The record company heard a hit and made it the A-side.ĭonna Summer's monster hit is most distinctive for the singer's moaning and groaning throughout. It was originally a hastily-thrashed out B-side, recorded in just 10 minutes and inspired by a couple of London kids Douglas had seen doing some kung fu moves while popular culture was in the grip of stars such as Bruce Lee and David Carradine. After a stint in rehab he disappeared off the radar for a while, reforming the band in the mid-'90s.Ĭarl Douglas' one-hit wonder sold 11 million singles and won a Grammy award. KC himself suffered a car accident in 1982 that left him with an addiction to painkillers. In 2010, Richard Finch was found guilty of having sex with minors. The band has not been without its own dark periods.

They definitely defined a period of time and music and were a very important part of changing the sound of music and creating this whole new disco movement.'' ''They were simplistic, commercial songs. I didn't know how it was going to happen, but I just had this strong gut feeling, like some kind of premonition-type thing.''Īt the time, he aimed to contrast the ''dark'' music of the time with something ''brilliant and uplifting'', he says. ''I've always had this gut feeling, this crazy intuition what I was destined to do. ''As far back as elementary school, when you were asked to put your occupation, I would put entertainer. I was just always surrounded by music and so I never thought of anything else in my life, really. ''My mother loved R&B music, she loved to dance my grandfather loved his music and his guitar. ''Every family function, my cousins would be playing and my mother and her sisters would be singing,'' he says. He says he believes he was predestined to go down the path he did once fame hit. Today, ''shaking bootys since 1973'' is the band's claim on its website and it's arguably correct, not least because KC claims he brought the word ''booty'' into the mainstream.Īt age 63, KC is still moving posteriors and is visiting Australia to perform at Byron Bay Bluesfest, with a couple of sideshows thrown in. From there the band emerged with its own hits, Get Down Tonight (1975), That's The Way (I Like It) (1975) and (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty (1976). KC's first big hit was as a songwriter with writing partner Richard Finch on the George McRay song Rock Your Baby (1974), which sold 11 million singles. In more magical moments, KC can lay claim to selling 100 million albums, racking up three Grammy awards and, most importantly, blazing a trail in the '70s with era-defining disco. ''No, she was just happy and excited for me to be there. KC and the Sunshine Band in their '70s hey day.

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