For a handful of years in the late 1970s and early 80s, Twennynine was a force in the R&B and funk world. Formed by Return to Forever drummer Lenny White, Twennynine brought White’s formidable musical chops and combined them with the talents of bassist Barry Johnson, guitarist Eddie Martinez and keyboard player Skip Anderson, along with singer Lynn Davis and a handful of other female vocalists.
Twennynine broke out with aplomb in the fall of 1979 with Best of Friends, a tasty mix of R&B and funk, produced by White with Earth Wind & Fire’s Larry Dunn. The disc shot onto the R&B charts, led by the Parliament-influenced top 5 single, “Peanut Butter.” That was the high water mark for Twennynine’s chart success, though the follow up single, “Kid Stuff,” also hit the top 20.
Twennynine released two more albums on Elektra Records in 1980 and 1981, with less success, and then split up as White returned to his one as one of the most sought after jazz session drummers.
