Chic

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 (Single Chic Mystique and subsequent album Chic-ism, both of which charted). 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.

Discography

• Chic eponymous LP (Atlantic 1977)
  • Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah) 12" (Buddah 1976) (Atlantic 1977)
  • Everybody Dance (Atlantic 1977)

• Chic C'est Chic LP (Atlantic 1978)
  • Le Freak (Atlantic 1978)
  • I Want Your Love (Atlantic 1978)

• Chic Risqué LP (Atlantic 1979)
  • Good Times (Atlantic 1979)
  • My Forbidden Lover (Atlantic 1979)
  • My Feet Keep Dancing (Atlantic 1980)

• Chic Real People LP (Atlantic 1980)
  • Rebels Are We (Atlantic 1980)
  • Real People (Atlantic 1980)
  • Chip Off The Old Block (Atlantic 1980)
  • 26 (Atlantic 1980)

• Chic Take It Off LP (Atlantic 1981)
• Stage Fright (Atlantic 1981)

• Chic Tongue In Chic LP (Atlantic 1982)
• Hangin' (Atlantic 1982)

• Chic Believer LP (Atlantic 1983)

• Chic Chic-ism CD (Atlantic 1992)
  • Chic Mystique (Single Atlantic 1992)

Chic produced

• Norma Jean (Wright) selftitled LP (Bearsville 1978)
  • Saturday (Bearsville 1978)
  • Having A Party (Bearsville 1978)
  • Sorcerer (Bearsville 1978)

• Norma Jean - High Society/Hold Me Lonely Boy (Bearsville 1979)

• Sister Sledge We Are Family LP (Cotillion 1979)
  • He's The Greatest Dancer (Cotillion 1979)
  • We Are Family (Cotillion 1979)
  • Lost In Music (Cotillion 1979)

• Sheila & B. Devotion King Of The World LP (Mirage 1980)
  • Spacer (Mirage 1979)
  • King Of The World (Mirage 1980)

• Sister Sledge Got To Love Somebody Today LP (Cotillion 1980)
  • Love Somebody Today (Cotillion 1980)
  • Reach Your Peak (Cotillion 1980)

• Diana Ross diana LP (Motown 1980)
  • Upside Down (Motown 1980)
  • I'm Coming Out (Motown 1980)
  • Tenderness (Motown 1980)
  • My Old Piano (Motown 1980)

• Johnny Mathis I Love My Lady LP (Columbia 1981) UNRELEASED!

• Debbie Harry Koo Koo LP (Chrysalis 1981)
  • Backfired (Chrysalis 1981)
  • Now I Know You Know (Chrysalis 1981)

• Fonzi Thornton unknown title LP (1982) UNRELEASED!, probably contained:
  • I Work For A Livin'
  • Riding

• Various Artists Soup For One Soundtrack LP (Mirage 1982)
  • Chic - Soup For One (Mirage 1982)

• Carly Simon - Why (Mirage 1982)
  • Teddy Pendergrass - Dream Girl
  • Fonzi Thornton - I Work For A Livin'

• Odyssey - Together on the LP Happy Together (1982)

External links

• ChicTribute.com: With news, discography, video, audio, sampling list, history, interviews, reviews, gallery, lyrics, midi and more! (http://www.chictribute.com/)
• CHIC co-creator Nile Rodgers official site. (http://www.nilerodgers.com/)
• CHIC discography and reviews (http://www.skierpage.com/chic/)fr:Chic pt:Chic