“I didn’t want to have to deal with anything. The next year, Casey quit the music business. TK Records went bankrupt, and KC and the Sunshine Band released four albums (three after signing with Epic Records), but managed only a modest hit single with “Give It Up” in 1984. He and his long-time songwriting partner, Richard Finch, parted ways. The glory days for KC and the Sunshine Band – like nearly all of the disco artists – came to an end, as punk/new wave became the next hot trend as the 1970s turned to the 1980s.Ĭasey had one more top 5 hit, “Yes, I’m Ready,” a duet with Teri DeSario, in 1980, but the new decade was otherwise trying. I don’t remember much of what I did during the day.” And when they didn’t, I just stayed in the room. “I didn’t have to have a private jet because commercial planes flew every hour on the hour from practically anywhere we were. “Sometimes I could just catch a commercial flight home after the show and sleep in my own bed and then get on another plane and go back to the show the next day,” Casey recalled. Casey spent many days on the road holed up alone in his hotel room with a pair of guards stationed outside the door, while throngs of fans gathered at the hotels hoping to see – or even meet – Casey.

The reason for the isolation was his popularity. “I was on top of the world, but the loneliest person I think I knew on the planet at the time.” That was lonely,” Casey said of his touring life. While he spent much of his time writing and recording songs, the KC and the Sunshine Band tours had their share of difficult moments. These songs made KC and the Sunshine Band one of the biggest stars of the disco era – and in fact, “Get Down Tonight” came out well before that term disco was being used to describe the music and before the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and the Village People joined the scene and led an army of acts that sought to capitalize on the trend.īut the huge success during the 1970s wasn’t all fun and games for Casey. And I knew I might be a little wrong on this one.” But I really learned a quick lesson because before the record even came out, we went to Dallas, Texas for a show. And I felt like it wasn’t going to happen. “‘Shake Your Booty’ seemed to happen so, the way I put it, it was just easier. “The only one I really wasn’t totally sure about was ‘Shake Your Booty,’” Casey elaborated. “I always had a feeling when I was writing the song and when I was in the studio, I could kind of feel this really mysterious aura happen during the recording of some of the songs,” he said Casey says he knew every one of those songs was going to be a hit. 2 single in “Keep It Comin’ Love.” Another chart topper, “Please Don’t Go,” arrived in 1979. 1 hits – “That’s the Way (I Like It”), “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “I’m Your Boogie Man” and a No. 1.”īetween 19, the group notched three more No. “He says, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ And six weeks later it was No. I said ‘Henry, what’s happening? I have a smash record,’” Casey recalled in a recent phone interview. I went to the owner of the record company, who was Henry Stone at the time. 98 one week and the next week it fell off. The man who would become known to millions as KC of KC and the Sunshine Band enjoyed some minor success with a pair of early singles, “Blow Your Whistle” in 1973 and “Sound Your Funky Horn” in 1974 on the Miami-based label, TK Records, before making the group’s 1975 self-titled debut album.Īnd when he came up with a song he was calling “Get Down Tonight,” Casey knew he had a game-changing tune for the album.

In the 1970s, one artist who surely seemed to have his finger on the pulse of what type of songs would be hits at top-40 radio was Harry Wayne Casey.

Richard finch musician