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| Chic Bernard Edwards Nile Rodgers |
| Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers first met in 1970. Just out of high school, the young men became instant friends and clicked musically. They began playing together in jazz clubs and beer joints in and around New York City. By 1972 they met drummer Tony Thompson and, aspiring to create a theatrical rock group like Roxy Music, formed a power-fusion trio called The Big Apple Band. The group changed their name to Chic in 1977 after Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band (not their band) had a number one hit with "A Fifth Of Beethoven." Along with the change in name came a change in music, from fusion to disco.
"Right from the start we had a concept for Chic" said Rodgers. "The music at that time was secondary. We knew we had to have something international and interchangeable with the markets, while at the same time we had to be in with a music that was on the rise. At that time it was rock 'n' roll, and we thought we could make our concept work within it's framework." Rodgers and Edwards took a brief foray into new wave as Allah And The Knife Wielding Punks, but the male-female structure of the ensemble seemed totally unsuited to the blatantly macho rock world of that time. "So we started using our brains. What we wanted to do was make records. We didn't want to be a small band playing bar-mitzvahs the rest of our lives. So we got into disco" said Rodgers. Rodgers elaborated in an interview with Melody Maker; "When disco came in, it was like a gift from heaven. Disco gave us the perfect opportunity to realize our concept, because it wasn't about being black, white, male or female. Further, it would give us a chance to get into the mainstream." Not that they were particularly attracted to the new dance sound. Edwards for one, confessed to Melody Maker that at first, he hated disco music. "I got into it, though, and realized that if we did it our way, it'd be pretty good." Rodgers and Edwards sold all their instruments and used the money to cut a few slick disco sides. These were turned down by every record company in New York City, including two rejections from Atlantic Records. Finally the small independent label, Buddah Records, agreed to release them as a 12" single. The initial response from the clubs was favorable and the track, "Dance, Dance, Dance" with it's Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah hook started gaining club momentum. Atlantic Records president Jerry Greenberg re-thought his earlier rejections and decided to personally sign the group to his label. A promotional-only 12" was serviced to radios and clubs and propelled the song to number 6 in February of 1978. After the recording of their first album, "Chic," original member Norma Jean left and Alfa Anderson stayed and was joined by Luci Martin. Other vocalists on the first album included future disco stars: Luther Vandross and Diva Gray. A second promotional-only 12" pulled from the album, "Everybody Dance," did equally as well and helped the album achieve Gold status in March of 1978. Ironically the girls pictured on the album are not the singers, but models, a common practice in the disco era. Most of the same crew were brought in to help craft the second album. With success at hand, the demand for product was high and Chic delivered quickly and profitably. "C'est Chic" was in stores before the demand of their first album had cooled. Capitalizing on the success of Chic, Atlantic Records went all out with promotion for the follow-up. The first single was released on a promotional-only black and white spinner disc to club D.J.'s and it worked. "Le Freak" became the breakthrough hit they had wanted. It entered the charts on October 28, 1978 and six weeks later hit number one. Selling over four million copies, the certified Platinum single became the best selling single of all time on Atlantic Records. By year's end the album had gone Gold, then Platinum as well. The follow-up 12' single of "I Want Your Love" was released commercially on pink vinyl and went Gold in March of 1979. However it only went to number 7 on the Hot 100. 1978 and 1979 were definitely Nile's and Bernard's years. With each succeeding production, the Chic sound was growing more complex and sophisticated. To perfect their craft, Nile and Bernard found themselves spending more time in the studio. Atlantic had budgeted their first album at $35,000, and the two had brought it in under budget, taking only three weeks. By the third album, "Risque," the figures had escalated to $160,000 and eight weeks. Perhaps Chic's most fully realized creation. "Risque" yielded two top club hits and their second and final number one hit. "My Forbidden Lover" went top twenty in the clubs but failed to crack the Top 40. "Good Times" however succeeded at both charts. It entered the charts on July 7, 1979 and six weeks later it hit number one. Success however, bred slavish imitations of the groups trademark sound. Many people thought Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" was a direct copy of "Good Times." "The press started saying that we had ripped them off! Can you believe that? 'Good Times' came out more than a year before, but it was inconceivable to people that black musicians could possibly be innovative like that. It was just these dumb disco guys ripping off this rock 'n' roll song" said Bernard. And it wouldn't be the only time that the Chic-sound would be appropriated. The Sugarhill Gang used the record as the foundation for "Rapper's Delight," arguably the first rap single. And of course, Vaughan Mason used it for his biggest hit, "Bounce, Rock, Roll, Skate." Nearing the end of the disco explosion, Chic added more ballads and took a harder rock edge to their repertoire. Though the results were never less than interesting, the group seemed to be losing the old Chic-magic. While their own hits were becoming rare, they began to get more involved with writing and producing for other artists. Their success rate has been remarkable. In tandem or separately, the two have produced hits for Norma Jean (original Chic-vocalist), Sister Sledge, Debbie Harry, Diana Ross, Madonna, David Bowie, The Honeydrippers, The Power Station, Duran Duran and Sheila B. & Devotion among others. But, they admitted, juggling careers as artists and producers was sometimes a strain. Chic continued to release albums; 1980's "Real People" featured "Rebels Are We," 1981's "Take It Off" featured "Stage Fright," 1982's "Tongue In Chic" had no hits and 1984's "Believer" closed the curtain for the legendary group. The ironic thing is that while Rogers and Edwards were very much in demand as producers during the 1980's Chic itself never returned to the top of the charts. By 1992 they reunited for a new album. "Chic-ism" failed to generate another hit but it did prove that the guys could still make great music. Touring and cashing in on the revival of disco music took up the remainder of the decade. A live recording captured the group in rare form on 1996's superb "Live At The Budokhan." This would sadly be the last music the famed duo would ever perform together. On April 18, 1996, the night after recording the live Japanese album, Nile Rodgers found his partner Bernard Edwards dead in his hotel room. The apparent cause of death was from pneumonia. The 43-year old Edwards had complained of chest and stomach problems for several days prior to his death. Nile, obviously crushed, has continued on, focusing on producing and writing for others. Their wonderful legacy and the influence it had on popular music is still felt today. Atlantic Records and Rhino Records have teamed up to re-release their entire catalogue on compact disc. Our hats off to two of disco music's most important men. Perhaps second only to the Bee Gees in helping disco music become commercially viable........ |
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