Disco, Prologue: The Origins - The Early Years

Our previous story examined the dances before disco (in the 20th century). Today we'll deal with the origins of disco, as well as its early hits before it became a dominating power. We took our time, but we finally got there!

The Days Before Disco

1900-1933: In the US, people dance in clubs to a piano or jukebox. This nightclub scene goes underground with Prohibition until 1933 when nightclubs become popularized again with the use of big bands and swing music.

Spring 1939 – The Swing Kids are a small middle-class German youth movement dedicated to jazz and the flamboyant fashion that accompanies the music. They come together to dance and to show off their latest moves and jazz clothes. The Swing Kids are reacting against the growing Nazi movement (which saw jazz culture as a bad influence with its ethnic and international culture). Despite being a non-violent refusal of the dominant culture, the group is closed down by the SS.

In Occupied France, jazz and bebop music and the jitterbug dance are banned by the Nazis. They are labeled as degenerate influences. French Resistance groups meet at hidden underground dance clubs called 'discothèques'. They dance to swing music played either on a jukebox or on a single turntable. Dancers wear zoot suits just like the swing dancers in America. (Discothèque literally means "library of phonograph records" in French.)

1942 – La Discothèque, a basement nightclub with only one turntable opens in Paris. The term 'discothèque' is used in Europe to describe clubs where there is no live music played. Later in Paris (1947), Paul Pacine opens the Whiskey A-Go-Go club – one of the first ever nightclubs.

At Whiskey A-Go-Go in 1953 DJ Regine (Zylberberg) uses two turntables with no breaks between the music. There is a dance-floor, colored lights and no jukebox. She is widely attributed with the invention of the modern-day discothèque. During the expansion of her business empire in the 1970s, Régine moved to New York and lived in a suite of the Delmonico Hotel where she opened one of her clubs on the ground floor of the hotel. The club served food under the direction of French chef Michel Guerard. At this time there were 25 clubs bearing her name across three continents and it was said you could party at a Régine's somewhere in the world 17 hours out of every 24. She was also a close friend to all the VIPs. Serge Gainsbourg offered her his songs; one her most popular was Les Petits Papiers.

The late 1950s. Meanwhile, in London, coffee bars in Soho become the trendiest places to be seen such as was Les Enfants Terribles at 93 Dean St. However, these cafes are unlicensed. Frequented by French and Italian immigrants, they cater to the very young who want to dance in the afternoon. In 1950s London, the rock and roll hipsters prefer bars and taverns to nightclubs (the nightclub is not really mainstream here until the 1970s).

It is the early 1960s, and Mark Birley opens a members-only discotheque nightclub, Annabel’s, in Berkeley Square, London. 1961: the US goes Twist crazy. By 1962 New York’s Peppermint Lounge becomes the hip place to be seen twisting the night away on your own or with a partner or two – anything goes. So now people are dancing frequently without a partner. The Peppermint Lounge is witnessing the birth of go-go dancing. In the UK, Roger Earle DJs at The Twisted Earle in Manchester UK, and creates the foundation of the Northern Soul scene (which would have a big impact on Disco).

Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England in the late 1960s from the British mod scene as a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s sound. The northern soul movement, however, generally eschews Motown or Motown-influenced music that has had significant mainstream commercial success. The recordings most prized by enthusiasts of the genre are usually by lesser-known artists, released only in limited numbers, often by small regional American labels.

In the 60s, the northern soul movement had little impact on the UK charts. With the arrival of disco, however, many of the songs that were mid-table hits in the US when they were originally released were resurrected and became big UK hits in the mid-70s. Here are a few examples:

Robert Knight was from Tennessee - and in 1967 he had a #13 US hit with Everlasting Love. This enduring song was an even bigger success in the UK the following year when a version by Love Affair reached #1, ironically preventing Knight's version from progressing further than #40. In 1974, the song was re-issued in the UK, making the top 20.

The cause for this surge of interest was his 1968 recording which only charted regionally upon release in the US, Love on a Mountain Top. Re-discovered by the UK's northern soul scene it got heavy rotation by deejays in late 1973, causing a UK re-release of the record, which eventually entered the UK Singles Charts and peaked at #10 in January 1974.

See how hit songs were presented on British TV at the time, with some mild eye-candy for straight men:

Another example was Virginian Eddie Holman. His 1970 single Hey There Lonely Girl was a smash hit in Northern America (#1 in Canada and #2 in the US), but not so in the UK. The oversight was corrected in 1974 when the song was re-released and peaked at #4 in the UK:

Another such example: Heaven Must Have Sent You by Detroit's the Elgins was a minor US hit in 1966 (#50). A 1971 reissue made #3 in the UK.

Not all northern soul acts were American: Guy Darrell was from Kent, UK. His 1966 single I've Been Hurt failed to chart originally. Then it was reissued in 1973 - and peaked at #12:

The Dawn of Disco

It is 1965 and Arthur opens in New York City with DJ Terry Noel (the first DJ to mix records). Other clubs such as Regine’s, Le Club, Shepheard’s, Cheetah, Ondine also open in the mid-1960s.

Meanwhile over in Europe in 1966 records such as Hold Me Closer and Baby Come Back become hits and kickstart the Eurodisco scene. The club scene in Paris hots up with new clubs named Chez Castel and Chez Regine. Here's Baby Come Back by the Equals:

This is Hold Me Closer:

In Philadelphia, R&B musicians and audiences from the black, Italian, and Latino communities adopted several traits from the hippie and psychedelia subcultures. They included using music venues with a loud, overwhelming sound, free-form dancing, trippy lighting, colorful costumes, and the use of hallucinogenic drugs. Psychedelic soul groups like the Chambers Brothers and especially Sly and the Family Stone influenced proto-disco acts. This is the great Sly and the Family Stone with a medley of hits:

Here they are with their #1 hit, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin):

These are the Chambers Brothers and their most well-known song, Time Has Come Today - the lines between R&B and Rock are blurred:

New York, 1969, and a club named The Continental Baths open and the Sanctuary opens on West 43rd Street with now legendary DJ Francis Grasso. Jerry Butler’s Only The Strong Survive record is released. It pioneers the Philly Sound that would become one of the most important elements of Disco music history. Here it is:

Such clubs entertain and engage the growing confidence of marginalized groups at this time. African American, lesbian and gay, psychedelic, Latino mix with hipster heterosexuals in the New York City and Philadelphia clubs during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In a decade of growing social fragmentation and lifestyle choices, the reaction against the dominant white rock music and culture in America champions the dance music scene of the jazz heyday. Disco also appeals to women, newly liberated by the pill and feminism now a topic of the modern workplace. Women seek to go out unchaperoned, get dressed up, spend their hard-earned wages and dance the night away to funk, latin and soul music.

Many disco sounds and sights also take inspiration from hippy culture elements such as psychedelia, free love, colorful clothing, and drug-taking. It is the era of the counter-culture, the dawning of the age of Aquarius and emancipation and freedom.

Meanwhile, back in Paris, clubs are playing erotic tracks like Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus and long, smooth tracks such as Isaac Hayes’s Walk On By. This is Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus:

... And this is Walk On By:

A forerunner to disco-style clubs was the private dance parties held by New York City DJ David Mancuso in The Loft, a members-only club in his home in 1970. When Mancuso threw his first house parties, the gay community (members of whom comprised much of The Loft's attendee roster) was often harassed by police in New York gay bars and dance clubs. But at The Loft and many other early, private discotheques, men could dance together without fear of police action thanks to Mancuso's underground business model. The first article about disco was written in 1973 by Vince Aletti for Rolling Stone magazine. In 1974, New York City's WPIX-FM premiered the first disco radio show.

As the 1970s dawned, a number of songs became hits that were precursors to the disco sound. 1970 saw a number of them make it big; the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, had a giant hit with Sex Machine:

The Jackson 5 had a #1 hit with The Love You Save:

Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions gave us Move On Up:

The Supremes and Stoned Love made us move to the music:

Here's a northern soul act, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, with Blame it on the Pony Express:

Could you mention disco and think Jimi Hendrix? Well, Message to Love was definitely danceable. The proper version, however, is nowhere to be found, so here's a more laid-back version, recorded on a rehearsal:

The Best Song Oscar winner for 1971, Isaac Hayes' Theme from Shaft was a definitive entry in the early disco canon:

Also in 1971, the Temptations had a big hit with Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are):

The divine Aretha Franklin gave it her all in Rock Steady:

Jean Knight hit the top with Mr. Big Stuff:

Diana Ross urged us to Surrender:

James Brown noticed that women were wearing Hot Pants:

The Chi-Lites were sad, asking everybody, Have You Seen Her?

While the Delfonics were also asking, Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time):

Disco hit the US television airwaves with the music/dance variety show Soul Train in 1971 hosted by Don Cornelius, then Marty Angelo's Disco Step-by-Step Television Show in 1975, Steve Marcus' Disco Magic/Disco 77, Eddie Rivera's Soap Factory, and Merv Griffin's Dance Fever, hosted by Deney Terrio, who is credited with teaching actor John Travolta to dance for his role in the hit movie, Saturday Night Fever, as well as DANCE, based out of Columbia, South Carolina.

As the 1970s advanced, proto-disco hits were getting to be more frequent; in 1972 there were lots of them: i.e. Soul Makossa, by Manu Dibango:

Superstition by Stevie Wonder is a #1 classic, but is also absolutely danceable:

Another classic: I'll Take You There by the Staple Singers.

This is Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart, by the Trammps:

This is Think (About It), by Lynn Collins:

Love Train by the O'Jays is another #1 classic proto-disco song:

... As well as I'll Be Around by the Spinners:

This is Date With The Rain, by Eddie Kendricks:

James Brown's best single for 1972 was Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing:

A classic Four Tops' hit from 1972 is Keeper Of The Castle:

This is a very good one by The Detroit Emeralds: Feel The Need In Me.

Also a very good one by The Spinners: Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?

This is (Win, Place or Show) She's a Winner, by the Intruders:

1973: Karen Lustgarten introduces her disco dance lessons in San Francisco. Her book, The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing, is the first to name, break down and teach popular dances from disco. The book is a bestseller and translated into several languages.

In 1973, the proto-disco songs kept increasing: This is Willie Hutch with Brother's Gonna Work It Out:

This is Eddie Kendricks and Keep on Truckin':

The prominent ambassadors of the Philly Sound, the Stylistics, had a big hit with Rockin' Roll Baby:

This is The Love I Lost, by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes:

This is I'll Always Love My Mama, by the Intruders:

This was the most creative period for Gladys Knight & The Pips. One of their biggest hits was 1973's I've Got To Use My Imagination:

There's a Gloria Gaynor hit in 1973, but since we're devoting a whole story to her there'll be no individual songs from the lady, today.

In the meantime, this is New York City with I'm Doing Fine Now:

You Can Do Magic by Limmie & The Family Cooking was a big UK hit:

Another 1973 classic: That Lady by the Isley Brothers:

Yet another 1973 classic: Think, by James Brown:

This is Doing It To Death, by Fred Wesley & J.B.'s, featuring James Brown:

These are The Spinners with Ghetto Child:

... It's them again, with Mighty Love:

This is La La Peace Song, by O.C. Smith:

This is Woman, by Barrabas:

... While Marvin Gaye was seducing us with Let's Get It On:

... And Barry White led a triple attack; he gave a big hit to his protegées, Love Unlimited, with Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love (1972):

Then, in 1973 he wrote Love's Theme for his backing 40-piece band, the Love Unlimited Orchestra. It went all the way to the top:

His two biggest solo hits for 1973 were I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby:

... and then there was Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up:

1974 was the beginning of disco's rise to the mainstream. A plethora of hits proudly carried the banner for disco - and a number of them were #1 pop hits. Perhaps the most prominent hit of the Philly Sound was the #1 hit TSOP by MFSB (featuring The Three Degrees):

... And here are the Three Degrees on their own, in their UK #1, When Will I See You Again:

This was another big UK hit: Limmie & The Family Cooking and A Walkin' Miracle:

The song that announced the arrival of disco in the grandest way possible was Rock Your Baby, by George McCrae. It was a #1 hit in the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway.

Rock The Boat by the Hues Corporation was also a big international hit:

Barry White had two giant hits in 1974: One of them was Can't Get Enough Of Your Love.

... And the other was You're The First, The Last, My Everything.

His voice may have not been as obviously sexy as Barry White's, but Johnny Bristol did his best in Hang On In There Baby. He was rewarded with a huge hit.

This is another international #1, which combines the era's two prevalent fads; kung fu and disco. It's Kung Fu Fighting, by Carl Douglas:

This is Satisfaction Guaranteed, by the always great Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes (that's Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals):

Sad Sweet Dreamer by Sweet Sensation was a UK #1 and a US and Canada top 20:

Summer Breeze by the Isley Brothers is a beautiful song:

Be Thankful For What You've Got by William De Vaughan is another jewel in 1974:

Remember Cydni (formerly known as Cindy Bullens)? She was one of the Sexolettes in Disco Tex & The Sexolettes. We listened to their big hit, Get Dancing, but for those who didn't, here it is again:

Too Good To Be Forgotten was another hit for the Chi-Lites:

The Tymes had two hits in 1974. First was You Little Trust Maker:

... Then came Ms Grace, a UK #1:

The Trammps offered Where Do We Go From Here:

This is Sugar Pie Guy, by the Joneses:

... Finally, for today, this is Ask Me, by Ecstasy, Passion & Pain:

This is a good place to stop because 1975 was a key year in the development of disco; an American girl from Boston went to Germany, where she met an Italian and an Englishman and history was made. Also in Germany, a number of very successful disco acts were created. Meanwhile in Florida, US, a disco supergroup was born. But before all that, we'll deal with three brothers who were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, lived in England, then in Australia, where they first became known, then back to England and international fame. It was their turn to disco in 1975 that gave their career a second wind and made them one of the five most popular acts of the 1970s. That, however, will be our next story.