“We cut deeper and wider grooves to have the bass response,” Rodgers said of the way they manufactured the vinyl. Musically, too, it was a revolutionary release, breaking new ground with Edwards’ floor-rattling bass – a sound that would soon become responsible for some of the best 70s basslines.
Pressed up as a white-label record and distributed to disco conventions, Dance, Dance, Dance was an instant DJ favourite, selling a million copies in under a month and peaking at No.6 in both the UK and the US.Īs a satirical jab at the late-70s dance explosion, what perhaps went unnoticed at the time was that the song’s recurring vocal hook (“Yowsah, yowsah, yowzah”) was a reference to the 1969 movie They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, a film about Depression-era dance marathons that often resulted in contestants dancing themselves to death. “We developed a sound that was a fusion of jazz, soul and funk grooves with melodies and lyrics that were more European influenced,” Rodgers said. Released in September 1977 as Chic’s first single, Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) was a relentless ode to throwing shapes on New York’s light-up dancefloors. With Edwards cooking up the band name Chic after Rodgers was inspired by Bryan Ferry’s lounge-lizard persona, the duo began dressing in sharp business suits and aimed to mix art-rock glamour with upbeat funk energy. “This idea of taking white rock and making it Black – reverse traffic, if you will – was key,” Rodgers said. Influenced as much by the glam-rock showmanship of KISS and the flamboyant pizzazz of Roxy Music as he was by funk and jazz music, Rodgers partnered with Bernard Edwards to add fresh ingredients to disco’s party-going recipe.
Having gigged around New York City’s club circuit playing R&B and soul music as The Big Apple Band, Nile Rodgers always had a wide-ranging taste in music. “Taking white rock and making it Black – reverse traffic, if you will – was key” Listen to Chic’s self-titled debut album here. Lyrically smuggling what they called “DHM” (deep hidden meanings) into their funk-lite floor-fillers, the masterminds behind Chic’s self-titled debut album brought a poise and respectability to the disco scene that left a long-lasting legacy on the music industry. However, for guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards – the musical masterminds behind Chic – the 70s nightclub scene was an invitation to celebrate their fearless musical eclecticism and intelligent artistry. He died Jat the age of 54, two years after suffering a major stroke.Even at the height of its popularity, disco music was regarded by critics as little more than a passing fad. Over the years, he was awarded five platinum and one double platinum disc, as well as winning 8 Grammy awards. Between 19, five albums were released, all selling over a million copies each. In 1981, Luther released his debut solo album Never Too Much. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, also called Luther. In the late 1970s he was part of a singing quintet consisting former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, Theresa V. He was lead singer of the group Change, which had hits such as "A Lover's Holiday", "Searching" and "The Glow Of Love". He was also a backing singer for Bette Midler, Donna Summer and Carly Simon. His first big break came in 1975, when he performed as a backing singer on David Bowie's Young Americans album, and received a co-writer credit after his song "Funky Music" was adapted by Bowie to become "Fascination".
Luther Vandross was born on the Lower East Side of New York on April 20, 1951.