Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey

born on 31/1/1951 in Opa-Locka, FL, United States

Harry Wayne Casey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Harry Wayne Casey

Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey (born January 31, 1951) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most famous for his group, KC and the Sunshine Band, and as a producer of several hits for other artists.

Musical career

Harry Wayne Casey, a record store employee and part-timer at TK Records in Hialeah,FL (a suburb of Miami), formed his band in 1973. KC originally called the band KC & The Sunshine Junkanoo Band, as he used studio musicians from TK and a local Junkanoo band called the Miami Junkanoo Band. He was then introduced to Richard Finch, who was doing engineering work on records for TK. This was the beginning of the Casey-Finch musical collaboration. The initial members were just Casey and Finch. Guitarist Jerome Smith (June 18, 1953 - July 28, 2000) and drummer Robert Johnson, both TK studio musicians were later added.

The first few songs, "Blow Your Whistle" (September 1973) and "Sound Your Funky Horn" (February 1974), were released as singles, and did well enough on the U.S. R&B chart and overseas that TK wanted a follow up single and album. However, while working on demos for KC & the Sunshine Band the song, "Rock Your Baby" (George McCrae) was created featuring Smith on guitar, and became a number one hit in 51 countries in mid 1974. The band's "Queen of Clubs", which featured uncredited vocals by McCrae, was a hit in the UK, peaking at #7, and they went on tour there in 1975.

KC and the Sunshine Band broke big in the United States in 1975 with "Get Down Tonight" and "That's the Way (I Like It)." Other Casey-Finch favorites include "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty," "I'm Your Boogie Man," "Keep It Comin' Love" and "Please Don't Go." "Boogie Shoes" appeared on the soundtrack album for Saturday Night Fever. He also joined Teri DeSario on her hit "Yes, I'm Ready" in 1979. Casey also part-wrote "I Ain't Lyin'" (a UK hit for George McCrae in late 1975).

As a result of the soaring popularity of New Wave and Synthpop in the early 1980s, Casey dissolved the Sunshine Band and recorded several pop-oriented solo albums. In January 1982, he survived a serious car accident - the car he was driving was hit head-on. He was left partially paralyzed for six months, and had to re-learn how to walk, dance, and play the piano, but by the end of the year he was back in the recording studio. "Give It Up", was released as a solo hit, shot to Number One in the UK and was a Top 20 hit in the United States (1984). But musical tastes had changed, and Casey retired (temporarily) from the music business in 1985.

In the mid-1990s, due to the revived interest in the music and fashions of the 1970s, Casey re-formed the Sunshine Band. He plays up to 200 dates a year throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, and has also toured England, Italy, Australia and South America. He also continues to produce other artists and is active in charity work in his native Miami.

Casey also performed on the results show of American Idol, season 8, on April 22, 2009.

KC and the Sunshine Band performed at halftime of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on December 31, 2011.

Casey performed as part of the 125th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2014, shown on ABC.

Discography

  • Do It Good (1974)
  • KC and the Sunshine Band (1975)
  • The Sound of Sunshine (1975)
  • Part 3 (1976)
  • Who Do Ya Love (1978)
  • Do You Wanna Go Party (1979)
  • Space Cadet (1981)
  • The Painter (1981)
  • All in a Night's Work (1982)
  • KC Ten (1983)
  • Oh Yeah! (1993)
  • I'll Be There for You (2001)
  • Yummy (2007)

Selected compilations

  • Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1980) (compilation)
  • The Best of KC and the Sunshine Band (1990) (compilation)
  • Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1990) (compilation)
  • KC and the Sunshine Band...and More (1994)
  • Part 3...and More (1995)
  • Get Down Live! (1995) (live)
  • Shake, Shake, Shake and Other Hits (1997)
  • I'm Your Boogie Man and Other Hits (1997)
  • Yummy in my tummy (1998) (live)

References

  • Craig MacInnis, "That's the Way I Like It (The Harry Wayne Casey Story)", Team Power Publishing, 2002, ISBN 2-89568-059-0

External links

  • Official Website (includes lyrics)
  • Band history
KC and the Sunshine Band
Members Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey
Albums Do It Good (1973)  • KC and the Sunshine Band (1975)  • The Sound of Sunshine (1975)  • Part 3 (1976)  • Who Do Ya Love (1978)  • Do You Wanna Go Party (1979)  • Space Cadet (1980)  • The Painter (1981)  • All in a Night's Work (1982)  • KC Ten (1983)  • Oh Yeah! (1993)  • I'll Be There For You (2001)  • Yummy (2007)
Singles "Blow Your Whistle" (1973)  • "Queen of Clubs" (1974)  • "Sound Your Funky Horn" (1974)  • "I'm a Pushover" (1974)  • "Get Down Tonight" (1975)  • "That's the Way (I Like It)" (1975)  • "Shotgun Shuffle" (1975)  • "I'm So Crazy ('Bout You)" (1975)  • "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" (1976)  • "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (1976)  • "I Like to Do It" (1976)  • "I'm Your Boogie Man" (1977)  • "Keep It Comin' Love" (1977)  • "Black Water Gold" (1978)  • "Boogie Shoes" (1978)  • "It's the Same Old Song" (1978)  • "Do You Feel All Right?" (1978)  • "Who Do Ya Love" (1978)  • "Do You Wanna Go Party" (1979)  • Do You Wanna Go Party (1979)  • "Please Don't Go" (1979)  • "Que Pasa?" (1979)  • "Yes, I'm Ready" (1980)  • "Dancin' in the Streets" (1980)  • "Let's Go Rock and Roll" (1980)  • "Make Me a Star" (1980)  • "Space Cadet" (1980)  • "Redlight" (1981)  • "Love Me" (1981)  • The Painter (1981)  • "Something's Happening" (1981)  • "(You Said) You'd Gimmie Some More" (1981)  • "Don't Run (Come Back to Me)" (1982)  • "Give It Up" (1983)  • KC Ten (1983)  • "Are You Ready?" (1984)  • "Game of Love" (1990)  • "Please Don't Go '92" (1992)  • "Megamix (The Official Bootleg)" (1993)  • "Will You Love Me in the Morning?" (1993)  • "I'll Be There for You" (2001)
Compilations Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1980)  • Play That Funky Music (1983)  • The Best of KC and the Sunshine Band (1990)  • Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1990)  • KC and the Sunshine Band...and More (1994)  • Part 3...and More (1995)  • Get Down Live! (1995)  • Shake, Shake, Shake and Other Hits (1997)  • I'm Your Boogie Man and Other Hits (1997)  • Live: Get Down Tonight (1998) (live)  • In A Mellow Mood (2005)
This page was last modified 02.04.2014 04:09:07

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