Latest news with #SunshineBand
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
KC and the Sunshine Band to bring boogie shoes (and the Village People) to Waite Park
It's going to feel like a wedding reception in Waite Park on Aug. 7. The Ledge Amphitheater is hosting funk and disco legends KC and the Sunshine Band and the Village People as part of its summer concert series. The Florida-formed headliners rose to fame in the mid-70s with hits like "Boogie Shoes," "Get Down Tonight," "That's the Way (I Like It)," and "Shake, Shake, Shake (Shake Your Booty)," songs that have become so familiar that casual listeners might have forgotten it was just one group behind the string of hits. Like any group that's been around for more than half a century, the lineup has changed many times, but it's still led by founder Harry Wayne Casey. The Ledge's lineup kicks off on June 8 with Alison Krauss and Union Station and continues throughout the summer with performances from ZZ Top, Chicago, Barenaked Ladies, Darius Rucker, Slightly Stoopid, and many others. Tickets to see KC and the Sunshine Band are on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 16.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kneecap lead Coachella crowd in anti-Margaret Thatcher chant
Kneecap took time out of their Coachella set earlier today to lead the crowd in a raucous rendition of a chant aimed at former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The Irish rap group were joined by full-throated audience participation as they sang 'Maggie's in a Box' to the tune of KC and the Sunshine Band's 1983 hit 'Give It Up.' The trio - Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí - are longstanding critics of the former Conservative leader, who died in 2013. In an interview with PoliticsJoe last year they were confronted with a social media post that stated: 'Mrs Thatcher will be remembered long after Kneecap are forgotten.' Móglaí Bap responded: 'That's true. She'll be remembered as a c***.' Mo Chara added: 'She'll be remembered as a brutal b******.' The group have a significant following in the United States, particularly after the success of their BAFTA-winning biopic. The film depicted their rise to fame and how they strived to bring the Irish language to a younger generation. In a four-star review, The Independent critic Clarisse Loughrey called the film a 'sweary, crude and brilliantly political Irish comedy.' After winning the BAFTA for outstanding British debut in February, Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt dedicated the award to those who are fighting to 'have their homeland respected'. "Everyone should have their language respected, their culture respected,' he added. 'This award is dedicated to everyone out there who's fighting that fight.' Earlier in the day at Coachella, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong made a surprise appearance with The Go-Gos, joining the reunited band for an exuberant performance of their 1984 single 'Head Over Heels'. Green Day will headline the Saturday night of the festival in Indio, California tomorrow. Attendees at this year's festival had earlier complained about long queues and a lack of facilities, branding the experience of arriving at Coachella as 'worse than Fyre Festival.' In addition to Kneecap and The Go-Go's, today will also see a headline set from Lady Gaga, who returns at the top of the bill after headlining the festival in 2017, and performances from Missy Elliott, rising pop star Benson Boone, The Marías, White Lotus star and BLACKPINK member LISA, The Prodigy, Parcels, Mustard, and Mau P. Those not attending the festival in person can livestream performances on Coachella's YouTube channel or via the new Coachella Livestream app, beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET each day.
The Independent
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kneecap lead Coachella crowd in anti-Margaret Thatcher chant
Kneecap took time out of their Coachella set earlier today to lead the crowd in a raucous rendition of a chant aimed at former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The Irish rap group were joined by full-throated audience participation as they sang 'Maggie's in a Box' to the tune of KC and the Sunshine Band's 1983 hit 'Give It Up.' The trio - Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí - are longstanding critics of the former Conservative leader, who died in 2013. In an interview with PoliticsJoe last year they were confronted with a social media post that stated: 'Mrs Thatcher will be remembered long after Kneecap are forgotten.' Móglaí Bap responded: 'That's true. She'll be remembered as a c***.' Mo Chara added: 'She'll be remembered as a brutal b******.' The group have a significant following in the United States, particularly after the success of their BAFTA-winning biopic. The film depicted their rise to fame and how they strived to bring the Irish language to a younger generation. After winning the BAFTA for outstanding British debut in February, Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt dedicated the award to those who are fighting to 'have their homeland respected'. "Everyone should have their language respected, their culture respected,' he added. 'This award is dedicated to everyone out there who's fighting that fight.' Green Day will headline the Saturday night of the festival in Indio, California tomorrow. Attendees at this year's festival had earlier complained about long queues and a lack of facilities, branding the experience of arriving at Coachella as 'worse than Fyre Festival.' In addition to Kneecap and The Go-Go's, today will also see a headline set from Lady Gaga, who returns at the top of the bill after headlining the festival in 2017, and performances from Missy Elliott, rising pop star Benson Boone, The Marías, White Lotus star and BLACKPINK member LISA, The Prodigy, Parcels, Mustard, and Mau P. Those not attending the festival in person can livestream performances on Coachella's YouTube channel or via the new Coachella Livestream app, beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET each day.
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Gwen McCrae, singer who helped open the dance floor to disco, dies at 81
She released most of her best-known songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone that counted other proto-disco acts, including Betty Wright and KC and the Sunshine Band, among its stable. She began performing with George McCrae as a duo. They recorded their own albums, sang backup on others, and carved a presence for themselves in the clubs of South Florida. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up They also performed separately, and Gwen McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. On her own, she was the first person to release a version of the ballad 'You Were Always on My Mind,' in 1972; sometimes shortened to 'Always on My Mind,' it was later recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and the Pet Shop Boys. Advertisement "She was an amazing talent," Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter at TK Records and the lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band, said in an interview. "She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard." After the worldwide success of George McCrae's signature hit, "Rock Your Baby," in 1974, Gwen McCrae recorded her own hit the next year: "Rockin' Chair," a sensual, swinging tune that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart. There was some dispute over how the two came to record their respective songs. Gwen McCrae later said that Casey and Richard Finch had written 'Rock Your Baby' for her, but that she had given it to her husband to help his career — and then asked for her own hit song once his went big. Advertisement But George McCrae had a different spin: Their marriage was on the rocks, he said, and she had given him "Rock Your Baby" in a bid to keep them together. Regardless, their marriage did not last. They divorced a year later. After TK Records closed in 1981, she moved to New York City and signed with Atlantic, where she had a minor hit with "Funky Sensation" in 1981 and recorded two albums. Although her career had begun to slow in the postdisco era, she found a new fan base in Europe, especially in Britain, where the discovery of classic American soul, sometimes called 'rare groove,' was underway in the 1980s. DJs and hip-hop artists sampled her songs. She became known as the 'queen of rare groove' across Britain and Europe. "When I went overseas, I didn't know people loved me so much. They really loved my old stuff," she said in a 1996 interview with a Swedish journalist. "Yeah, I was shocked!" Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born Dec. 21, 1943, in Pensacola, Fla. Her father, Aaron, died when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley. She began singing gospel songs in church and aspired to make religious singing her career. Even later in her career, when she was belting out disco tracks filled with double entendres, she found it uncomfortable to be too explicit. "I had the worst time singing 'Damn Right It's Good,'" she said in the 1996 interview, referring to a song she released in 1976. "I sang like 'Darn right it's good, you better knock on wood'; I could not sing 'Damn right it's good.' And I still can hardly say it. It ain't me!" Advertisement She met George McCrae in 1963, when he was stationed in Pensacola with the Navy. They married soon after, and they began singing together once he left the service in 1967. She leaves two daughters from her marriage to McCrae: Sophia and Leah; a daughter from a previous relationship, Wanda; a son from a later relationship, Alex; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Although 'Funky Sensation' was her last hit in the United States, Ms. McCrae continued to make music and to draw a dedicated following for her live performances, both at home and in Europe. In 2004, she released a gospel album, "I'm Not Worried." Two years later, she worked once more with Stone, recording an album of standards from the TK Records catalog, "Gwen McCrae Sings TK." Although she claimed Florida as her primary residence, she toured Europe extensively. She stopped in 2012, when a stroke after a concert in England left her paralyzed on the left side of her body. This article originally appeared in
New York Times
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Gwen McCrae, Singer Who Helped Open the Dance Floor to Disco, Dies at 81
Gwen McCrae, whose gospel-infused R&B hits of the early 1970s like 'Lead Me On' and 'Rockin' Chair' featured bouncing, dance-floor-friendly grooves that helped open the door to disco, died on Feb. 21 in Miami. She was 81. Her former husband and frequent singing partner, George McCrae, said she died in a care facility from complications of a stroke she had in 2012. Though she had her share of nationwide hits, Ms. McCrae was best known on the music scene in the Miami area, where her upbeat R&B fit perfectly with the hot nights and subtropical vibe. She released most of her best-known songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone that counted other proto-disco acts, like Betty Wright and KC and the Sunshine Band, among its stable. She began performing with Mr. McCrae as a duo. They recorded their own albums, sang backup on others and carved a presence for themselves in the clubs of South Florida. They also performed separately, and Ms. McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. On her own, she was the first person to release a version of the ballad 'You Were Always on My Mind,' in 1972; sometimes shortened to 'Always on My Mind,' it was later recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and the Pet Shop Boys. 'She was an amazing talent,' Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter at TK Records and the lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band, said in an interview. 'She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard.' After the worldwide success of Mr. McCrae's signature hit, 'Rock Your Baby,' in 1974, Ms. McCrae recorded her own hit the next year: 'Rockin' Chair,' a sensual, swinging tune that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart. There was some dispute over how the two came to record their respective songs. Ms. McCrae later said that Mr. Casey and Richard Finch had written 'Rock Your Baby' for her, but that she had given it to her husband to help his career — and then asked for her own hit song once his went big. But Mr. McCrae had a different spin: Their marriage was on the rocks, he said, and she had given him 'Rock Your Baby' in a bid to keep them together. Regardless, their marriage did not last. They divorced a year later. After TK Records closed in 1981, she moved to New York City and signed with Atlantic, where she had a minor hit with 'Funky Sensation' in 1981 and recorded two albums. Though her career had begun to slow in the post-disco era, she found a new fan base in Europe, especially in Britain, where the discovery of classic American soul — sometimes called 'rare groove' — was underway in the 1980s. She recorded new songs and rerecorded old ones for regional markets, and she found a steady stream of singing gigs over the next few decades. D.J.s and hip-hop artists sampled her songs. She became known as the 'queen of rare groove' across Britain and Europe. 'When I went overseas, I didn't know people loved me so much. They really loved my old stuff,' she said in a 1996 interview with a Swedish journalist, adding, 'Yeah, I was shocked!' Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born on Dec. 21, 1943, in Pensacola, Fla. Her father, Aaron, died when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley. She began singing gospel songs in church and aspired to make religious singing her career. Even later in her career, when she was belting out disco tracks filled with double entendres, she found it uncomfortable to be too explicit. 'I had the worst time singing 'Damn Right It's Good,'' she told Ms. Granditsky, referring to a song she released in 1976. 'I sang like 'Darn right it's good, you better knock on wood'; I could not sing 'Damn right it's good.' And I still can hardly say it. It ain't me!' She met George McCrae in 1963, when he was stationed in Pensacola with the U.S. Navy. They married soon after, and they began singing together once he left the service in 1967. She is survived by two daughters from her marriage to Mr. McCrae, Sophia and Leah; a daughter from a previous relationship, Wanda; a son from a later relationship, Alex; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Although 'Funky Sensation' was her last hit in the United States, Ms. McCrae continued to make music, and to draw a dedicated following for her live performances, both at home and in Europe. In 2004 she released a gospel album, 'I'm Not Worried.' Two years later she worked once more with Mr. Stone, recording an album of standards from the TK Records catalog, 'Gwen McCrae Sings TK.' Though she claimed Florida as her primary residence, she toured Europe extensively. She finally stopped in 2012, when a stroke after a concert in England left her paralyzed on the left side of her body.
