Disco

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The most commercially successful pop band of the 1970s, ABBA rose again in the 1990s when ABBA Gold (1992) revived their peerless singles’ legacy, which has carried on ever since. ABBA were formed in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Benny Andersson (born Goran Bror Benny Andersson, 16 December 1946), Bjorn Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945) and their girlfriends Frida Lyngstad (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad-Ruess, 15 November 1945) and Agnetha Faltskog (born ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1972–82, 1989–present) The blue-eyed soul of Scots Alan Gorrie (vocals, bass), Malcolm Duncan (saxophone), Owen McIntyre (vocals, guitar), Hamish Stuart (vocals, guitar), Roger Ball (keyboards) and Robbie McIntosh (drums) topped the US charts in 1975 with the album AWB and single ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. After dabbling in disco with ‘Let’s Go Round Again’, a British hit in 1980, the band went on hiatus in the mid-1980s, reforming in ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1944–2003) Nicknamed the ‘Walrus of Love’, Barry White’s image as a Lothario sometimes obscured his talents as a songwriter, producer and arranger. Working with girl group Love Unlimited, his first hit was ‘Walking In The Rain With The One I Love’ in 1972. White’s distinctive growl was heard on ‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe’, a US No. 1 and ‘You’re The First, The Last, My Everything’ a British ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, b. 1938) Ben E. King was lead singer on The Drifters’ 1959 hits, including ‘There Goes My Baby’ and ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’. He quit in 1960 over royalty payments, finding solo success with 1961’s ‘Spanish Harlem’, and co-wrote the follow-up, ‘Stand By Me’, a US top 5 hit and his meal-ticket recording. King escaped the revival circuit in 1975 with a surprise US disco hit ‘Supernatural Thing’ ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1974–82, 1997–present) An internationally popular New York outfit emerging from the city’s thriving new wave scene of the mid-to late 1970s, Blondie’s founders were Debbie Harry (vocals) and Chris Stein (guitar), with an eventual supporting cast of Clem Burke (drums), Nigel Harrison (bass), Jimmy Destri (keyboards) and Frank Infante (guitar). More pop-oriented than their contemporaries and influenced by 1960s girl groups like The Shangri-Las, Blondie had a British No. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, b. 1984) Scottish DJ Harris (real name Adam Wiles) made a big wave in British disco in the latter half of the Noughties, filling club dancefloors with tracks like ‘Acceptable In The 80s’ and ‘Dance Wiv Me’ – his collaboration with Dizzee Rascal. He courts controversy, voicing his opinions via social network site Twitter, but his talking on the decks made him a driving force in British music in the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
93 Words Read More

‘Kung Fu Fighting’, 1974 Jamaican-born Carl Douglas had his finger on the pulse when he recorded ‘King Fu Fighting’, a mid-1970s novelty disco hit that reflected that era’s fascination with king fu movies and the martial arts. It reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, and is said to have been recorded in just 10 minutes, and to have sold over nine million copies worldwide. Douglas’ follow-up, ‘Dance The ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, b. 1946) Born Cherilyn Sarkasian La Pier in California, her early career yielded hits such as ‘All I Really Want To Do’ (1965) and ‘Gypsys, Tramps And Thieves’ (1971), alongside successes with husband, Sonny Bono (‘I Got You Babe’, ‘All I Ever Need Is You’). She emphasized her Native American heritage on ‘Half-Breed’ (1973) and ‘Dark Lady’ (1974); but apart from 1979’s ‘Take Me Home’ the next decade was a ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–83, 1990–92, 1996, 1998–present) Chic were a disco outfit built around the songwriting and production team of Nile Rodgers (guitar) and Bernard Edwards (bass), who were originally part of a New York rock band but changed direction when unable to secure a record deal. Chic evolved from demos recorded by the pair that formed the basis of their first album Chic (1977), for which drummer Tony Thompson and singer ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
171 Words Read More

(Vocal group, 1961–77) The jewels in the crown of Motown’s golden years, The Supremes’ sophisticated act and sound were the TV-friendly face of soul music, winning them 12 No. 1s including a 1964–65 run of five in a row from hitmakers Holland-Dozier-Holland. Many, like: ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’, became pop classics. The writing team’s departure from the label, founder Florence Ballard’s ousting from the group and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal group, 1970–83) In 1972, Maurice White (drums) assembled a second line-up of Earth, Wind and Fire after two unsuccessful albums. This featured brother Verdine (bass), Jessica Cleaves (vocals), Ronnie Laws (saxophone), Larry Dunn (keyboards), Ralph Johnson (percussion), Roland Battista (guitar) and Philip Bailey (vocals). After further personnel changes, ‘Shining Star’ became the first in a string of dancefloor standards, which included ‘September’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘After The Love Has Gone’ and ‘Boogie ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, 1942–2003) Starr’s early singing career was interrupted when he was drafted in 1960. He finally broke with 1965 Bond novelty ‘Agent Double-O Soul’ and its follow-up ‘Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)’. He had a powerful, rough voice that will be remembered for the 1970 anti-Vietnam hit ‘War’, originally a Norman Whitfield song for The Temptations. Starr enjoyed a disco comeback in 1979 with two UK Top 10 entries, ‘Contact’ and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocals, b. 1941) Born in North Carolina and raised in New Jersey, Clinton became a funk legend but his first musical venture was the five-man doo-wop group The Parliaments, formed in the late 1950s. After recording for various small labels, and following a spell in which Clinton worked for Motown, the first flowering of his later direction appeared on The Parliaments’ 1967 American Top 20 single ‘(I Wanna) Testify’. Contractual difficulties ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
166 Words Read More

(Saxophone, vocals, b. 1942–2008) This soul singer from Tennessee began his musical career as a saxophonist for Stax Records studio band The Mar-Keys. The album Hot Buttered Soul (1969) was his commercial breakthrough and Hayes became internationally famous with the soundtrack to the film Shaft (1971), the style of which anticipated disco. After leaving Stax, his records were less successful and he filed for bankruptcy in 1976. He later voiced the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
93 Words Read More

Few guitarists have gone through as many career changes as Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson (1935–96). Rock, blues, jazz, funk, disco – Watson excelled at all of them. He wasn’t just a guitarist either. He could, and did, play anything except drums and horns on his records. But it is as a guitarist that he left the most admiration in his wake. Watson was a pianist when he arrived in Los Angeles at ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
386 Words Read More
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