1970s Disco History

Disco music sprung up in African American and Hispanic communities in the early 1960s, but disco's popularity largely thrived in the 1970s. Disco music was largely created to be upbeat and fun music that people would be able to dance to.

Origins

Disco songs were first released to a wide audience in 1973, although some people say that Manu Dibango's 1972 release, "Soul Makossa," was the first real disco record. "Rolling Stone Magazine" is credited with publishing the first article on disco music in September 1973. The first disco radio show began in 1974 in New York City on WPIX-FM.

Disco Clubs

Another large part of the 1970s' disco scene were the many disco clubs where people would go hang out, dance and party to the hypnotic disco dance rhythm. The very first disco club began in 1970, and by 1975 there were already over 10,000 disco clubs in the United States.

Effects

The film "Saturday Night Fever" and its soundtrack, both released in 1977, are what really throttled disco into popular culture. Many see this as the beginning of the end for disco, as this popularity caused a lot of previously non-disco musicians to release disco-flavored songs just to capitalize on the disco phenomenon.

Breaking Point

By the late 1970s the mass production of many watered-down disco songs and constant radio airplay led a lot of rock 'n' roll fans to coin the phrase, "Disco Sucks!" Disco haters rallied in Chicago on July 12, 1979, to attend the "Disco Demolition Night," an event that many people peg as the night disco died.

Fun Fact

Although disco pretty much began and ended in the 1970s in the United States, the disco music and culture continued strong in Europe well into the 1980s.

References

• Disco Origins
• Disco Roots
• Disco History