Announcing the Formation of The Dance Music Hall of Fame!!!

[markydefad]

This is the press release:

Announcing the Formation of
THE DANCE MUSIC HALL OF FAME
First Awards Ceremony to be Scheduled for Spring 2004


(New York, NY -- October 30, 2003) Announcing the formation of the Dance Music Hall of Fame. With regular annual events, The Dance Music Hall of Fame will recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution and development of dance music and will celebrate the history and significance of dance music.

Artists and others that helped to shape the dance music industry become eligible for induction 25 years after their first contribution or record release. Criteria include the influence and significance of the nominee's contributions to the development and perpetuation of dance music.

Founding board-members of The Dance Music Hall of Fame include: Brian Chin (Music Historian and Former Billboard Magazine Editor), Daniel Glass (President, Artemis Records), Eddie O'Loughlin (President, Next Plateau Entertainment), John Parker (Vice President, A&R/Dance Promotion, Robbins Entertainment), Thomas Silverman (Chairman, Tommy Boy Entertainment) and Forrest Mallard (The Dance Music Hall of Fame Director of Communications).

The Dance Music Hall of Fame Board of Advisors is composed of dance music professionals, historians and journalists. At the time of this release the list of Board of Advisors includes: John “Jellybean” Benitez, Joey Carvello, Mel Cheren, Dimitri of Paris, Michael Ellis, Frankie Knuckles, Jurgen Korduletsch, Brad LeBeau, John Luongo, Guy Moot, Vince Pellegrino, Cory Robbins, Pete Tong, Cary Vance, Louie Vega, Pete Waterman and Judy Weinstein.

The nominating committee and Board of Advisors will select nominees each year in the categories of Performer, Producer, Record, Remixer, and DJ. Ballots are then sent to an international voting committee of over 1,000 dance music experts. An awards ceremony announcing the first inductees into the Dance Music Hall of Fame will take place at a formal dinner in New York City in Spring of 2004. At this event, The Dance Music Hall of Fame will induct three performers, three records, one producer, one remixer and one DJ.

"Since the beginning, the dance music genre has been largely ignored and dismissed by most of the music industry press and other music industry professionals. There are legendary producers and artists in the dance music industry that have laid the foundation for the popular musical styles of today, including rap and hip-hop, yet they have never been acknowledged for their work." States Thomas Silverman, Hall of Fame board-member and Chairman of Tommy Boy Entertainment. "Through The Dance Music Hall of Fame we will be able to give proper credit to these great music industry pioneers."

For more information please contact:

Forrest Mallard
Director of Communications
646-345-2010
forrestmallard@yahoo.com

# # #

______________________________________________
Well, at least someone cares about the discarded disco performers, eh?
Wonder if they can get Carol Douglas outta her empty refrigerator packing box to perform????? :P

[Bernie]

Hi Marky,

I received this last week and discussed this with one of the promoters and it is really backed by some big people so it looks like it has legs. Looking forward to it.

[Nano]

An awards ceremony announcing the first inductees into the Dance Music Hall of Fame will take place at a formal dinner in New York City in Spring of 2004. At this event, The Dance Music Hall of Fame will induct three performers, three records, one producer, one remixer and one DJ.

I propose we name here whose should be nominated for the first edition. My choice:

Performers: James Brown, Isaac Hayes and Barry White (post-mortem)
Records: "Backstabbers" (O'Jays, 1972), "Soul Makossa" (Manu Dibango, 1973), "Rock your baby" (George McCrae, 1973)
Producer: Thom Bell
Remixer: I won't name any, because supposedly they have to have 30 years of experience
DJ: Tom Moulton (or maybe him as a remixer?)

[markydefad]

Good idea Nano!!!!

My picks would be:

3 Performers: Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor & Barry White

3 Records: "Honey Bee/Never Can Say Goodbye/Reach Out" - Gloria Gaynor
"I Feel Love" - Donna Summer
"Loves Theme" - Love Unlimited Orchestra

1 Producer: Giorgio Moroder (or Gamble/Huff or Norman Whitfield)

1 DJ: Nicky Siano???

1 Remixer: TOM MOULTON!!!!!--who else, indeed???!!!!

[NickNack]

My picks:

3 Peformers: First Choice, Barrabas, Jimmy Castor

3 Records: "The Player", "Hi-Jack", "It's Just Begun"

Producer: Norman Harris

DJ: Nicky Siano (I know, I'm biased, but he's my man :) )

Remixer: Tom Moulton

[DevP]

That's great news. Thanks for the info Marky. I also always felt that dance music doesn't get the credit it deserves. After all look at how much joy dance music has brought to the masses over the years. It has given people a way to releases stress by having powerful beats to dance to, and the upbeat tempo of dance music lifts up the spirit. So dance music has had a positive effect on society and now, finally, it's going to get it's recognition.

My personal choice's for inducties should be the following artist:

Donna Summer - She's the queen of Disco

KC & The Sunshine Band - Pioneer's in Disco/Dance movement.

Chic - Give us some of the best dance music of all time with a unique sound that even got legendary rockers, like The Rolling Stones, Queen and David Bowie to follow suit.

Nile Rodgers - Wrote and produced some of the greatest dance songs of all time. Not to mention one of the best, if not the best, guitar player in dance music history.

Bernard Edwards- Like Nile, Bernie wrote or co-wrote and produced some of the most legendary dance songs, and, without challenge the greatest basist in dance music, perhaps even in music period.

Bee Gees - All I have to say is "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack and that should be enough.

Gloria Gaynor - Perhaps the artist with the most famous disco song, "I Will Survive", and for that along she should be inducted. However, as we Disco/Dance fans know, this diva has put out and continues to put out some of the best disco musis in dance history. "Honey Bee/Never Can Say Goodbye/Reach Out, I'll Be There" medley, "Casanova Brown", "Anybody Wanna Party", "I Am What I Am" and "I Never Knew" just to name a few.

Van McCoy - A pioneer in the Hustle dance movement.

Kool And The Gang - Not only pioneers in the Disco/Dance movement but they continued to move our feet when most of the world was saying stop throughout the 80's.

The Ohio Players - Among the greatest Funk/Dance bands of the 70's.

The Brother's Johnson - The greatest Funk/Dance band period, IMHO.

Vicki Sue Robinson - A pioneer not only in Disco/Dance music but also became the 1st to include real latin percussions in her music. A true professional who I miss very much and still can believe she's gone. :cry:

IMHO these are my choice for shoe-in into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. However, there are other artist, DJ's, writer's/producer's, record label owners etc. that also deserve there recognition in supporting dance music.

DevP

[JussiK]

The BBC, all sorts of tv and radio people, the organisers of the Seattle disco expo - backed by Microsoft and Virgin - have tried to get Donna Summer to express her feelings about disco. The artist cannot be bothered. If that woman would be awarded something in connection with disco she'd no doubt again act like the bitch she reportedly really is. Her producer Giorgio Moroder who earlier tended to diss disco as well had returned to his senses and is apparently most co-operative and charming.

[John Parker]

Glad to see the excitement for our project. Being that we are a small group trying to make this happen, we can use your help. If you know of any Artists, Producers, Mixers, Industry personnel, etc from back in the day, please forward this message to them, We are looking for you!

One of our first goals is to look for contact information on all of the pioneers that would be interested in getting involved with our HOF. Unfortunately, there is no contact list of this kind currently available to us so we are using word of mouth to bring these people in. It's been going well but the more people looking the faster this will go. So please get the word out. :)

You can tell them to e-mail me at: jparker@robbinsent.com and we will get them involved.

Also our ears are open to all suggestions on making this something special.

Thanks,

John Parker
Dance Music Hall of Fame

[Bernie]

John,

Glad to see you made it in and posted. As we discussed last week I am working on getting names and contact info on several people. Should have this for you shortly.

For everyone else, keep checking in as I have agreed to donate advertising space for the event.

[paul]

Hey Nicky, I hope you don't mind but I copied and pasted your format. It was nice and easy. :)

My picks:

3 Peformers: Chic, Donna Summer, Barry White

3 Records: Disco Inferno, Cocomotion, Good Times

Producer: Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards

DJ: Going local here but I want to honor local DJs - Cosmo Wyatt from KIX in Boston

Remixer: John Luongo

[ol'skinflint]

The BBC, all sorts of tv and radio people, the organisers of the Seattle disco expo - backed by Microsoft and Virgin - have tried to get Donna Summer to express her feelings about disco. The artist cannot be bothered. If that woman would be awarded something in connection with disco she'd no doubt again act like the bitch she reportedly really is. Her producer Giorgio Moroder who earlier tended to diss disco as well had returned to his senses and is apparently most co-operative and charming.

I have a hard time believing this one, especially since I've seen Summer on PBS expressing her feelings about music very recently, and all the times I've seen Moroder being interviewed for the past few years he's never been anything but outgoing and friendly. And when you say "if that woman would be awarded something in connection with disco" it leads me to believe you may not be aware she's one of the most commercially successful artists disco has ever produced. This is why I seldom believe inflammatory statements I hear from distant sources anymore. I may read them, and I'm often entertained by them, but I seldom believe them. I tend to believe what I see and hear with my own eyes and ears.

[JussiK]

I have a hard time believing this one, especially since I've seen Summer on PBS expressing her feelings about music very recently, and all the times I've seen Moroder being interviewed for the past few years he's never been anything but outgoing and friendly. .

Yes, the times do change, don't they? My post you are refering to was written some years ago, when Donna Summer was apparently still feeling all contempo R&B. Several influental reporters from England for example tried and tried to get her to discuss her 70's hot stuff in vain. As for Mr Moroder, when a journalist friend of mine interviewed him and enthused about "From Here To Eternity", one of the journo's personal all time faves, the composer replied: "Oh, which one was that, when was that, can't remember those things..." and went on to talk about the film soundtracks of his. But hey, times have changed indeed.