On their first album with Simmons, The Gap Band, they found chart success with songs such as "I'm in Love" and "Shake"; the latter became a Top 10 R&B hit in 1979.

[9] Charlie Wilson provided background vocals on Stevie Wonder's 1980 hit "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" from Wonder's album Hotter Than July (1980).

[11] Their next work, Gap Band VI brought them back to number 1 R&B in 1985, but the album sold fewer copies and did not go gold.

The Gap Band caught a small break in 1988 with the Keenen Ivory Wayans film, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.

[14] Their first song on their new label, Capitol Records, 1989's "All of My Love" (from their album Round Trip), is, to date, their last number 1 R&B hit.

[15] Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl credits The Gap Band for inspiring the drum intro on their hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit.

[18] Since the 1990s, many of The Gap Band's hits have been sampled and/or covered by R&B and hip hop artists such as II D Extreme, Brand Nubian, Tyler, the Creator, 69 Boyz, Ashanti, Big Mello, Blackstreet, Mary J. Blige, Da Brat, Ice Cube, Jermaine Dupri, Mia X, Nas, Rob Base, Shaquille O'Neal, Snoop Dogg, Soul For Real, Tina Turner, Love Tractor and Vesta.

[19] Other musicians inspired by The Gap Band, or who sampled them, include Guy, Aaron Hall, Jagged Edge, Bill Heausler, Mint Condition, Madonna, R. Kelly, Ruff Endz, Keith Sweat, Joe Miller, GRiTT, The Delta Troubadours, and D'Extra Wiley.

Producer Heavy D sampled "Outstanding" for "Every Little Thing", a 1995 hit single by his boy band prodigies Soul for Real,[20] which reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.