Bio
Chic is an American band that was formed in 1975/76 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. They are best remembered for their disco songs, including "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979).
Bernard and Nile had former 'Labelle' and 'Ecstacy, Passion & Pain' drummer Tony Thompson join the band. And they performed as a trio doing covers at various gigs for awhile. But they needed a singer to front the band.
And that singer was Norma Jean Wright, who sang lead on their demotape and on all the songs on their first, selftitled, album (1977). Right after the sessions ended for their debut album Chic began to work on Norma Jean's selftitled debut solo album released in 1978. This album contained club hit 'Saturday.' To facilitate a separate but parallel (to Chic's) solo career for their lead singer Chic had agreed to sign her to a separate contract and label from the band. Unfortunately the legalities of this contract eventually forced Norma Jean to leave the band in mid (1978). But not before taking part in the sessions for Chic produced Sister Sledge album We Are Family.
But before that, the immediate success of their debut album and the hits "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (1977) & "Everybody Dance" (1977), sent Chic out on the road. They performed as a quartet (Nile, Bernard, Tony & Norma Jean) up until February of (1978) but Nile & (Ber)Nard thought that their live performances would improve both in sound and visuals if they added another girl to front the band. Norma Jean suggested her friend Luci Martin and she became a member in late winter/early spring of 1978.
At the same time, Edwards and Rodgers composed, arranged, performed, and produced many influential disco and R&B records for both established artists and one-hit wonders, including Sister Sledge, Sheila and B. Devotion, Diana Ross, and Debbie Harry. Chic also helped introduce the world to a up-and-coming young vocalist named Luther Vandross, who sang on one of Chic's albums.
In the 1980s, the band struggled to obtain airplay and sales and eventually disbanded. Rodgers and Edwards separately produced records for a wide variety of artists. Rodgers was largely responsible for the breakthrough success of Madonna in 1985 with her Like a Virgin album. In the early 1990s, Rodgers and Edwards regrouped and worked on new material. Edwards died in 1996 in Japan, but Chic continued to tour with new musicians. Thompson passed away in 2003.
In addition to defining the disco sound, Chic helped to inspire other artists to forge their own sound. For example, The Sugarhill Gang used "Good Times" as the basis for their hit Rapper's Delight, which helped launch the Rap/Hip-hop music format as we know today. And the group Queen got the inspiration for their hit single Another One Bites The Dust from Chic's familiar bass guitar riffs.
