When janitor Harry Wayne Casey met producer-apprentice Richard Finch at TK Studios in Miami, 1972, history was made. The two spent endless time after-hours in the studio working on original compositions, and, in 1973, their big break came when one of their songs, "Rock Your Baby", became a huge hit for TK artist George McCrae. Unfortunately, despite several album releases with McCrae, they were unable to make lightning strike twice for the soul-dance crooner.But the hit was just the beginning for what would soon become K. C. and the Sunshine Band. Their debut single, "Queen of Clubs", while not a charting record in the States, reach the Top 10 in England, followed soon by "Sound Your Funky Horn". Their debut LP, "The Sound of Sunshine", was a largely instrumental funk album, as opposed to the stolidly disco sound they would soon craft. It did, however, reflect the group's unique combination of influences; funky soul mixed with the Bahaman style of party music known as "junkaroo", seen in the brilliant horn arrangements. Their high-energy live show made them a huge concert draw early on, and their breakthrough hit, "That's The Way I Like It" set forth a string of pop hits. From 1975-78, K. C. and the Sunshine Band was a hit factory, scoring timeless classics such as "Boogie Shoes", "Keep It Coming Love", "I'm Your Boogie Man", and "do You Wanna Go Party?"But, fads being fickle, when the disco movement came to an end in 1979 (partly due to the hyper-saturated release and success of "Saturday Night Fever"), the group, being one of the genre's most prominent exponents, was targeted specifically by the anti-disco movement. This combined with rampant cocaine abuse and a played-out songwriting formula led to the demise of K. C. and The Sunshine Band, until 1998 when VH1 released the band's edition of "Behind the Music". This particularly engaging entry in the series, combined with their appearance on the "Blow" soundtrack a few years later, spawned a renewed interest and evaluation of the group. Today, K. C. and the Sunshine Band, with a somewhat revamped lineup, continue to play the occasional casino and state fair gig, much to the delight of their enduring audience.
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