She DID Survive..And still going!

Gloria Gaynor

  • Gloria Gaynor is one of the best-known female disco artists from the ‘70s due to the ongoing success of her monster 1979 hit “I Will Survive.” Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a jazz/pop band, in the 1960s. Her first solo single was “She’ll Be Sorry/Let Me Go Baby” (1965).
  • Gaynor began issuing albums on a regular basis beginning with her 1976 release of “Never Can Say Goodbye.” She became one of the first-ever dance artists to issue an album aimed primarily for club use. The first side of the album consisted of three disco songs (“Honey Bee”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”), with no breaks in between the songs. “Never Can Say Goodbye” was the first song to top Billboard magazine’s dance chart. She released her second album, “Experience Gloria Gaynor,” later that same year.
  • In the next few years, Gaynor released the albums “Glorious” and “Park Avenue Sound,” but would only enjoy a few moderate hits. However, in late 1978, with the release of her album “Love Tracks,” she climbed to the top of the pop charts with her song “I Will Survive.” The song was awarded the first and only Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980.
  • During the late ‘90s Gaynor issued an autobiography titled “I Will Survive,” as well as appearing for a two-week run on Broadway’s hit musical “Smokey Joe’s.”
  • In late 1979 she released the album “I Have a Right” which contained the disco hit “Let Me Know (I Have a Right)” and featured Doc Severinsen of “The Tonight Show” fame on trumpet. Gaynor also recorded a disco song called “Love Is Just a Heartbeat Away” in 1979 for the vampire movie “Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula.”
  • On September 19, 2005, Gaynor was honored twice when she and her music were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. Her classic anthem “I Will Survive” was inducted under the Records Inductees category.
  • Official website: www.gloriagaynor.com.

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