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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZKC and the SUNSHINE BANDDance band formed '73 in Florida, had explosive success in disco. Harry Wayne Casey (b 31 Jan. '51, Hialeah FL) worked for a record distributor; struck up songwriting partnership with bassist Richard Finch (b 25 Jan. '54, Indianapolis), who was an engineer at TK Studios in Hialeah; with KC on vocals and keyboards they made 'Blow Your Whistle' as KC and the Sunshine Junkanoo Band (junkanoo being Bahamian pop music); it and the next release were R&B hits; 'Do It Good' and 'Queen Of Hearts' were hits in Europe; they wrote, produced and recorded 'Rock Your Baby' with veteran R&B vocalist George McCrae, who'd sung on 'Do It Good': it was no. 1 on both R&B and pop charts in the USA and many other countries. Casey and Finch were white, the rest black; they embarked on a remarkable series of loose- limbed, funky hits that characterized the 'Miami sound': lineup incl. Jerome Smith (b 18 June '53), guitar; Robert Johnson (b 21 March '53), drums; Ronnie Smith (b '52), trumpet, all from Florida; Fermin Goytisolo, congas (b 31 Dec. '51, Havana); Charles Williams, trombone (b 18 Nov. '54, Rockingham NC); James Weaver, trumpet; Denvil Liptrot, sax. 'Get Down Tonight', 'That's The Way (I Like It)', '(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty' '75--6 were all no. 1 both R&B and pop (they were the first act since the Beatles in '64 to have three no. 1 hits in a twelve-month period); 'I'm You're Boogie Man' was no. 1 pop, 2 R&B, while 'Keep It Comin' Love' was no. 2 pop, 1 R&B, both '77. As well as a handful of lesser Hot 100 entries, their other top 40 hits were 'I Like To Do It' (no. 37), 'Boogie Shoes' and 'It's The Same Old Song' (both no. 35), and they finished off with 'Please Don't Go', another no. 1 '79. KC and/or Finch wrote and/or prod. records for Teri DeSario ('Yes, I'm Ready', no. 2 '79), Betty Wright (backup singer: 'Where Is The Love' won a Grammy; she had earlier hits of her own, notably 'Clean Up Woman', no. 6 '71); Fire (female backup group) and Leif Garrett (b 8 Nov. '61, Hollywood), whose top 20 hits '77--8 incl. 'I Was Made For Dancin''. Albums incl. KC And The Sunshine Band (no. 4 LP '75), Part 3 (no. 13 '76), four more on TK incl. Greatest Hits; KC Ten on Meca; The Painter '81 and All In A Night's Work '82 on Epic. Without the Sunshine band, KC went out with a bang with 'Give It Up' '83, a UK no. 1. |