The group was formed by Richard Finch, a budding studio engineer prodigy at TK Records and Harry Wayne Casey ("KC"), a record store employee and part-timer at TK Records in Miami. Though both worked at TK Records, their meeting was not immediate, with Finch spending much of his time in the recording studio working with other TK artists and Casey on the phones at the front desk. An introduction by Clarence Reid through a mutual friend was the beginning of their musical connection. Following demo work, Casey and Finch were encouraged to create their own group. The initial members were just Casey and Finch (first starting out as songwriting collaborators), but Finch soon added guitarist Jerome Smith (June 18, 1953 - July 28, 2000), and drummer Robert Johnson, both TK studio musicians.
The first few songs, "Blow Your Whistle" (September 1973) and "Sound Your Funky Horn" (February 1974), were released as singles, and had limited impact. However, a side project writing and producing music for George McCrae took Finch and Casey's "Rock Your Baby", featuring Smith on guitar, and made it a hit in mid-1974, selling 11 million copies worldwide. The band's "Queen of Clubs", which featured uncredited vocals by George McCrae, was a hit in England, peaking at #7, and they went on tour to England in 1975 off that success.
With the release of the self titled triple platinum second album KC and the Sunshine Band in 1975 came the group's first major US hit with "Get Down Tonight". It topped the R&B chart in April and the Billboard chart in August. "That's the Way (I Like It)" also became a number one hit in November 1975 and the group did well at the 1976 Grammy Awards. The 1976 album Part 3 yielded three top 5 singles: "I'm Your Boogie Man", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and "Keep It Comin' Love". Their success lasted until the fifth album and 1979—80; their last chart topping hit was "Please Don't Go" in December 1979, hitting #1 for one week in January 1980, and becoming the first #1 hit of the 1980s. With the declining popularity of disco, the group explored other styles and changed labels, joining Epic Records in 1980 after TK Records went bankrupt.
In 1981, the partnership between Finch and Casey came to an acrimonious end. Two years after the release of the previous album, the group released two solo albums with new material, geared toward pop: The Painter and Space Cadet. These albums generated little success, but in 1982, a hit track called "Give It Up" on the album All in a Night's Work (recorded before Casey and Finch split partnership) brought a return to success in the UK, and appeared two years later on the United States Billboard Top 40. The song was also featured on the band's next album, 1983's KC Ten. Epic Records, however, refused to issue the song as a single due to its prior failure in the US. Because of this, a frustrated Casey formed Meca Records, releasing the single himself on this label in a final attempt to garner the song some success in America. It worked, but the album still failed to surpass expectations. This led to the group falling into stasis around 1985 with Casey's retirement.
A revival in the interest of disco music in 1991 brought Casey out of retirement. He reformed the group with entirely new members except for the percussionist and began touring once again. Some of the original members of the band are now deceased. The new band has released a large number of compilation albums through Rhino Records, featured along with some newly recorded material. The album Oh Yeah! was released in 1993 after a ten year gap between new albums, excluding compilations.
On July 28, 2000, Jerome Smith (rhythm guitar) died accidentally while working as a bulldozer operator.
In 2001, the band made a brief comeback into the music scene after an eight-year lull with the release of a new album titled I'll Be There For You. The album was praised by critics, but it failed to generate any impact on the charts or in sales. More recently, the group had an appearance in the 2003 remake of the movie The In-Laws.
Several KC/Finch songs have been included in the Dance Dance Revolution series of dance video games. That's the Way (I Like It) was included in the original Dance Dance Revolution, Shake Your Booty was in Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix and Get Down Tonight was in the American home version of DDRMAX2.
The song Keep It Comin' Love was on the soundtrack of the movie "Blow" about 1970s and 1980s cocaine smuggler George Jung.
The track 'I'm your boogie man' was used in the 2009 film of the graphic novel, 'The Watchmen' .
Additionally, many KC/Finch songs, most frequently "I Get Lifted," have been sampled for hip hop songs.
Get Down Tonight
KC and The Sunshine Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honey, honey me and you
And do the things, oh, do the things
That we like to do
Oh, do a little dance, make a little love,
Get down tonight, get down tonight
Do a little dance, make a little love
Baby, babe I meet you
Same place, same time
Where we can, oh, get together
And ease up our mind
Oh, do a little dance, make a little love
Get down tonight, get down tonight
Do a little dance, make a little love
Get down tonight, get down tonight, baby
Do a little dance, make a little love
Get down tonight, get down tonight
Do a little dance, make a little love
Get down tonight, get down tonight, baby
Get down, get down, get down, get down
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
Wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
Wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
Wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo
Get down, get down, get down, get down, get down tonight, baby
The lyrics of KC and The Sunshine Band's song "Get Down Tonight" are a call to action, an invitation to someone to let loose and enjoy themselves. The singer is asking the other person to come and join them, to dance and make love and do the things they both enjoy. The repetition of the chorus, "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight," emphasizes the carefree and energetic spirit of the song.
The lyrics suggest a sense of familiarity and comfort between the two people, as they are meeting in the same place at the same time. The invitation to "ease up [their] mind" also implies a desire for relaxation and enjoyment, a freeing of the mind from worries and stress. The repeated "wo wo wo wo" and "na na na na na" in the bridge serve as simple, joyful interjections that add to the upbeat and catchy nature of the song.
Overall, "Get Down Tonight" is a song about having fun and enjoying life, with lyrics that encourage dancing, love, and letting go of inhibitions.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, baby let's get together
Hey, my sweetheart, how about we hang out?
Honey, honey me and you
Darling, it'll be just us sharing this moment.
And do the things, oh, do the things
Let's engage in some activities that we both enjoy.
That we like to do
Something that will make us happy.
Oh, do a little dance, make a little love,
Let's dance intimately and make passionate love.
Get down tonight, get down tonight
Let's party hard and have a great time tonight.
Baby, babe I meet you
I'll see you my dear.
Same place, same time
At the usual spot at the usual hour.
Where we can, oh, get together
Where we can reunite and connect.
And ease up our mind
So that we can free ourselves from all the stress and burden.
Get down, get down, get down, get down
Expressing excitement and encouragement to party and dance.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Nonsensical sounds to further hype the vibe and energy of the song.
Wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo
Nonsensical sounds to further hype the vibe and energy of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Harry Casey, Richard Finch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mr-Foad
As a sound engineer, this is probably one of the best recordings and mixes of the 70's. Everything is so clear.
@mysticakhenaton1701
I agree with you... but it all goes back to the Music Producer. the music producer hires the recording engineer he wants to work with. and the producer chooses the studio, the recording console/mixing board/equipment. and the Music Producer tells the Recoding engineer what he wants to HEAR. even in the final mix...M.J Don't Stop Til You Get Enough Music Production. is GREAT too for the LATE 70's... Quincy Jones and his recording engineer Bruce Swedien.
@TruthSeeker-rn1tm
@@mysticakhenaton1701 Couldn't agree more!
@Shydeyo
Truly timeless.
@chrisvasquez4893
I saw KC & The Sunshine Band live in concert when I was just a little boy. My dad put me up on his shoulders and it was the grooviest thing I was ever introduced to! I will never forget that night with my dad
@Theineluctable_SOME_CANT
Now THAT would have been WILD... so groovey...
@TalkinnGrubbinMedia
That's a very cool memory.
@DerrickChainey
Awesome!
@kathyglass2922
Cool dad!
@deborahnelson4057
What a great memory!!