Chic

Band Members: Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Sylver Sharp, Jessica Wagner, Richard Hilton, Jerry Barnes
Hometown: New York
Biggest Hit Singles: I Want Your Love, number four, 1979, Good Times, number five, 1979
Career Highlights: Inducted three times at Dance Music Hall Of Fame, New York

Chic are the greatest disco band of all time. They brought style and funk to the dancefloor and revamped the whole scene in the late 70s with absolute classic tracks that are still played at clubs around the country every Friday and Saturday night.

Their secret was to invent insanely catchy choruses and pile on the funky bass guitar rhythm underneath to get everyone’s rear shaking.

Rodgers and Edwards had oringally formed a rock band called The Boys (later the Big Apple Band) in 1970 and played a clutch of gigs around New York City, but they couldn’t get a record contract when the music companies discovered they were black they claimed - the discrimination of the day said black artists couldn't play rock.

It wasn’t until they put a serious funk/disco outfit together under the name of Chic, and released signature tunes Le Freak and Good Times in 1978, that people really started to take notice.

At the same time founder-members Rogers and Edwards were also penning hits for Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Sister Sledge and Debbie Harry. Between them, they helped keep disco fever alive well into the early 80s.

In 1984 Rodgers produced Madonna’s breakthrough album Like A Virgin, and was named Billboard Magazine’s Top Producer In The World. Later that year, his longtime musical partner and bandmate Edwards died of pneumonia, aged 43.