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Isn’t that where Richie Kaczor played originally?
Correct. I saw Richie Kaczor play there.
What was it like?
The first time I heard him, I was flabbergasted. He wasn’t really a mixer; he was what I used to call a banger, which is basically slip-cueing. But he was great at it. The thing about it was I went up to him in the booth and he taught me my first lesson (even though I was already DJing, because by 1973 my partner and I were doing gigs). But what I’d learned from Jersey City was to let the record die out and then bring the other one in. That was it. But when I heard Richie play I was like, ‘How can this guy play like this?’ because as soon as one was going, he’d be – BANG – right in there with there next. He taught me how to cue. It took me six months practicing every day. So that exposed me to that style and until about 1975 that was what I did. --Hippie Torales, interviewed by Bill Brewster, 2003
Sadly I could not even uncover a photo of Richie Kaczor, the prince of the turntables at the most the world's most infamous disco, "Studio 54." This blatant lack of information, the authors of "Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life" give him all of about two small paragraphs, and the movie "54" doesn't even acknowledge his exsistence, only furthers my resolve to chronicle everything about disco for current and future generations.
Nicky Siano was quoted as saying with indignation "All these things about Studio 54 recently, and not one of them mentions the D.J.'s. Never mention Richie Kaczor. Richie was a fabulous D.J. "I Will Survive"? He discovered that record. He made a hit out of it. He was incredible. One of the reasons Studio happened was because he was so incredible, and they never even mention him."
Richie is remembered fondly as a down-to-earth sweetheart. An overall good natured gentle person who loved what he did.
He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and spent his allowance on the latest black soul music records during the sixties. In 1973 the old Peppermint Lounge became the Hollywood Disco and Richie was there at the turntables dancing in his jeans and t-shirt and thus a legend was born.
When Ian and Steve opened their posh club Richie was hired as the main D.J. with Nicky Siano, who owned his own club, as an alternate. During his tenure their Richie gained international fame....he and the club were so well known that Casablanca Records released a double-album of his remixes entitled "A Night At Studio 54."
Sadly, like the club, Richie passed into disco history. His impact on disco and Top 40 music cannot be overstated. "When I heard about the Studio 54 movie I said, 'Oh well, at least they'll have "I Will Survive" on there.'" said Tom Moulton. "When I was told they weren't going to put in on the soundtrack, I thought, "Well, it can't be about Studio 54 then" I remember when Richie first played that record. It was the B-side of "Substitute." Everyone walked off the floor. He kept right on playing it and turned it around. It became his biggest record." That was the power Richie had over a crowd....he could literally make a record a number one Billboard hit. Although his program was much more commercial he had the respect of the more underground D.J.'s of the era. A repsect that carried itself back to Chicago when Lou DiVito would talk of Richie in high regards.
If anyone has ANY info or pictures of Richie please share them with us...let's not let a legend go unremembered. I thank you Richie for being in the right place at the right time and creating disco history.......we miss you! -- http://discomuseum.com/RichieKaczor.html
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