“KC & The Sunshine Band” is an American band that
ranges between genres such as disco and funk, founded in 1973 in Hialeah,
Florida. The original lineup included Harry Wayne Casey (KC), a former
part-time employee of "TK Records" in Hialeah, Florida, where he also
worked in a record store. Initially, the band was called “KC & The Sunshine
Junkanoo Band” because KC involved both studio musicians from “TK Records” and
members of a local band called “Miami Junkanoo Band”.
The musical collaboration between Harry Wayne Casey and
bassist Richard Finch began when Finch was producing records for TK. Guitarist
Jerome Smith and drummer Robert Johnson soon joined the lineup, both from the
TK studio pool of musicians.
The band's first songs, "Blow Your Whistle"
(September 1973) and "Sound Your Funky Horn" (February 1974), were
released as singles and achieved good success on the US and international
R&B charts. This success prompted TK to request a new single and album.
Meanwhile, while working on the demos for "KC &
the Sunshine Band", the song "Rock Your Baby" was conceived for
George McCrae. Written by Casey and Finch and featuring Smith on guitar, the
song reached number one on the charts in 51 countries by mid-1974.
With the release of their self-titled second album,
"KC and the Sunshine Band," in 1975, the band achieved its first
major hit in the United States with "Get Down Tonight." The song
reached number one on the R&B charts in April and number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 in August. "That's the Way (I Like It)" was another
number one hit in November 1975, and the group received four nominations and a
win at the 1976 Grammy Awards.
The 1976 album, "Part 3,"
spawned two number-one singles: "I'm Your Boogie Man" and
"(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty." Another hit, "Keep It
Comin' Love" (1977), reached number two on the charts. Their period of
success lasted until their fifth album in 1979; the last single to reach the
top of the charts was "Please Don't Go", which peaked at number one
for a week in January 1980.
In 1981, the partnership between Finch
and Casey came to an abrupt end. Two years after the release of the previous
album, the band released two new albums: "The Painter" (1981) and
"Space Cadet Solo Flight" (1981). Despite their efforts, both albums
achieved little success. However, in 1982, with the release of "All in a
Night's Work", a hit song titled "Give It Up" (1983) brought the
band back to success in the UK, and a year later it reached the Top 40 in the US
United.
Despite the success of the single,
Epic Records refused to release the song in the United States due to previous
failures. In response, a frustrated Casey formed Meca Records and released the
single himself with the aim of achieving success in America. Although the plan
was successful, the album failed to meet expectations. This situation led to
the freezing of the group's activities around 1984, culminating in Casey's
retirement.
On July 28, 2000, guitarist Jerome
Smith tragically lost his life in an accident while working as a bulldozer
operator. This painful loss represented a difficult time for the band.
On July 6, 2013, KC and the Sunshine
Band were honored with a “Golden Palm Star” on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars,
well-deserved recognition for their notable contributions to the music and arts
landscape.
Album
1974 - Do It Good
1975 - KC And The Sunshine Band
1976 - Part 3
1978 - Who Do Ya (Love)
1979 - Do You Wanna Go Party
1981 - The Painter
1982 - All In A Night's Work
1993 - Oh Yeah!
1995 - Get Down Live !
2005 - In A Mellow Mood
2006 - Big Hits Live!
2010 - Live
2010 - Ao Vivo
2015 - Feeling You (The 60s)
2015 - A Sunshine Christmas
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