KC and The Sunshine Band is one of the most recognizable names from
the disco craze of the '70s. KC, otherwise known as Harry Wayne
Casey garnered a total of nine Grammy nominations, winning three
of them, including two for his work on the Saturday Night Fever
soundtrack, and an American Music Award as well.
KC's records literally sold millions (75 million to be exact)
keeping him on a winning streak that lasted well into the
eighties. KC became a one-man hit factory for South Florida's T.K.
Records, helping several artists scale the charts with material he
composed.
KC shares a distinction with The Beatles as the first artist to
have four #1 singles in the span of one year: "Boogie
Shoes", "Rock Your Baby", "Get Down
Tonight", and "That's The
Way (I Like It)". Notwithstanding, KC's other hits
like "(Shake, Shake, Shake), Shake Your
Booty" and "I'm Your Boogie
Man" still stand as milestones of the disco age.
Back then, KC and The Sunshine Band were the most successful
promulgators of the boisterous, tropically funky dance music known
as The Miami Sound. Formed in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida and
originally named KC and The Sunshine Junkanoo Band, the band ruled
both the Pop and R&B charts, as well as the dance floors
throughout the '70s.
With funky warm and vibrant tones, the brass oriented disco
flavor that comprised the backbone of KC and The Sunshine Band's
sound was flexible enough to incorporate the hodgepodge of
additional styles that KC soaked up in Miami; Motown, Funk, Latin
percussion, Caribbean spice, Southern soul, and groovin' pop hooks
all seeped into the mix to create a tasteful blend of homegrown
music that is purely KC.
Nevertheless, while it's nearly impossible to talk about the
'70s without making mention of KC or his Sunshine Band, the disco
king and his funked-out court continue to fuse kaleidoscopic
guitar sounds and pulsating rhythms into a whirling blend of
motion and emotion to this day.
Whenever KC is asked about his well deserved and continued
success, or about the fervent following of his loyal and devoted
fans, KC graciously smiles and responds: "That's the way I
like it!"
KC and The Sunshine Band is one of the most recognizable names from
the disco craze of the '70s. KC, otherwise known as Harry Wayne
Casey garnered a total of nine Grammy nominations, winning three
of them, including two for his work on the Saturday Night Fever
soundtrack, and an American Music Award as well.
