Thank you Jeff Harris On this day in music history: March 31, 1979 - Hes The Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for 1 week, also peaking at #9 on the Hot 100 on May 12, 1979. Written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, it is the first chart topping single for the Philadelphia, PA based R&B family vocal quartet. Following their breakthrough success with their self titled first album and the singles Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), and Everybody Dance, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers will be offered their choice of artists to work with on Atlantic Records roster. They will specifically ask to work with the artist who has sold the least amount of records, vowing to write and produce a hit record for them. They will choose Sister Sledge, a quartet of sisters who are favorites of the label executives, but have failed to score a major hit while signed to Atlantic Records Cotillion label. While Edwards and Rodgers are concurrently working on the second Chic album Cest Chic and Sister Sledges album We Are Family, they will write the songs I Want Your Love and Hes The Greatest Dancer. The track is recorded at The Power Station in New York City, featuring the members of Chic playing on the basic track. The background vocals are arranged by Luther Vandross who is also among the chorus of voices on the song. Edwards and Rodgers originally intend Dancer to be for Chic while I Want Your Love is intended for Sister Sledge. They will switch songs, giving Hes The Greatest Dancer to the sisters which will become their long awaited breakthrough hit, helping drive sales of the We Are Family album to Platinum status in the US. Dancer will resurface in sampled form when actor/rapper Will Smith uses the track as the basis for his single Gettin Jiggy With It hitting the top of the Hot 100 in March of 1998, two weeks shy of nineteen years after Sister Sledge tops the R&B chart. Hes The Greatest Dancer is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 00:14:49 +0000
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