"Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" by The Gap Band

Song#:  0509
Date:  02/28/1981
Debut:  95
Peak:  84
Weeks:  8
Genre:  R&B, Funk



Pop Bits:  This funk outfit mainly consisted of brothers Ronnie, Charlie, and Robert Wilson. The band, filled out with some other musicians, issued albums in 1974 and 1977 to little notice. Producer Lonnie Simmons brought them over to Total Experience Records and the group began finding success with their 1979 self-titled album that featured the #4 R&B hit "Shake." Their next album went gold and contained two more R&B Top 10's. The appropriately titled "The Gap Band III" album finally got them on the pop chart with this lead single. It was also their first #1 R&B hit and #1 R&B album, eventually going platinum.

ReduxReview:  The Gap Band had pretty much established their sound, especially in their funk tunes. The sounds on this one would pretty much drive the band through their hit making days. It's pretty awesome. They would have some singles that were a bit better, but this is a tasty piece o' funk.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The group was originally called The Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Street Band (streets in their hometown of Tulsa, OK), but before their first album they just used the first letter of each street and became The G.A.P. Band. A printing error then advertized them as The Gap Band and that name stuck.

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