Badtown Boys

Badtown Boys came together in New York City in the late 1970s, with Ronald "Dee Dee" Williams out front. Their first single, "Dee Dee Took The Subway," came out in 1978. The song tells a story about a young woman's difficult trip, and it caught on with listeners who recognized something of their own city in it.

That single helped them find an audience, though some critics thought their material was too rough. They kept making records into the 1980s, putting out albums like "The Last Ride" in 1981 and "Young, Gifted, and Broke" two years later. Another track people remember is "Glad To See You Go."

The band's sound pulled from R&B and soul, with a street-level feel that didn't get smoothed out. Williams sang, backed by Tyrone "T.J." Jackson on drums, John "J.T." Turner on bass, and Robert "Freaky" Edmunds on keyboards. They worked with other New York musicians, including Lou Reed.