Mandré

Active during the late '70s and early '80s, Mandré was a Motown-supported alias of one-man funk band Michael Andre Lewis. Prior to making his helmeted funk hero a reality, the Omaha, Nebraska native was a close associate of Buddy Miles, worked with LaBelle and Johnny Guitar Watson, and led the band Maxayn, a platform for partner Maxayn Lewis. After he replaced George Duke in Frank Zappa's band, as heard first on Zoot Allures (1976), Lewis signed to Motown and made three out-there albums for the label: Mandré (1977), Mandré Two (1978), and M3000 (1979). By his label's standard,...