Biography of Lipps, Inc.

One of disco's most instantly recognizable tracks, "Funkytown," was penned by a Minneapolis native named Steven Greenberg, who issued the tune under the alias of Lipps Inc. Greenberg attempted to land production deals for his original compositions throughout the 70's, but with little luck. So the up-and-coming songwriter decided to take matters into his own hands, and issued a catchy disco/R n' B ditty called "Rock It," which received heavy local airplay - so much so, that Casablanca Records signed Lipps Inc. Greenberg hired several session musicians to bring his tunes to life, including lead vocalist/sax player Cynthia Johnson, who would prove to be an integral ingredient to the sound of Lipps Inc. When the group's debut recording, 'Mouth to Mouth,' was issued in 1980, it failed to ignite the charts, as dance fans ignored the album's debut single - a reissue of "Rock It." But the album's second single, "Funkytown," became one of the year's biggest dance hits, holding the #1 position on the U.S. charts for 4 straight weeks. Unfortunately, Lipps Inc couldn't follow up their monster hit (even despite "Rock It" being reissued again as single in the wake of "Funkytown"), as 2 more full-length releases, 1980's 'Pucker Up' and 81's 'Designer Music,' were widely ignored, leading to Johnson's exit form the band, and eventually, the group's demise. Lipps Inc never issued any other studio albums, but 1992 saw the release of a 12-track compilation, 'Funkyworld: The Best of Lipps Inc.' Subsequently, Greenberg turned his back entirely on the music biz, as he became the CEO of the Minneapolis-based web page design company, Designstein, during the 90's. ~ Greg Prato