THE First 100 BILLBOARD DISCO CHART No. 1s. More: Sunday.
Caffè Lattè looks back on:
60
YEARS
OF
THE
BILLBOARD
DISCO/DANCE
CHART
Billboard began ranking the
top Disco and Dance tracks in 1974. Six decades of dancefloor favourites have
kept us in discotheques and clubs to this day. This is a focus on the first 100
number ones on that chart which span the Disco Era:
THE FIRST 100 NUMBER ONE TRACKS
Oct. 26th, 1974: The Disco Chart debuts in Billboard.
51.
VILLAGE PEOPLE {all
cuts}
Village People 7
weeks
The disco group’s debut album topped the
chart with key tracks “San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)” and “Fire Island”. This
would be the act’s only Disco Chart #1, but it did reach #4 with ‘Macho Man’
{all cuts} in 1978 as well as peaking at #2 for 2 weeks with “Y.M.C.A. / Hot
Cop”.
52.
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
(YOWSAH, YOWSAH, YOWSAH) / EVERYBODY DANCE / YOU CAN GET BY
Chic 8
weeks
This disco/ funk group formed in New York
around the pivotal members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The tracks listed
together were all included on the self-titled debut album.
53.
ONCE UPON A TIME
{all cuts}
Donna Summer 5
weeks
1977 ended with the fifth visit to #1 for
Donna Summer, reinforcing her lead for having the most number ones. ‘Once
Upon A Time’ was the first double album to have all of its cuts top the Disco
Chart. Among its key tracks are: “I Love You”, “Fairy Tale High” and “Rumour
Has It”.
1978
54.
SUPERNATURE / GIVE
ME LOVE / LOVE IS HERE
Cerrone 4
weeks
It is fitting that Cerrone followed a #1
produced by Giorgio Moroder. The two were fundamental pioneers of the
Euro-Disco sound; Moroder emerging from Germany and Cerrone from France. The 3
tracks jointly topped the Disco Chart as the latter’s only #1.
55.
LET’S ALL CHANT /
LOVE EXPRESS
Michael Zager 1
week
Born in New Jersey, this was the only
Disco Chart #1 for the keyboardist/ producer.
56.
DANCE LITTLE DREAMER
/ RISKY CHANGES
Bionic Boogie 3
weeks
Only Disco Chart #1 for Gregg Diamond who
created Bionic Boogie. Born in Pennsylvania, the disco producer died in 1999. As
Bionic Boogie, he enjoyed 2 more Top 10 hits: ‘Star Cruiser’ {all cuts} and ‘Hot
Butterfly’ {all cuts}. He then charted as Gregg Diamond’s Starcruiser and Gregg
Diamond Bionic Boogie in 1979 and 1980 respectively.
57.
ROMEO & JULIET
Alec R. Costandinos
& The
Syncophonic Orchestra 1 week
Born Alexandre Kouyoumdjam in Cairo,
Egypt, he relocated to France and became a leading disco producer, creating the
acts Love And Kisses, Paris Connection and Sphinx.”Romeo & Juliet” was a disco
adaptation of Shakespeare’s literary classic. He also charted with “The
Hunchback Of Notre Dame” in 1978.
58.
COME INTO MY HEART
{all cuts}
USA-European
Connection 2 weeks
Only Disco Chart #1 for the female trio.
59.
VOYAGE {all cuts}
Voyage 3
weeks
First visit to the top of the Disco Chart
for the European disco group. ‘Voyage’ was the act’s debut album release. Among
its key tracks is “From East To West”.
60.
IF MY FRIENDS COULD
SEE ME NOW / GYPSY LADY / RUNAWAY LOVE
Linda Clifford 5
weeks
“If My Friends Could See Me Now” was from the musical “Sweet
Charity”. She peaked at #11 with a disco remake of the Simon & Garfunkel
hit “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.
