30 Years Later, KC and the Sunshine Band Still Going Strong

If, back in 1977, you would have told the average disco-hating rock fan that KC and the Sunshine Band would still be drawing crowds in 30 years, they would have thought you were crazy. But here we are, 30 years later, and while many of the rock bands of the late ‘70s are only a memory, KC and the Sunshine Band are still going strong.

Songs like “That's The Way (I Like It),” “Get Down Tonight,” “I'm Your Boogie Man” and “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” have sold more than 100 million records, and earned KC and the Sunshine Band numerous awards. The group's upbeat sound, which blends R&B, funk, pop, island and Latin influences, has helped it maintain a large, loyal following of old fans and new for over 30 years.

Harry Wayne Casey (KC) has a simple explanation for his band's enduring popularity. “It's just music that lifts you up,” he said in a December 2006 interview for Atlantic City Weekly. “When you listen to it today, it still sounds fresh, and it sounds as exciting as it did 30 years ago. A lot of people come to me and tell me that my music has gotten them through a bad experience, or a bad day, or something negative they were dealing with.”

While it's become synonymous with the disco era, the music of KC and the Sunshine Band was filling dance floors four years before 1977's Saturday Night Fever brought the disco craze to America.

“I pulled from different types of sounds that I liked in music,” Casey says, explaining the origin of the group's unique sound. “I saw this Junkanoo band in the Bahamas, and the sound was just so infectious, I thought it would be great to translate that into a pop record. I always liked horns and percussion ... it all blended into one sound that became mine.”

From 1973 to 1983, K.C. and the Sunshine Band enjoyed a string of hits that also included, “Keep It Comin' Love,” “Please Don't Go,” and “Give It Up.” In 1982, Casey was involved in a nearly fatal car accident. He spent almost a year in traction and developed an addiction to painkillers. Two years later, his father died. Depressed and without a record contract, Casey began a cocaine addiction that lasted nearly 10 years.

After beating his habit, he got the urge to perform again. He recorded an album called Oh Yeah that was released in 1993 on ZYX Records. He reformed the Sunshine Band, bringing back some of the original members, including percussionist Fermin Goytisolo, who's still touring with the group.

With a schedule that averages 100 shows a year, Casey says he doesn't have much time to work on new material. That doesn't stop him from attracting new fans however. KC and the Sunshine Band has been sampled by contemporary artists like 50 Cent, R. Kelly, and Snoop Dogg, and a new generation has gotten to know the group's songs through their use in dozens of movies, television shows, and commercials.

In the last few years, Casey has dug into his archives and released two albums, In A Mellow Mood and I'll Be There For You.

Casey, who still lives in the Miami area, says he loves coming to Atlantic City, and has performed here almost every New Year's Eve for the last six years. His most vivid memory of Atlantic City didn't happen on stage, however.

“One year the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night,” he says. “It was freezing outside and we all had to get out of the hotel and stand out in the cold.”

The incident had no effect on his show the next day. After all, a guy who's used to shakin' his booty every night can handle a little shiver in Atlantic City.