GQ--Disco Nights (1979)

    The story of the group GQ was not unlike others caught up in the disco craze. They had been working musicians since the late 60's playing rhythm and blues, and funk as Sabu & the Survivors, then The Rhythm Makers. After the release of an album in 1976, their manager suggested not only a move toward the new disco craze, but a name change to GQ, which stood for "good quality". Their first album under the new name produced, "Disco Nights" which became a number one hit on the R&B charts. Their background in other types of dance music, along with not being typecast as other artists were, allowed them some success on the charts several years after disco went back underground, with their last top 40 hit coming in 1982. The group continued touring and recording throughout the 80's and 90s.

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Gloria Gaynor--Never Can Say Goodbye (1974)

     In music, there are examples of an artist who become so associated with one song that it literally overshadows everything else they do. Thus is the case with Gloria Gaynor. As we'll see with this song, she was a successful recording artist long before that song identified her forever with a specific time and place.
     The album of the same name was one of the first major disco recordings with it's title track being part of a 19 minute suite designed specifically for the dance floor.  In fact, at the beginning of 1975, Billboard began it's dance music top 40 and, "Never Can Say Goodbye" became the first number 1 on that list. The song itself was written by Clifton Davis and first recorded by The Jackson 5 in 1971.
   Gaynor broke out on the top 40 charts at number 9 and began a lifelong relationship with dance music. She only had one more hit on the pop charts (of course, 'I Will Survive', which was her only number one), but has had five number one's on the dance charts, with the latest being in 2002. As opposed to many disco artists of the day, she embraced her role as disco diva, and never stopped touring and recording. You can find out more about her here: http://www.gloriagaynor.com/

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