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Monti Rock III

When one talks about the DISCO era, the names they mention include Donna Summer, Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, The Trammps, Kool & The Gang, K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Those are great names, but the FIRST DISCO ARTIST that crossed over into Pop Culture was MONTI ROCK III. He appeared on the TONIGHT SHOW with Johnny Carson in the very early seventies. He would come flying out, a flaming superstar, Queen of the stage along with these stereotypical Bimbos he called the Sex-o-lettes and start singing his hit song GET DANCIN.

MONTI ROCK III continued to appear on any show that would have him, putting his chest out, and simply entertain the audience. He wasn't a good singer, in fact he was a "rapper" who talked his way through the songs. It was the performance that one remembered, not his singing. He would erupt into a gay tirade on the stage, all the while, the band playing his catchy tune, and the girls singing"TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-" GET DANCIN was a performance television couldn't resist. It put a DISCO character in every television in AMERICA!! And what a character!!

MONTI ROCK III, a Puerto Rican from New York, was outwardly Gay, when it wasn't smart to be. He flaunted it, and everyone ate it up. He was the DEEJAY in the movie SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and his music was played on top 40 stations nationally. But that was over a year after it was played in every DISCO in AMERICA and most of the world. He never had another super hit again, but some of his other music, like JIMBO SALSA remains a hidden classic, with a very few possessing a copy of it. In the late eighties, he attempted a hip-hop version of GET DANCIN, released on JOEY BOY records, but couldn't get a national distribution deal, so it failed. I wonder what ever happened to MONTI ROCK III???

 

 

Submitted by vyniljunkie (611)