Welcome to the final edition of Friday Night Live, our summer series looking back at old late night concert programs from the 70’s. The 70’s showcased pop stars in late-night hours on Friday, usually after Johnny Carson or some other post-10:00 news programming. On NBC, it was the Midnight Special. On ABC, it was In Concert. Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert was a syndicated vehicle.
For the past three months, I’ve shared some of my favorite clips from those old shows. The 70’s saw popular music take all shapes and forms, but no style dominated and is more symbolic with the decade than disco. Everyone took a stab at it, even Sinatra.
Tonight on Friday Night Live, the toe-tapping, finger-snapping rhythmic funky beat of 70’s disco.
It’s hard to believe the group that gave us one the most popular wedding reception songs, “Celebration,” actually started as a jazz ensemble in the 60’s. Kool and the Gang had big hits in the 70’s, performed on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (They won a Grammy), and are still touring today.
Known almost as much for their sexually provocative album covers as their music, the Ohio Players were another horn-driven band that had a slew of hits in the 70's. Their album, "Honey" had a nude woman model feeding herself honey from a jar. The inside cover showed her covered with the sticky stuff. Rumors abounded at the time that the model was murdered duringthe recording of one of the album's tracks, "Love Rollercoaster." The rumor was false. The record was a hit.
They have sold over 100 million records. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards nine times and have won three. They have also won an American Music Award. The band has been in the business for 35 years.
KC & the Sunshine Band are just about everywhere. Their songs are in ads for General Motors, Burger King, Nestlé Toll House Cookies, K Mart, Old Navy, and Nick at Night. Their music has been featured in over 75 movies such as Forrest Gump (Get Down Tonight); Boogie Nights (Boogie Shoes); Boys Don't Cry (Rock Your Baby), Rush Hour (Get Down Tonight); Carlito's Way (Rock Your Baby, Shake Your Booty & That's the Way I Like It). You hear their tunes at sporting events, in clubs, and at wedding receptions. And KC is a loyal Republican! That's something to shake about!
That's it for Friday Night Live.
I hope you have enjoyed our trip down musical memory lane.
Long live the classics!
