Washington, D.C. bassist and vocalist Tyrone Brunson played and sang in area bands through the '70s. He was signed to the Columbia‑distributed Believe in a Dream label after some demos he'd submitted impressed CBS executives in 1982. His first single, the instrumental «The Smurf», tapped into what was then a New York dance craze, and the song won international club recognition. But when the smurf trend cooled, so did Brunson. While «The Smurf» reached number 14 on the R&B charts in 1982, the follow‑up, «Sticky Situation,» stalled at #25. Brunson made a slight comeback in 1984 with «Fresh», which reached #22. But neither of his LPs, Sticky Situation or Fresh, managed consistent sales.