Lipps Inc. rose from the fertile Minneapolis music scene, becoming one the first acts to break out nationally from that scene when they scored their one and only hit in 1980 with "Funkytown." However, in reality, there really was no act behind the song.

The man behind the moniker was Steven Greenberg, a producer and songwriter who had secured a production deal with Casablanca Records on the strength of a local hit, "Rock It." To fulfill the label's interest in a full-length release, Greenberg put together a band of session players, christening it Lipps Inc. (lip synch), fronted by Cynthia Johnson, a former Miss Black Minnesota and an early member of The Time. Johnson added her soulful vocals to the kinetic, disco-tinged track for Lipps Inc.'s debut Mouth Music.

The track became an immediate hit upon its release in April 1980, creating a sensation on the club scene and at mainstream radio. A month after reaching the US Top 40, "Funkytown" had climbed into the Top Ten. Two weeks later, it reached #1 where it would remain for a month as it became one of the biggest singles of the year and one of the most enduring songs of the '80s. When Lipps Inc.'s future releases failed to chart, it also made "Funkytown" one of the best-known one-hit wonders of all-time.

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