Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll
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Album Summary
Vaughan Mason & Crew — comprising Vaughan Mason, Ben Epps, Jerome Bell, and Gregory Bufford — came rolling out of the late-disco-into-funk twilight with 'Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll,' released in 1980 on the storied Brunswick label. Brunswick, a house with deep soul roots going back decades, gave this record a home that felt right for a groove this relentless and this joyful. The album arrived right at that gorgeous crossroads moment when disco's mirror-ball shimmer was giving way to something harder, sweatier, and funkier, and Mason and his crew were perfectly positioned to ride that wave straight into the rinks and onto the radio.
Reception
- The title track 'Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll' became a legitimate hit, finding a passionate audience among the roller-skating rink culture that was absolutely on fire in the United States around 1980.
- The record connected most powerfully on the R&B and funk circuits, where its infectious energy and dancefloor-ready grooves made it a staple for DJs spinning at rinks and clubs across the country.
- Critical attention at the time was modest in the traditional press, but the record's word-of-mouth strength among dancers and skaters gave it a cultural life that far outpaced its formal recognition.
Significance
- The album stands as a vivid sonic document of the roller disco era, capturing the euphoric intersection of funk, disco, and the late-1970s-into-1980s skating rink culture that swept Black American communities in particular.
- Vaughan Mason & Crew helped define a subgenre of roller-skate funk — music built specifically for wheels underfoot — and 'Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll' remains one of the purest and most beloved examples of that sound.
- Brunswick's release of this record represents one of the label's final chapters as a significant force in Black popular music, making it a meaningful artifact in the longer story of soul and funk's evolution into the new decade.
Samples
- "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" — one of the most recognizable roller-funk grooves in the canon, widely sampled across hip-hop and R&B productions throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, with its rhythm and vocal hook appearing in numerous tracks celebrating street and skate culture.
Tracklist
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A1 Roller Skate —
8:54
-
A2 Cravin' Your Body —
5:20
-
A3 Thinking About You Baby —
6:16
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B1 We're Gonna Funk You Up —
7:49
-
B2 Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll I —
3:40
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B3 Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll II —
5:14
Artist Details
Vaughan Mason & Crew was an American Funk and Disco outfit that brought the heat through Brunswick Records, the storied label that knew a thing or two about keeping the groove alive. The Crew — composed of Vaughan Mason, Ben Epps, Jerome Bell, and Gregory Bufford — locked in together with the kind of tight, rhythmic chemistry that made dance floors across the country come alive. Their sound sat right at that sweet crossroads where Funk's raw electricity met Disco's irresistible momentum, a combination that was pure magic for anybody who knew how to move their feet.
