KC and the Sunshine Band

KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band
Background information
Origin	Hialeah, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Disco, funk
Years active	1973–1985, 1993–present
Labels	TK, Epic, Meca Records, ZYX, Sunshine Sound Productions
Website	www.heykcsb.com
Members	Harry Wayne Casey Maria De Crescenzo Anika Ellis Fermin Goytisolo Robert E. Lee David Simmons Chris Cadenhead Jeffery Reeves Steve Lashley John Reid Cisco Dimas Fernando Diez Miles Fielder Kenetha Morris Janell Burgess
Past members	Richard Finch Jerome Smith Robert Johnson Oliver C. Brown Mike Lewis Vinnie Tanno Eugene Timmons Ken Faulk Margaret Reynolds Beverly Champion Jeanette Williams Rick Benedetto

KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida, its style has included disco and funk. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Boogie Shoes", "Please Don't Go" and "Give It Up". The band took its name from lead vocalist Harry Wayne Casey's last name ("KC") and the "Sunshine Band" from KC's home state of Florida, the Sunshine State.

The group was formed in 1973 by Harry Wayne Casey (KC), a record store employee and part-timer at TK Records in Hialeah, Florida (an independent city in Dade County, Florida). KC originally called the band KC & The Sunshine Junkanoo Band, as he used studio musicians from TK and a local Junkanoo band called the Miami Junkanoo Band. He was then introduced to Richard Finch, who was doing engineering work on records for TK. This was the beginning of the Casey-Finch musical collaboration. The initial members were just Casey and Finch. Guitarist Jerome Smith (June 18, 1953 - July 28, 2000) and drummer Robert Johnson, both TK studio musicians, were added later.

The first few songs, "Blow Your Whistle" (September 1973) and "Sound Your Funky Horn" (February 1974), were released as singles, and did well enough on the U.S. R&B chart and overseas that TK wanted a follow-up single and album. However, while working on demos for KC & the Sunshine Band, the song "Rock Your Baby" (George McCrae) was created, featuring Smith on guitar, and became a number one hit in 51 countries in mid-1974. The band's "Queen of Clubs", which featured uncredited vocals by McCrae, was a hit in the UK, peaking at #7, and they went on a tour there in 1975.