Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and the late Gwen Guthrie formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Haras Fyre (also known as Pat Grant) on trombone.
Signed by Casablanca Records to its Chocolate City imprint in 1976, the group soon changed its name to Cameo after concerns that New York City Players might cause confusion between them and the funk band Ohio Players. In 1974, Cameo started out with 10 members created by Larry Blackmon and called the New York City Players. In 2015, Cameo announced a new residency show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, opening March 2016. Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid being confused with Ohio Players another funk group in the 1970s.Īs of 2009, some of the original members continue to perform together, while two others were hired by the hip hop group Outkast. Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s.
