More unlikely disco artists (ideas for Bernie)

[discosavvy]

Hi Bernie,
Over the past few months I've come across some other examples of unlikely disco artists that would be good additions to your list and aren't in Kantonen's & Jones's book's list either. Here are my suggested additions:

Teresa Brewer - "Music, Music, Music" - this is a disco update of her 1950 hit "(Put Another Nickel In) Music! Music! Music!" (originally credited to Teresa Brewer and the Dixieland All Stars)

The Kalin Twins ('50s pop rock singing duo) released "When (Disco Version)" in April 1980 as a remake of a song they originally released in 1958. I haven't heard this song so I can't verify if it's really disco, but I assume it is. Does anyone know more about it?

Huey Lewis and the American Express (later Huey Lewis and the News) - "Exodisco" - this is said to be a disco version of "Theme from Exodus"

Bill Cosby came out with the "Disco Bill" parody LP in 1977.

Karen Carpenter ('70s pop singer in the duo group the Carpenters) - "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind" (released posthumously in the 1990s)

Natalie Cole - "I Love You So" - a wonder because Natalie has said she hated disco and evidently was ashamed of this song!

Maureen McGovern (sang for numerous theatrical and film productions, including "Can You Read My Mind" for the film Superman) - her disco songs include "Different Worlds" and "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"

You can also list Paul Anka separately for his solo disco song "Never Get to Know You"

I'm not sure if he qualifies as unlikely, but there's also Booker T. Jones (of the 1960s R&B group Booker T. and the MGs) with his disco "Don't Stop Your Love"

I also have some other suggestions:

Johnny Mathis also made the disco song "Gone, Gone, Gone" and I think that should be added below "Begin the Beguine" because both songs are well-known. (Evidently some pop radio stations played "Gone, Gone, Gone" back in the day, and it's included on the 1993 "Best Of Johnny Mathis" CD from CBS)

Ann-Margret also made the disco song "Midnight Message".

Wayne Newton also made the disco song "1-2-3".

Diana Ross, as you know, also made the disco hits "Love Hangover" and "I'm Coming Out", but they aren't listed yet. Those are essentials!

The Tymes also evidently had a disco song in 1977 titled "How Am I to Know (The Things a Girl in Love Should Know)". If that's disco, maybe it should be listed along with "You Little Trustmaker"?

Adriano Celentano also made two other disco songs that are included on one of his greatest hits CDs: "Somebody Save Me" and "When Love"

Bette Midler also had made a disco version of "Strangers in the Night" in 1976.

The Spinners also released the disco songs "Body Language" and "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance". But maybe they don't deserve listing because you already listed several of their other disco tracks?

Frankie Valli also made some other disco songs like "Let It Be Whatever It Is" and "Heaven Above Me" and around three others, but I understand they were not well known like "Swearin' to God" and "Soul" were, so of course it's at your discretion whether to add another example. But the disco beat-driven "Our Day Will Come" was a #11 Billboard pop hit in 1975.

And some corrections:

The title of
http://www.discomusic.com/101/C0_60_7/ reads
"Unlikely Disco Artists (A-Z)" but that should be A-E.

At http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/1458_0_7_40_C60/ you list "Carol King" but her name is spelled "Carole King"

For your Bobby Rydell entry for "Sway", you should make it clear that it's the "Disco Version", since his 1960 original of that song was not disco.

"Was Dog A Doughnut?" by Cat Stevens sounds to me like electro-funk and not disco, I'm not sure it belongs in your list.

Similarly, I don't think George Benson's "On Broadway" and "Summertime" are appropriate entries. "On Broadway" is jazz; maybe you were thinking of "OFF Broadway" which is more disco-influenced? And "Summertime" as credited to the George Benson Quartet is jazz, while the solo version seems like a ballad from the initial minute I heard of it. In place of those two, I would suggest adding "Love Ballad" to the George Benson list since that's a true disco song and its success may have influenced him to do songs like "Give Me the Night" and "Love X Love" the next year.

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by discosavvy

Similarly, I don't think George Benson's "On Broadway" and "Summertime" are appropriate entries. "On Broadway" is jazz;

Hi discosavvy,

Just wanted to say that although I don't know Bernie's criteria for inclusion in his "unlikely" list, I would disagree that "On Broadway" is inappropriate for the list. Reason being this song received a lot of club play in New York discos that liked their music just a little bit funky. A lot of people got turned on to George Benson because they heard this song in the club hangin' out last weekend :) . Plus, the fact that it's jazz-infused shouldn't exclude it as, like others in your suggestions, it's an old song from the 60's. The Drifters had this as a hit in 1963 on both the r&b and pop charts. Sure, George gave us stronger dance-oriented music later on but this was his club debut.

[Bernie]

Thanks for the extra suggestions. Always on the lookout for more. The George Benson tracks will stay since just as Nicky stated they were played at all the Discos and on Disco radio at the time. Thanks again.

[QUINNY]

NIck Nack & Bernie: George Benson's intro to disco music was Supership in 1975/6. This came out before Breezin' LP which had many strong dance tracks that were played.

[Boodikka]

Bernie, don't forget Country star Bill Anderson's "I Can't Wait Any Longer" in 1978. He even appeared on "Soap Factory in the summer of 1978 lip-synching this "disco hit".

[NickNack]

Bernie,

I just checked your list and Andy Williams is not there for "Are You In There", disco version. I would say he's a very unlikely artist for your list.

[Bernie]

Thanks everybody! I finally got around to updating the lists.

[ol'skinflint]

Originally Posted by NickNack

Hi discosavvy,

Just wanted to say that although I don't know Bernie's criteria for inclusion in his "unlikely" list, I would disagree that "On Broadway" is inappropriate for the list. Reason being this song received a lot of club play in New York discos that liked their music just a little bit funky. A lot of people got turned on to George Benson because they heard this song in the club hangin' out last weekend :) . Plus, the fact that it's jazz-infused shouldn't exclude it as, like others in your suggestions, it's an old song from the 60's. The Drifters had this as a hit in 1963 on both the r&b and pop charts. Sure, George gave us stronger dance-oriented music later on but this was his club debut.

Many many songs not considered disco have received club play, either as part of individual mixes by the dj or in officially remixed versions (like Everything but the Girl's "Missing"). I was in a Las Vegas disco a few years ago and the dj had an instrumental disco backbeat going into which he mixed the Knack's "My Sharona", Def Leppard's "Photograph" and AC/DC's "Back in Black", songs considered rock classics, and everyone kept dancing. George Benson's "On Broadway" sure sounds closer to jazz than disco to my ears but it's quite danceable no matter what it's called, and his song "Off Broadway", if I remember correctly, has the hi-hat often associated with disco. But I sure wouldn't consider any song played in a club to be disco. I even heard the Crusaders 11 minute "Street Life" played in a disco once, and in its original album version.

[Alcastar]

Originally Posted by discosavvy

Johnny Mathis also made the disco song "Gone, Gone, Gone" and I think that should be added below "Begin the Beguine" because both songs are well-known. (Evidently some pop radio stations played "Gone, Gone, Gone" back in the day, and it's included on the 1993 "Best Of Johnny Mathis" CD from CBS)

The "Mathis Magic" album from '79 holds quite a few buried disco treasures. Classic songs re-done disco style: "Night And Day", "That Old black Magic" as well as "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind" which would later become Karen Carpenter's infamous disco number.[/quote]

[Cdnbob]

You might want to include Engelbert Humperdinck's disco remake of the Elvis Presley song "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You", also Debbie Boone (sorry I can't think of the name of the song, but its off one of her later albums), Donny Osmond (two albums, 1976's "Disco Donny" and 1977's (Holland Dozier Holland produced album) "Donald Clark Osmond", and Donny & Marie Osmond (another Holland Dozier Holland produced album) "Winning Combination".

Also wasn't the Frankie Valli song actually "Soul/Heaven Above Me"? I have the album with this on and the two blend together and I always thought it was billed this way?