40%
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Members
6 Male
Origin
Brookfield, Illinois
Genre
Pop
Style
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Mood
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Born
6 MaleOrigin
Brookfield, IllinoisGenre
PopStyle
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Mood
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Born
1962
Active
1962 to Present...
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Most Loved Tracks4 users
The American Breed - Bend Me, Shape Me4 users
The American Breed - Bend Me, Shape Me4 users
The American Breed - Green Light4 users
The American Breed - Green Light4 users
The American Breed - To Put Up With You
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The American Breed was an American rock band that was formed in 1958 and disbanded in 1970, later evolving into Rufus.
The band enjoyed its greatest success in 1967 and 1968. They released five singles that reached the charts, including "Step Out Of Your Mind", "Green Light", and "Bend Me, Shape Me". The latter track was their biggest seller, and sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track also peaked at #24 in the UK Singles Chart.
Loizzo went on to open his own recording studio, "Pumpkin", where he worked on producing commercials and other groups, eventually receiving a Grammy nomination for his work with Styx. Colbert, Graziano, McWilliams, and Murphy (after a brief stint in the military) regrouped as "Smoke" and then "Äsk Rufus" (the name soon abbreviated to Rufus). McWilliams was later replaced by Chaka Khan and the band later scored their first Top 10 hit under the Rufus name with "Tell Me Something Good" in 1974.
The four members of "The American Breed" (Ciner, Loizzo, Colbert, and Graziano) briefly reunited in 1986 and recorded the album Once Again, featuring a new version of "Bend Me, Shape Me".
A compilation album, Bend Me, Shape Me: The Best of the American Breed, was released in 1994. "Bend Me, Shape Me" continues to receive airplay on oldies radio stations.
In celebration of the 2005 baseball championship of the Chicago White Sox, the American Breed issued a CD single entitled "Rock with the Sox". The single was produced by Gary Loizzo.
Since that first regrouping in 1986, the band has continued to make periodic reunion appearances at shows and fairs, mostly in and around their native Chicago.
Their lead singer, Gary Loizzo, died of pancreatic cancer on January 16, 2016, aged 70.
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