Disco’s Summer History
When we think about disco (which we’re proud to admit that we do a whole lot of), our mind conjures up images of clubs and roller rinks, amazing outfits and over-the-top concerts. But since we’re also in the midst of enjoying our last days of the summer, we wondered if there was a way to mix the two up … and so we put together a few of our favorite disco moments that happened during the summers of the ‘70s.
George McCrae’s “Rock Your Baby,” considered one of the very first disco songs, topped the charts around the world in July 1974. Fun fact: Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band wrote and produced the song.
The very next year, KC claimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August with “Get Down Tonight.” KC owned the summers during the disco era. In 1976, “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” was heard everywhere as it climbed its way up the charts, landing at #1 by September. In 1977, the band released “Keep it Coming Love” in May while “I’m Your Boogie Man” hit #1 in June.
Journalist Vince Aletti spent the summer of 1973 writing what would become the first magazine story on disco, when Rolling Stone magazine published his “Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty!" that September. By June 1976, the media was going wild and New York magazine ran an in-depth cover story on the city’s club scene that went on to be the inspiration behind “Saturday Night Fever.”
One of our favorite guilty pleasures, “Xanadu,” was released in August 1980, along with a soundtrack that we love to this day. Other great summer disco movies? “Thank God It’s Friday” (1978), “Can’t Stop The Music” (1980) and an honorable mention for “Car Wash,” which hit theaters on September 3, 1976.
Legend has it that it was a summer day in August when The Jacksons first officially took on the name “the Jackson Five Singing Group.” Two years later (in August 1967), the group won the Apollo Theater’s talent show. By July 1968, they earned an audition with Motown and in August 1970, they released the epic ballad, “I’ll Be There.” They recorded “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” in August 1978 and a year later you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing it.
How about you? What are your greatest summer disco memories? Share your disco memories with fellow fans on our Facebook page!