A Great Injustice

It’s been a while since I last made a blog post so this will be a combination of both the “Justice For Disco” episodes. Bear with me as I try to catch up on all the latest, because June and July have been crazy busy (LOL!!!) In the episodes of “Justice For Disco Part 1 and 2”, it was a passion of mine to share, explain and sort of fight back for a whole genre that was really done a great injustice.

Mention in the episodes were the whitewashing of the genre’s original origins which including the sound, music, style, fashion and culture from the underground clubs in New York including the legendary Studio 54 to the rise of the club DJ’s and the dances and songs cultivated by black, brown and LGBTQ+ communities. We also talked about black women being another major driving force behind the genre, including Donna Summer (the Queen of Disco), Gloria Gaynor, Anita Ward, Thelma Houston, groups like LaBelle, Chic, KC & The Sunshine Band, Earth, Wind & Fire and the Diva of Disco, Sylvester!!! All of it is what made disco, disco and included in that story is how one movement to disparage, dismantle and discredit it had its consequences, especially for groups like Chic.

The great Niles Rodgers, who was founding member, songwriter and musician for the group talks about how the group’s luck completely changed after the “Disco Sucks” Demolition Night at the White Sox stadium back in the summer of 1979. The radio stations would stop playing the group’s music along with other disco artists (skip the fact that the records that we’re brought to the Demolition Night at the White Sox game weren’t just disco records, they were black R&B and Soul artists that didn’t identified as disco). The music scene and dominance in the music charts were black artists, artistry, black music and culture gaining dominance and as a result, the tried and true rejection of that from a certain population in the country reared it’s ugly head like it has done time and time again.

But to be clear this is not a rejection of any other type of style of music, particularly rock or country. Quite the contrary, it’s about the acknowledgement of the mean spirited and intentional denigration of one music genre that has its own unique flare and artistry, with the taking back the narrative about what the genre is really about and the joy, beauty and wonder it has given millions of fans and music lovers alike. I also pointed out in Part 1 that rock, country, pop, R&B/Soul, blues AND DISCO all interconnect with each other one way or another. Not every genre stands alone by itself. If you take the time to listen to some 80s Pop/rock, you’ll find some element of disco! Speaking of Rodger Niles, after the disbandment of the group Chic, he would go on to produce, write and serve as a musician for a lot of great artist in Rock and Pop, like David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna just to name a few. And in some of their tunes during the 80s, you can obviously hear and feel the influence and impact of disco through the genius of Niles Rodgers and the musical culture of disco. I was just on a rabbit hole journey into the discography of Madonna and I can’t help but to be in awe of Rodgers genius infusing what he did with disco into the sound of Madonna during the “Like a Virgin” era. But then again, music lovers become drawn to the sound and music with a Caucasian face on it by the time of the 1980s and not the people who help mold and cultivate it. It’s a tale as old as time.

In conclusion, the whole point of “Justice For Disco” is to reclaim the narrative that was lost and reenforce the tale of the beauty, the majesty and wonder that is the genre that is still never died on the White Sox baseball field in Chicago of 1979. It lives in breathes in today’s pop, dance, R&B and hip-hop artists and performers, the Coachella and other music festivals, night clubs and underground house parties and the club DJ booths, hey even in DJ D-Nice who became famous through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020! It continues to stay with us and will forever stay.