In The Know: "Dancing Madness" by Abe Peck

[JussiK]

Abe Peck's "Dancing Madness" book was published by Doubleday/Rolling Stone early in 1976. Abe has something to add to the ever popular subject here that focuses on the birth of disco, and maybe even to the more heated What Was The First Ever Disco Track debate. He writes: "Ray Barretto...The bright horn arrangements and conga syncopations of his late sixties "Soul Drummer" predated much of today's disco music". Listening to the track we can only agree. There are also great comments from people like Tito Puente, Michael Kunze and Nona Hendryx plus gibberish from the totally bonkers Disco Tex, Dennis White of The Kay Gees and Herbie Mann. Karen Lustgarten demonstrates how to do the L.A. Hustle and Damita Jo Freeman (from the US tv show Soul Train) teaches moves like The Lock and The Breakdown. Willie Colon does the Salsa and Toots Hibbert is seen smoking his troubles away and performing The Chuckie and The Ride-a-Bike. Bet few of us ever saw those two moves done live. - It's a great book and an authentic blast from the past, get it from Amazon or from someplace like that.