The Floaters were formed by the former Detroit Emeralds' singer James Mitchell, with his brother Paul Mitchell, Larry Cunningham, Charles Clark, and the unrelated Ralph Mitchell. Most of The Floaters were from the Sojourner Truth housing project, on Detroit's Eastside.

James Mitchell apparently came up with the idea and tune for their one major hit, "Float On," in a dream. The lyrics spotlighted each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name and astrological sign. "Float On" was tracked in a garage recording studio called Pac 3. The song was written by Arnold Ingram, Marvin Willis and James Mitchell Jr., and produced by Woody Wilson. It became a world wide hit in 1977 on ABC Records, reaching #1 on the U.S. R&B chart, #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #1 in the UK Singles Chart (for a single week in August that year).

Live in Detroit

Intro

Bad Boy/Having A Party

Can You Stop The Rain

Stormy Monday

The Love We Had Stays On My Mind

My Girl

Float On

Special Features

Interview With The Floaters