In the 1970s, Earth, Wind and Fire and Kool & the Gang were two top funk/soul bands in the country. In 1974, a new band came on the scene.

Formed in Memphis, Tenn., Chocolate Milk moved to New Orleans, became the studio band for songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint, and signed a record deal with RCA Records.

The members were Frank Richard (lead vocals), Amadee Castenell (saxophone), Joe Foxx (band leader and trumpet), Mario Tio (guitar), Earnest Dabon (bass), Robert Dabon (keyboards/piano) and Dwight Richards (drums/percussion). 

“We had producers looking for us because at that time there were self-contained bands all over the place.” Richard said during a 2018 interview with “Truth in Rhythm.”  “Allen Toussaint, who had the Meters, was looking for another self-contained band. The Meters were taking off and going to their own label. Toussaint had two contracts, one with Warner Bros. and one with RCA Records. RCA gave the best offer.”

The band’s name represents New Orleans’ mixture of races and cultures, the band’s music mixture of jazz, funk, soul and disco, and the band members’ skin colors, according to Richard. 

Between 1975 and 1983, Chocolate Milk recorded eight albums. 

 “The band’s biggest hit came on the very first release. ‘Action Speaks Louder Than Words’ hit the R&B Top 20 and became an across-the-board hit,” Soul Tracks states. “It was the biggest of the band’s successes, but not the last.”

Chocolate Milk split with Toussaint in 1980, and broke up three years later.  Excessive personnel and producer changes, and declining interest in disco led to the band’s demise. 

For more tales from New Orleans history, visit the Back in the Day archives.

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Tammy C. Barney is an award-winning columnist who spent most of her career at two major newspapers, The Times-Picayune and The Orlando Sentinel. She served as a bureau chief, assistant city editor, TV...