anthology – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000223998)
5. [Precious Pop Pearls: The Story Behind Cameo – "Word Up", Maxazine.com](https://maxazine.com/2026/03/29/precious-pop-pearls-the-story-behind-cameo-word-up/)
6. [Cameo – Last.fm](https://www.last.fm/music/Cameo)
7. [Cameo Faces the Future, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/03/10/cameo-faces-the-future/68f08a23-2d34-4f58-8fc6-e1c04f12481e/)
8. [Cameo Tickets, 2026–2027 Concert Tour Dates, Eventworld](https://www.eventworld.com/cameo-tickets/performer/17063)
9. [Cameo – Biography, Discography & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3822)
10. [Billboard 1989 soul profile of Cameo, WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-soul.pdf)
11. [An Interview with Gregory Johnson of Cameo, Jay Quan](https://www.jay-quan.com/post/an-interview-with-gregory-johnson-of-cameo)
12. [Cameo Albums From The Eighties, SoulAndFunkMusic.com](https://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/artist/cameo/eighties/overview)
13. [Word Up – Cameo, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/song/word-up%21-mt0032745570)
14. [Cameo's Got The Word, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/cameos-got-the-word/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license