Ish Ledesma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
October 2, 1952[1]
Ish Ledesma | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ismael Angel Ledesma October 2, 1952[1] Cuba |
| Genres | Latin funk, disco |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | TK Records Geffen/Warner Bros. Records |
| Formerly of | OXO |
| Website | www.ishledesma.com |
Ismael Angel Ledesma[2] (born October 2, 1952)[1] professionally known as Ish Ledesma is an American, Miami-based[3] singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Ledesma has fronted, written for, or produced hits for the bands Foxy, Oxo, and Company B.[4] Both Oxo and Company B were one-hit wonders in the US, with respective hits "Whirly Girl" and "Fascinated"; Foxy released several albums and singles, including the number one R&B hit "Get Off".[5]
Foxy
Ish Ledesma was born in Cuba and migrated to Miami as a child.[6] He was influenced by the ubiquitous Latin sounds, popular within his community. He also enjoyed the rock and roll revolution that was playing out both nationally and internationally. In the early 1970s, Ledesma was hired by Henry Stone as a session artist. His credits include guitar on Gwen McCrae's disco hit "Rockin' Chair".
In 1976, Ledesma convinced Stone to record a band he was forming, resulting in the band Foxy's release of their self-titled debut album. The album, produced by Ray Martínez, had two 12" singles released, "People Fall In Love While Dancing" and "Let's Love." Both songs were regional hits, but with only minor appeal nationally. However, the band's follow-up album, Get Off was a major breakthrough, featuring the title track, which went to number one on the R&B chart and also cracked the top ten on the pop chart. Although the group would score another hit the following year with the tune "Hot Number," follow-up releases were less successful. Foxy disbanded early in the 1980s, as disco began to wane.[1]
