The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife
duo of
Bill Danoff and
Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the song "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and then, with
John Denver, "
Take Me Home, Country Roads", which became a hit single in 1971 and became an official song of
West Virginia in 2014. The duo recorded two albums as Fat City (
Reincarnation,
Welcome to Fat City), and two more as Bill & Taffy (
Pass It On,
Aces), all released from 1969 to 1974. The group's debut album was the self-titled
Starland Vocal Band and included "
Afternoon Delight". The song was a US number one hit The song also reached number 18 on the
UK Singles Chart. The band hosted a
variety show,
The Starland Vocal Band Show, that ran on
CBS for six weeks in the summer of 1977.
David Letterman was a writer and regular on the show, which also featured
Mark Russell,
Jeff Altman, and
Proctor and Bergman.
April Kelly was a writer for the series. Unable to match their previous success, the band broke up in 1981. Carroll and Chapman divorced later that year followed by Danoff and Nivert in 1982. They have remained on friendly terms, and in 1998 the group reunited for a few concerts, often featuring the children of the four original members as additional vocalists. In 2007, they appeared on a 1970s special on the
New Jersey Network (NJN), singing "Afternoon Delight". In 2010,
Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time. Due to its success, the song was featured in such films as
PCU,
Anchorman, and
Good Will Hunting, and used in episodes of numerous TV shows, including
The Simpsons and
South Park. In 2011, it was performed in the musical television series
Glee. ==Discography==