KC and the Sunshine Band is set to tour Manila in September to bring back memories of the exciting and vibrant disco era of the 1970s in a concert on Sept. 14 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ovation Productions is presenting the popular American pop group in its debut local concert dubbed, KC and the Sunshine Band Live In Manila, which is expected to draw an impressive crowd representing a cross-section of music fans, from Baby Boomers to Generation Xers to millennials.
The one-night event will re-live a memorable time in music through songs and dance moves that reflect the spirit, mood, style and sound of the ‘70s disco generation that saw the rise of KC and the Sunshine Band led by Harry Wayne Casey – a.k.a. KC – which racked up some of the era’s biggest, most recognizable disco dance hits.
Still as popular and as appealing as when it burst into the music and concert scene some 40 years ago, KC & the Sunshine Band has been credited for having transformed the sound of modern pop music as its leader developed an audio rainbow of diverse roots, with a unique fusion of R&B, folk and a hint of a Latin percussion groove.
With a distinctively unique sound encompassing many generations and genres, the band is expected to stir up a disco dance frenzy among concert-goers as they sway, shake and swoon to the exhilarating sound of the band’s top hits, such as “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s The Way (I Like It),” “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “Give It Up,” “Please Don’t Go,” “I’m Your Boogie Man,” “Rock Your Baby” and “Keep It Coming Love,” among many others.
With sales of over 100 million records, nine Grammy nominations, three Grammy Awards and one American Music Award, the group has definitely stood the test of time to maintain its top position in the music and recording industry.
KC and the Sunshine Band was officially formed in Hialeah, Florida by Harry Wayne Casey, who subsequently forged a musical collaboration with Richard Finch that produced some of the band’s best-selling hits from mid- to late 1970s.
The release of its self-titled triple platinum second album, KC and the Sunshine Band, in 1975 opened the door to the group’s first major US hit, “Get Down Tonight,” which topped the R&B chart in April and hit no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
From 1975 onwards, the band sustained an impressive run of other disco hits that contributed to the surge in its popularity, such as “That’s The Way (I Like It)” in 1975, “Shake Shake Shake Shake Your Booty” in 1976, “I’m Your Boogie Man” and “Keep It Comin’ Love” in 1977, “Boogie Shoes” in 1978 (included in the monster-selling soundtrack to the hit John Travolta disco movie, “Saturday Night Fever”) and “Do You Wanna Go Party” and “Please Don’t Go” in 1979.
The group split up in the early ‘80s but re-formed in the ‘90s for concert performances following the revival of disco music and the renewed interest in bands from the era of the ‘70s that swept the US during that period.
The decade saw the release of a large number of compilation albums of the re-formed band, along with some newly-recorded material, including an episode of VH1’s popular Behind the Music series that chronicled the group’s ups and downs. Several KC/Finch songs have also been included in the “Dance Dance Revolution” series of dance video games.
Casey led a studio album, Oh Yeah! (1993), as well as the concert album Get Down Live! based on tour dates throughout North and South America.
The band continued to appear on the oldies tour circuit, also recording in the studio for occasional albums, such as I’ll Be There For You (2001) and Yummy (2007). In 2016, it delivered a tribute to ‘60s pop music, Feeling You! The ‘60s.
On July 6, 2013, KC & the Sunshine Band was honored with a Golden Palm Star in the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. The Star was presented by Barry Manilow and city officials. Members of The Village People were also in attendance,
In March-April 2016, KC and the Sunshine Band reaped success on the Billboard Dance Club play chart with “I’m Feelin’ You,” a collaboration with dance act Bimbo Jones.
(Tickets are priced at P5,808, P4,752, P3,696, P2,640 and P1,584 and are available at all regular Ticketnet outlets and online through www.ticketnet.com.ph).
