American disco history

THE HISTORY OF DISCO (1973-1980)

1973

RADIO - WTBS, Boston airs special dance music show, The Right Track hosted by John T.C. Luongo.

RECORD LABELS - Major labels which were providing dance music to clubs were varied and without conscious disco-marketing efforts.

MEDIA - Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty! - Vince Aletti in Rolling Stone. The first major article citing disco and its music. Discotheques Break Singles - The first major mention of disco in a trade publication. This appeared in Billboard Magazine in late September.

DISCOS - Sanctuary-NY, The Haven-NY, Roundtable-NY, The Loft-NY, The Jungle-NY, The Zoo-NY, Hippo-NY, Zelda-Boston, Townhouse-Boston, Rhinoceros-Boston, 1270-Boston, Library, Phila., Harlows-Phila., Manatee-Toronto, Bobby McGee's Chain adapts disco format.

MUSIC - Brae - Cymande, Zing - Trammps, Girl You Need A Change - Eddie Kendricks, Armed & Extremely Dangerous/Smarty Pants - First Choice, I Do Love You... - Independents, Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango, Funky Stuff - Kool & Gang, Blow Your Whistle - KC & Sunshine Band, Never Gonna Give You Up - Barry White, Love Epidemic - Trammps, Love Theme - Love Unlimited, Doin' It To Death - J.B.s, Woman - Barrabas, Sex Machine - James Brown, Think - Lyn Collins

1974

RADIO - WPIX, NY airs Saturday night disco/dance music show.

RECORD LABELS - Labels servicing discos included Warner, Motown, Buddah, Capitol, CBS, London, Scepter Chess/Janus, and Roulette. Pieces serviced varied between 100 and 300, largely in the Northeast. First 12" promo by Scepter's Bobby Moore Call Me Your Anything Man. Spring Records released a premixed LP.

MEDIA - July 6, Billboard Magazine's first cover story on the subject: Labels Eye Discos as Hot Spots to Break R&B Product. October 26, Tom Moulton's Disco Action column debuts. Vince Aletti begins his weekly column for Record World Magazine. New York Time Magazine publishes first article on Disco in November.

DISCOS - Le Joint-NY, Gallery-NY, Nepentha-NY, Hollywood-NY, Le Jardin, Sound Machine-NY, Better Days-NY, Pippins-NY, Alexander the Great-NY, Buttermilk Bottom-NY, Pips-LA, The Caberet-S.F., Studio 1-LA, Farmhouse-Houston, Warehouse-Miami, Rumbottoms-Miami, Yesterdays-Boston, Stxy-Boston, High Society-Phila., Mrs. Knights-Toronto, Mirage-Boston. Emerson's Steakhouses installed discos in 27 or their 42 locations.

MUSIC - Welcome to the Club - Blue Magic, TSOP - MFSB, Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation, Honey Bee/Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor, Rock Your Baby - George McCrae, Can't Get Enough - Barry White, Happiness Is Just Around the Bend - Main Ingredient, The Bottle - Gil Scott Heron, Do It Till You're Satisfied - BT Express, Good Things Don't Last Forever - Ecstasy Passion & Pain, Love Don't You Go Through No Changes - Sister Sledge, I'll Be Holding On - Al Downing, Shame, Shame, Shame - Shirley & Company, Doctor's Orders - Carol Douglas, Lady Marmalade - Labelle.

1975

RADIO - WYLD, New Orleans adapts disco/dance music format. MNHB, Waterville, Maine airs Friday Night Live. A remote show from a local disco. WNTN, Boston syndicates Right Track to seven stations. WVBF, Boston starts Disco Notes with Ron Robin on Sunday evenings.

RECORD LABELS - Atlantic Disco Disc Series released . Midsong, Avco and Polydor develop disco promo techniques. Capitol and RCA start "disco" departments and TK enters the field strongly with KC & Sunshine Band.

MEDIA - Village Voice publishes Soho vs. Disco by Vince Aletti. New York Magazine publishes Hollywoood! The Return of the New York Disco by Mark Jacobson, Bump in the Night published by Newsweek. Dancing Madness by Vince Aletti. May 17th first Disco Spotlight in Billboard. High Fidelity Magazine publishes The Street People Have Taken Over the Discotheques! by Henry Edwards.

DISCOS - Infinity-NY, Ipanema-NY, Reed St.-NY, Nell Gwyn's-NY, 12 West-NY, Flamingo-NY, Ice Palace-NY, Rooney's-Toronto, DCA-Phila., BBC-Chicago, Club 747-Buffalo. 2001 opens a chain of very large discos in the Northeast.

MUSIC - Blue Eyed Soul - Carl Douglas, Hijack - Herbie Mann/Barabas, Dreaming A Dream - Crown Heights Affair, What A Diff'rence A Day Makes - Esther Phillips, Young and in Love - Ralph Carter, It Only Takes a Minute - Tavares, Free Man - Southshore Commission, Brazil - Ritchie Family, Swearin' to God - Frankie Valli, Foot Stompin' Music - Gary Toms, Dirty Ol' Man - First Choice, Mighty High - Mighty Clouds of Joy, Sunny - Yambu, Salsoul Hustle - Salsoul Orchestra, Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer, Fly Robin Fly - Silver Convention, Helplessly - Moment of Truth.

1976

RADIO - WPIX's Disco 102 goes nightly due to popular demand. WCAU-FM in Philadelphia begins their Facinatin' Rhythm format. WBZ, Boston ran special disco shows with Vince Perruzi. WNIA-AM, Western New York begins special Saturday night disco show with Marty Angelo.

RECORD LABELS - Scepter goes out of business. West End Records opens doors. Casablanca comes into its own with the Village People and three strong Donna Summer albums.

MEDIA - Discomania Forbes - Magazine. Disco Whirl - Time Magazine. Get Up and Boogie - Newsweek cover story. I Won't Dance, Don't Ask Me - Village Voice. Dancing Madness book - Rolling Stone Press. Disco Fever - paperback book is published. Disco Step-by-Step™ Marty Angelo began video taping this popular Western New York TV show.

DISCOS - Regines-NY, Les Mouches-NY, Paradise Garage-NY, Second Story-Phila, Kix-Boston, Celebration-Boston, L'Esprit-Detroit, Valentino's-Cherry Hill, NJ, Zorine's-Chicago, Phoenix-Chicago, Dillon's-LA. Uncle Sam's opens disco chain. Holiday Inns begin to install discos in their hotels. Dimples chain closes down due to alienation of restaurant patrons. Newsweek estimated number of U. S. discos at 10,000.

MUSIC - More, More, More - Andrea True Connection, Where the Happy People Go - Trammps, Spanish Hustle - Fatback Band, Movin'/Changin - Brass Construction, Ten Percent - Double Exposure, Turn the Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson, Love Trilogy/Spring Affair - Donna Summer, Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel - Tavares, Down to Love Town - Originals, Sorry - Grace Jones, Dazz - Brick, I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love - Emotions, Spring Rain - Silvetti, Cherchez La Femme - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston.

1977

RADIO - WEEI-FM, Boston has disco music with Vinnie Perruzi and Charles Schmidt.

RECORD LABELS - Prelude, Sam, AVI, and Butterfly began operations. Virtually every major record label had a department or person to deal with promotion to discos.

MEDIA - Disco Step-by-Step™ Marty Angelo hosted this popular Western New York TV show. Disco 77 first nationally syndicated disco Miami Beach TV show. A few local and national disco-oriented publications began publishing. Disco music used on many national sporting events broadcast cut-aways.

DISCOS - Studio 54-NY, New York New York, NY, Boston Boston-Boston, Charlies'-Toronto, Le Tube-Toronto. Discos keep opening but many poorly run clubs closed their doors. New club openings slowed down a bit as prospective club owners spent a little more time researching their markets.

MUSIC - Do What You Wanna Do - T Connection, Love in C Minor - Cerrone, Uptown Festival - Shalamar, San Francisco/Hollywood - Village People, Disco Inferno - Trammps, I Feel Love/I Love you/Once Upon a Time/Rumor Has It - Donna Summer, Cocomotion - El Coco, Dancin - Crown Heights Affair, Dr. Love - First Choice, It's Ecstasy - Barry White, Native New Yorker - Odyssey, Devil's Gun - CJ and Company, Dance, Dance, Dance - Chic, Got to Give It Up - Marvin Gaye.

1978

RADIO - WBOS, Boston adapts nightly four-hour disco music show. In July, NY mellow rocker, WKTU abruptly changes format to 100% disco music and garners the number one spot in the market in one Arbitron Research ratings book. Hundreds of stations follow suit.

RECORD LABELS - Record pools opened and grew and record companies were servicing between 3,000 and 5,000 DJs. RSO's Saturday Night Fever soundtrack brought people into the stores in droves and they bought dance music.

MEDIA - Saturday Night Fever was released and successfully merged vinyl and celluloid into the biggest marketing triumph in the history of the music business. Many films with dance-music soundtracks were to follow, most notorious among them was Thank God It's Friday. Eddie Rivera produces a disco television show called Soap Factory. DISCO NEWS begins publishing in September.

DISCOS - Saturday Night Fever spurs the opening of thousands of new and expensive discos, not only in the big cities, but in the smaller markets of middle America. Glamour clubs such as Xenon n New York opened with one thing in common -- incredible sound systems. All major chains of discos expanded their operations and disco conversions of nightclubs everywhere became common.

MUSIC - Galaxy - War, Supernature - Cerrone, Come Into My Heart - USA-European Connection, East to West - Voyage, Let's All Chant - Michael Zager Band, Boogie Nights - Heatwave, If My Friends Could See Me Now - Linda Clifford, Saturday Night Fever - Soundtrack - various artists, Hot Shot - Karen Young, Shame - Evelyn Champagne King, Boogie Oogie Oogie - Taste of Honey, Instant Replay - Dan Hartman, In the Bush - Musique, Only You - Teddy Pendergrass, I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan, MacArthur Park - Donna Summer, I Love the Nightlife - Alicia Bridges, One Nation - Funkadelic, Risky Changes - Bionic Boogie, Mighty Real - Sylvester, Whistle Bump - Deodato.

1979

RADIO - At first still more stations rushed to "disco" but suddenly at least 60% of the stations which had jumped on the "disco" bandwagon, dropped their format. Dance-oriented WKTU and WBLS in New York continue to dominate the market with ease.

RECORD LABELS - The labels started releasing anything with a beat. Industry-wide sales began to decline and dance music sales in an over-saturated market declined along with it. Labels underwent severe cutbacks and "disco" departments were dropped by many.

MEDIA - Rolling Stone publishes special disco issue. Almost every music trade publication starts "disco" sections. Disco media hype culminates in reports of Comiskey Park Disco Sucks affair. The anti-disco backlash sweeps the idle press. Wall Street Journal prints front page article on the demise of "disco." Saturday Night Fever's dance chorographer, Deney Terrio hosts Dance Fever, nationally syndicated dance contest television show. World's Largest Disco event is held in Western New York.

DISCOS - Bigger clubs opened and specialty clubs evolved. First roller rinks such as Empire and Metropolis in New York became the rage. They brought a whole new clientele into the discos. The other type of disco which evolved was the "rock" disco. The Mudd Club and Heat in New York are the prime examples of this type of club, which often incorporated live music, spurred interest in DOR.

MUSIC - Bad Girls/Hot Stuff - Donna Summer, Don't Stop - Michael Jackson, We Are Family - Sister Sledge, I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor, Good Times-Le Freak - Chic, Got My Mind Made Up - Instant Funk, Come to Me - France Joli, Dancer - Gino Soccio, Born to be Alive - Patrick Hernandez, The Boss - Diana Ross, Ring My Bell - Anita Ward, Disco Nights - GQ, Keep on Dancin - Gary's Gang, Ladies' Night - Kool and the Gang, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart, Found A Cure - Ashford and Simpson, Pop Muzik - M, Ain't No Stoppin Us Now - McFadden &Whitehead, No More Tears - Donna Summer-Barbra Streisand.

1980

RADIO - Still more stations drop "disco" after less than a year of experience with new format.

RECORD LABELS - Rappers Delight becomes the biggest selling 12" in history and spurs a wave of "rap records." Music market begins its climb back to equilibrium. Dance music still selling well but it is no longer promoted to discos with its former intensity.

MEDIA - Many music trade publications dropped or modified their disco and dance music coverage. The popular press left disco alone to cover more important world and national affairs.

DISCOS - Business at some clubs slacks off a little but clubs keep opening. Club owners still see disco as a cost-effective alternative to live entertainment. Rock clubs and roller discos continue to proliferate.

MUSIC - And the Beat Goes On - Whispers, Funkytown - Lipps, Inc., Relight My Fire - Dan Hartman, Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll - Vaughan Mason, Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang, Haven't You Heard - Patrice Rushen, Second Time Around - Shalamar.

Disco News first published the above History of Disco list. The monthly newsletter was founded in 1978 by Tom Silverman, currently chairman of Tommy Boy Records.

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