A Lighter Shade of Brown (LSOB) was a Mexican American hip hop duo from Riverside, California best known for their 1990 hit single "On a Sunday Afternoon", a success in the U.S., written by songwriters/musicians David Dunson & Micah Carson.
LSOB was formed in 1990 by One Dope Mexican (Robert Gutierrez) and Don't Try To Xerox (Bobby Ramirez). They recorded demos and landed a record deal soon after with small independent label Pump. Their debut album, 1990's "Brown and Proud," brought the group their lone Top 40 single in the U.S. with "On A Sunday Afternoon," which contained samples of The Young Rascals' 1967 hit "Groovin' " and Tommy James and the Shondells' 1969 hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also went to #1 for 2 weeks in New Zealand.
The duo provided songs for Latino-market movies such as Mi Vida Loca and I Like It Like That following the release of their second LP, 1992's '"Hip Hop Locos," which failed to chart. The success of "Sunday Afternoon" nonetheless resulted in Mercury Records signing the group and releasing their third disc, Layin' in the Cut, in 1994. The record did not sell as well as was hoped, peaking at #184 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. LSOB went on a temporary hiatus, returning in 1997 on indie with Danny "Dice" and Eric "Bajo" Thump Records. Their self-titled fourth album featured guest appearances from Rappin' 4-Tay and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!.
Art Laboe (born Arthur Egnoian August 7, 1925) is an American pioneering disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner who is generally credited with coining the term "Oldies But Goodies.".
Through his "Original Sound Records" company, Laboe put together the first-ever record album to feature hit songs by various artists from more than one label. Titled "Oldies But Goodies," the album stayed on Billboard magazine's Top 100 LPs chart for over three years.
For decades, Laboe was at the heart of the West Coast music scene, and worked on such pioneering stations as KPOP, where he broadcast a live show from Scrivners' Drive-In in Los Angeles, and KRLA in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, all the way through to the present. The city of Los Angeles declared July 17, 1981 to be "Art Laboe Day" when he received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Art Laboe memorabilia can be seen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum's interactive Rock and Radio exhibit in Cleveland, Ohio.
Today, Art Laboe continues in music as an MC, promoter, and Internet disc jockey. His "Killer Oldies" show can be heard every Sunday night in select cities across the West Coast. In 2006, Laboe announced he would also do a nightly show (Monday through Friday) for select stations that already carried his Sunday Night show. Stations like KDES-FM in Palm Springs, KAJM FM, MEGA 104.3 in Phoenix, Arizona and XHRM in San Diego have already signed on with more expected to follow. He can now be heard on KOKO94.com. Though Laboe resides in Los Angeles, his radio programs are now based out of Fresno, CA (KOKO-FM 94.3) Every Monday Thru Friday 7pm-Midnight he takes live requests and dedications.