Champaign took its name from its home city of Champaign, IL. The group was an interracial septet comprising singers Pauli Carman and Rena Jones, guitarist Howard Reeder, keyboardists Michael Day and Dana Walden, bassist Michael Reed, and percussionist Rocky Maffitt. They hit a commercial peak with their 1981 debut album, How 'Bout Us, whose title track was a hit single (Top Five in the U.K. and on the U.S. R&B chart). Follow-ups included Modern Heart (1983) (which includes the Top Ten R&B hit "Try Again") and Woman in Flames (1984), featuring the R&B Top Ten hit "Off and On Love."