 Rare Essence was started in 1976 after childhood friends Quentin "Footz" Davidson, Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson, Michael "Funky Ned" Neal and John Jones decided to form a band.After school, the band gathered in their basements to play Top 40 hits from such influential funk bands as Parliament-Funkadelic, Cameo, and Con Funk Shun in practice sessions.Eventually the band took on more players and conformed to the go-go style and sound, which gained recognition in the mid-70s.