The Presidents

A sweet soul group from Washington, D.C., the Presidents scored with the infectious "5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love." Written by members Tony Boyd and Archie Powell, and produced by Van McCoy, it reached 11 on the pop charts. Billy Shorter completed the trio who called themselves the Presidents because D.C. was home. They sang in three-part harmony, with the lead bursting from the pack to deliver the lyrics, then blending back with the others for a full sound. They had three other releases on Sussex but never cracked the Top 30 again. Two of the Sussex releases, "For You," a beautiful Van McCoy ballad, and "The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven," another ballad McCoy had hit with Chris Bartley, were also released by the SpellBinders on Columbia. Before Sussex they recorded for Hollywood and Deluxe records. They later changed their name to Anacostia, after a large low-income development in D.C. As Anacostia, they recorded for Columbia, MCA, Tabu, and Roulette, well into the '80s. ~ Andrew Hamilton