Chic - Biography
Chic were a disco-funk band led by the creative duo of Bernie Edwards and Nile Rogers. In a scene dominated by producers and singers, Chic were a proper band, aptly described by critic Don Waller as "an uptown version of Booker T & the MGs."
Nile Rodgers was born September 19th, 1952, in New York City. He was interested in music from an early age. In the late '60s, he played in the rock band, New World Rising. By the age of nineteen, he was a member of the Apollo Theatre's house band. Desiring to form a band of his own, in 1970 he met fellow musician, Bernard Edwards, born October 31st, 1952, in Greenville, North Carolina. Edwards had attended New York's High School for the Performing Arts and was working in a Bronx post office at the time. The two began playing together at local clubs. Around 1972, they formed The Big Apple Band, a jazz-rock fusion band. In 1973 they toured with New York City and subsequently hit the road with Carol Douglas. By 1976, Edwards and Rodgers' tastes were changing and they departed together to form a new wave band, Allah & the Knife Wielding Punks.
Before recording any material under their new moniker, the two enlisted onetime LaBelle drummer Tony Thompson and female vocalists Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson, and changed their name to Chic in summer 1977. Their first recording was "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)." They shopped it around and it was declined by the majors so it eventually came to Buddah. After its release and success, Atlantic signed them and re-released it. Their debut full-length, Chic (1977 Atlantic), established the Chic sound; bubbling bass, tight drums, elegant piano and strings, and fairly nonsense lyrics.
Disco's popularity peaked in 1978 and Chic's C'est Chic (1978 Atlantic) reached number four in the US, and #29 in the UK. "Le Freak” topped the US charts in October and sold six million copies in the US. It is Atlantic and parent company Warner Music's best-selling single ever. Edwards and Rodgers also began producing, something they would later focus on, in this case, for Norma Jean Wright. Risqué (1979 Atlantic) followed, reaching number five in the US and #29 in the UK. The Platinum record included the number one hit, "Good Times," which became one of the most sampled tunes in rap music. The same year, Rodgers and Edwards produced Sheila & B. Devotion's space disco classic, "Spacer" and Sister Sledge's "We Are Family."
The disco backlash occurred in 1980 and Real People (1980 Atlantic) only reached number thirty. The singles, "Rebels Are We" and "Real People" were only minor hits. Nonetheless, working behind the boards they were still a major creative and commercial force, producing Diana Ross's Diana, whose hits "I'm Coming Out," "My Old Piano" and "Upside Down" made it the biggest album of her career. Meanwhile, Chic's fortunes continued to decline and Take it Off (1981 Atlantic) peaked at #124. "Stage Fright" was their first single to not chart. Although they produced Debbie Harry's Koo Koo, their collaboration with Johnny Mathis, I Love My Lady, was shelved. An album for Fonzi Thornton was also shelved. Tongue in Chic (1982 Atlantic) performed even worse than its predecessor, only reaching #173. Meanwhile, the soundtrack for Jonathan Kaufer's film, Soup for One (which they wrote most of) reached #80.
By the 1983 release of Believer (1983 Atlantic), Chic were actively trying to update their sound to the highly synthesized R&B popular then. However, it didn't restore them to their former position. Nile Rodgers released his first solo album, Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove (1983 Mirage). However, the duo's biggest success that year was with David Bowie's Let's Dance. After that, production was their primary focus and they worked as songwriters and producers for Duran Duran, Madonna, before moving in separate directions. Edwards and Thompson joined Robert Palmer's band, Power Station. Without Rodgers he also collaborated with Jody Watley, Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, The Thompson Twins and Tina Turner. Rodgers, for his part, worked with The B-52s, INXS, The Thompson Twins and The Vaughan Brothers. In 1985, he released another solo album, B-Movie Matinee (1985 Warner Bros.). Chic re-united for 1992's Chic-Ism (1992 Warner Bros.) although it audibly suffered from the absence of Tony Thompson.
Nile Rodgers was saluted with his own 'tribute' show in Tokyo's Budokan theater on April 18th, 1996, which saw him joined onstage by Edwards, as well as Sister Sledge, Steve Winwood, Simon LeBon, and Slash. After the performance, Edwards died the very same night in his hotel room of pneumonia. In 1999, his Sumthing Else label issued Chic's final performance with Edwards, Live at the Budokan (1999 Sumthing Else). In 2004, Rodgers "re-formed" Chic (with himself as the only original member). A planned new album has yet to materialize. Rodgers is presently fighting prostate cancer.
