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2012 was, sadly, a year of major losses in pop music, a large number of whom are associated with classic disco and dance music. Not wanting to be maudlin, but attempting to show my respects to idols, legends, superstars, here is an overview of people we dance-music lovers will seriously miss in 2013.
Remember when weekend-afternoon television could entertain us with dynamic talent? There was a time, you know. Soul Train brought us many of the great artists of the classic disco era, and American Bandstand added disco singers to its roster during the genre's heyday. Host and producer of Soul Train, Don Cornelius, passed away early in the year, with Dick Clark of American Bandstand -- upon which Soul Train was modeled -- leaving this mortal coil just two months later.
There probably is no greater icon of classic disco than Ms Donna Summer who, shockingly, left us in May. Ms Summer, posthumously inducted into the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, appeared on both Soul Train and Bandstand back in the day. The Queen of Disco continued to have successes in the ensuing decades, always primarily a dance diva (despite her masterful ability to assay other musical genres like jazz or ballads), whether the style of her dance music had then evolved into hiNRG or house.
Another iconic diva, Whitney Houston, passed away in 2012, also sending shock waves throughout the world of pop music. Daughter of Cissy Houston (who had her own disco hits), she was a second-generation dance diva who energized the dancefloor with the remixes of a string of hits that were often the essence of fabulousness.
2012's other losses from disco days gone by include Jimmy Ellis of The Trammps ("Disco Inferno") and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees ("Stayin' Alive"), while Andy Williams was known to knock out a disco tune or two, and rapper Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys was not a total stranger to music for the dancefloor himself ("Shadrach"). The contributions of all these people will genuinely be missed in the new year, but it's through their music that they will continue to live on.
La La Brooks told a very interesting and heartfelt story about her relationship with Dick Clark to her "Facebook Family" of Friends. La La was one of the original vocalists of The Crystals, working with Phil Spector in the Sixties. La La is an amazing, accomplished singer with an electric stage presence. She will be at Iridium in September (dates to be announced). Writes La La:
"I know you, my friends know by now about the passing of Dick Clark. As some of you may or may not know, I worked with Dick on many of the Crystals' tours. These tours were called the 'Caravan of Stars.'
"You may not know this, but I was very close to Dick Clark. When I was on tour with him in the 60's, Dick would always call me to ask if I could cover for any of the artists who got sick and couldn't perform; I would fill in for those artists and still do my show with The Crystals. One day the Dixie Cups' singer, Barbara Hawkins became ill and couldn't sing, so Dick asked me, "La La, could you fill in for another artist?" And so I sang "Chapel of Love" with Rosa Lee Hawkins and their cousin Joan. Another time I filled in for the singing duo, Paul and Paula. This was a White couple and when Paula became sick, Dick asked me to fill in for her. I thought it was crazy!! I didn't know how people were going to accept me as the Black Paula!! But I did it and I made it through. I remember that the audience was laughing when we came out on stage to sing. But somehow we made it work. After our set, Dick gave me a big hug and said, 'Wow! You made it!' He always could count on La La to fill in for the sick singers.
Years later when I was living in Vienna, Austria, my son called me from New York saying that he saw Dick Clark in a restaurant on 72nd street. My son ran in there and approached Dick and said, 'You know my mother!' Dick asked, 'Who is your mother?' When my son told him who I was, Dick remembered me and asked where I was and what I was doing. My son said that I was living in Vienna and Dick responded by mentioning that he and his wife were going to be vacationing in Vienna in a few days. What a coiincidence! He said that each year he and his wife traveled abroad to different countries. He asked my son for my number and said that he would call me when he got over there. My son called me and told me what had happened and I said, 'Yeah, right. Dick Clark isn't gonna call me. He's too busy and I haven't seen him for years.'
Well, one day in Vienna, my phone rang and it was Dick Clark. I was shocked! He asked me to meet him and his wife for dinner. I met them at their hotel, we went to a restaurant and strolled down memory lane for hours. He remarked as to how good I looked and suggested that I come back to the States and get work. I told him that I was afraid and unsure as to whether I'd be able to find any work there. I had recorded a CD in Austria, 'La La Brooks & Friends, which I said that I would send him so that he could hear how I sounded now. But I was still apprehensive and fearful about returning to America.
"Shortly thereafter, Dick wrote me two letters insisting that I return home; he said the CD was THAT GOOD. He told me that if I came back, I should call him. Eventually when I did return I phoned him and he said that he was happy that I was back and that if I needed him for any assistance, I should call him. I said that I didn't want to trouble him and that I was just thankful that he had been so persuasive in getting me to have the courage to come back to America. And over the years, I would keep in touch and call him just to see how was doing. So it's all because of Dick Clark that I returned home and I'm here today.
"So I want to thank Dick for believing in me and may he rest in peace. He was such a good guy."
"Even though I told him in 1984 that I wanted to rule the world, it’s Dick Clark who ruled the world. He loved what he did and his energy and enthusiasm were boundless. A great man. I bow to his memory and everything he did with his life." - Madonna
The year was 1984 and I clearly remember seeing this when it first aired. (From my playpen.) Madonna sang "Holiday," then had this exchange with the late Dick Clark. Madonna had just released her debut album and was already displaying her blonde ambition, American Bandstand was still going strong and Clark was a power player in the world of pop music. His influence, from the '50s through the '80s via his show, cannot be overstated.
"America's oldest teenager," Dick Clark, the perennially youthful, clean-cut host of American Bandstand during 1956 through 1989, was a true television icon.
Says Wikipedia of Bandstand: "The show's popularity helped Dick Clark become an American media mogul
and inspired similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and Top of the Pops. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company."
The only person to ever co-host Bandstand with Dick Clark was Donna Summer, who joined him to present a special episode dedicated to the release of the Casablanca film Thank God It's Friday in May 1978.
Eight years ago, Dick Clark suffered a massive stroke. His severely impaired speech proved no obstacle as Clark still returned to his New Year's Rockin' Eve show on December 31, 2005 and appeared on every New Year's Rockin' Eve through the 2011/2012 show.
As a trivia aside, not only is Mr Clark's nickname "Dick," his middle name is "Wagstaff." Below, Barry Manilow sings "American Bandstand," a tribute to the show and its host, in an unfortunately goofy video. (Hey, it was the best I could come up with!)
Goodnight, Dick Clark, we will especially miss you come New Year's rockin' eve.
New York City is now officially Gagaville; we just live in it. After doing Barney's windows for Christmas, Her Highness will spend New Year's Eve with Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Now, there's a power couple for you to consider! Lady Gaga Bloomberg... hmm, has a ring to it! Why not? She's a smart girl, after all.
But all seriousness aside, it seems our burgomeister is gaga over Gaga. “I have never met Lady Gaga,” Bloomberg sadly admitted at a City Hall news conference. “I saw her once perform at the Metropolitan Museum. I thought she was a great entertainer, but I do not personally know her and I’m looking forward to it!”
The dance diva will be Bloomberg's special guest on New Year’s Eve for the 2012 countdown. La Ga will push the Waterford crystal button at 11:59 p.m., signaling the start of the dropping ball and the final countdown to midnight. (A dropping ball is not usually a good sign except on New Year's Eve, as you -- and Gaga -- are, most likely, already aware.) M'Lady will also perform in front of about 1 million people in Times Square for New Year's Rockin' Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party. America's Oldest Teenager, Dick Clark, 82, will co-host again with Ryan Seacrest beginning at 10:00 p.m.
Seacrest gushed, "Lady Gaga is one of the most exciting and relevant artists of our time, and we're thrilled to have her join 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' this year in Times Square!"
Lady Gaga, you have ruled this burg this holiday season. In fact, you've recently been all over the globe, freshly returned from performing in India. From Bangladesh to Bloomberg, obviously world domination is your goal and you've nearly reached it. But welcome home, and I hope to tune in to catch you on the edge of glory once again.
