In 1976, disco band Chic was formed by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. While recording their second album, Rodgers and Edwards were also writing and producing the We Are Family album the relatively unknown Sister Sledge. I Want Your Love had originally been intended for Sister Sledge to record on their 1979 album. Rodgers ended up recording the song himself to release on Chic's 1978 C'est Chic album. In exchange for the song, Rodgers gave Sister Sledge He's The Greatest Dancer for their album - which was originally intended to Chic.

Fatback Band formed in New York City in 1970, and by the mid-1970's the funk and disco band had some hit records. In 1979 the group hit # 6 on the R&B charts with Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money. The song hit the airwaves shortly after the release of the band's infamous disco album XII - which ddn't include the song. The XII album, which was released just months before Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight, famously featured the song Kim Tim III - the first commercially released rap song. see HERE  That song peaked out at #26 on the R&B charts in 1979. In 1980 Fatback Band had their biggest hits with the release of their Hot Box album, which featured Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money and Backstrokin.

Singer and trumpet player Anthony Harley - better known as Little Benny - was a senior in high school when Chuck Brown's 1979 hit Bustin' Loose brought global attention to Washington DC's homegrown breed of funk - go-go music. Harley had joined with go-go band Rare Essence in 1974, who were originally known as The Young Dynamos. Rare Essence was one of the most influential go-go bands, and Harley has been considered one of the important founding fathers of the genre. Harley, who would sometimes play two trumpets at once, left Rare Essence in the mid-1980's to form his own band - Little Benny and The Masters. In 1984 the band released their first single Who Comes To Boogie. The night before his death in 2011, Harley was performing at a show alongside his comrade, the "Godfather Of Go-Go" Chuck Brown.
More Washington DC go-go music HERE

In 1975 Earth Wind and Fire released their sixth studio album That's The Way Of The World. The album was also the soundtrack to a low-budget movie of the same title starring Harvey Keitel and produced by Sig Shore - director and producer of 1972's Super Fly. The low-budget movie also featured some of the band members in cameo roles. The highly acclaimed album has been called the band's best album, and it appeared on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list.

In the mid-1970's, young Ohioan Byron Byrd formed the funk group Sun. The group's first album Live On, Dream On featured Zapp founder Roger Troutman and and his brother Lester. The groups original horn section - James "Diamond" Williams, Marvin "Merv" Pierce and Clarence "Chet" Willis - later joined with Ohio Players. In 1978, Sun released their third album Sunburn, featuring Sun Is Here. In 1990, west coast rap group Boo-Yah T.R.I.B.E. sampled Sun Is Here on T.R.I.B.E, it was also sampled in 1998 on Sylk-E's Romeo And Juliet (L.A. Groove).

In 1958, 19- year old singer and movie star Eddie Cochran co-wrote and recorded his breakout hit Summertime Blues. The song was the b-side Love Again, a crooning teen idle song written by 17-year old Sharon Sheeley. While the ballad did not get much attention, Summertime Blues put Cochran on the charts. Sheeley became Cochran's girlfriend, and was with him two years later when he died riding in the back seat of a wrecked taxi cab while touring the UK. In 1987 Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. 

Albert Joseph Brown III - better known as singer and producer Al B. Sure - was a star football quarterback at Mount Vernon High School in New York. He was offered an athletic  scholarship from The University Of Iowa but he rejected it to pursue music. In 1987, Quincy Jones selected Brown as first place winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. As winner of the talent showcase, Brown was awarded a record deal with Warner Brothers. Brown had originally planned to make his debut as a rapper, and he started in the music industry singing background on Heavy D and The Boyz 1987 debut album Livin' Large. He made a last minute change from rapping to singing just before releasing his 1988 debut album In Effect Mode. The album's first single Nite and Day earned Brown a Grammy Nomination in 1989. As a writer and producer, Brown has also introduced us to numerous artists including Jodeci, Tevin Campbell, Usher, Case and others.

In 1978, Queen released Fat Bottomed Girls on their Jazz album - written by guitarist Brian May. On the single Fat Bottom Girls runs into Bicycle Race - and each of the songs makes a reference to the other. The two songs would often play together on the radio and in clubs because of this. The original single release of the song featured a nude woman riding a bicycle. After having trouble getting stores to stock the record, the cover was altered by drawing panties over the original photo.

In 1970, Take Me Home Country Roads was co-written by John Denver with Bill Danoff and his wife Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert were performing as a duo called Fat City, and they had been billed as an opening act for John Denver at Washington DC's Cellar Door. After a performance at the club, Denver had been invited to a jam session at the couple's home. Despite a car accident that delayed Denver with a trip to the hospital with a broken thumb, the three eventually re-joined for a late night jam session. Danoff and Nivert had been working on Take Me Home Country Roads for about a month, planning on selling it to Johnny Cash. Denver helped them finish the song that night, and they performed it at The Cellar Door the following night for the first time. Denver released the song in 1971 - Danoff and Nivert sang background vocals on the recording. In 1976, Danoff wrote Afternoon Delight, which was a big hit for the couple's recently formed Starland Vocal Band. More on Washington DC's Cellar Door HERE.

In 1970, The Love You Save was the third of four consecutive number one hits by The Jackson 5. The song was written by The Corporation - Barry Gordy with his assembled writer/producer team. The Jackson 5's two hits before this were also written by The Corporation - I Want You Back and ABC. When the song was written, The Love You Save was originally a song about traffic safety. The song was re-written to fit the Jackson 5 style, but the line "look both ways before you cross me" survived the re-write.