The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band which rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. Composed of brothers Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, the band first formed as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band in 1967, in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to The Gap Band in 1973. After 43 years together, they retired in 2010.
“Early in the Morning” was written by Charlie Wilson and producers Lonnie Simmons and Rudy Taylor. It was released as a single in 1982 and went on to become their biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number twenty-four, and also topped Billboard’s R&B chart for three weeks. The single also peaked at number thirteen on the dance charts.
The song became a hit again when Robert Palmer covered it in 1988. This version peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is to date the highest charting version of the song on that chart.
The song was used as the music for a film-making montage in Michel Gondry’s 2008 film Be Kind Rewind.
Early In The Morning (Long) 7:33
Early In The Morning (Short) 6:30
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