first-ladies-of-disco

First Ladies of Disco (Martha Wash, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Linda Clifford) playing NYC; Diana Ross played NJPAC

first ladies of disco

The First Ladies of Disco are Martha Wash (1/2 of The Weather Girls and uncredited vocalist on both Black Box’s “Everybody Everybody” and C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make you Sweat [Everybody Dance Now],”), Evelyn “Champagne” King (“Shame,” “I’m in Love” and “Love Come Down”) and Linda Clifford (“If My Friends Could See Me Now“). Together they released their pro-equality debut single “Show Some Love” this year which was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart over the summer and you can watch the video for that below.

There is also the First Ladies of Disco Show, inspired by James Arena’s best selling 2013 book that interviewed 32 of disco’s stars, which combines hit songs, positive vibes, stories and, of course, three still powerhouse vocalists. They played Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in 2014 and will be at NYC’s Joe’s Pub on October 16 & 17. Tickets are on sale.

While we’re on the subject of disco divas, Diana Ross, whose long career includes dancefloor anthems “Sweet Love Hangover” and “I’m Coming Out,” played NJPAC Wednesday night. We haven’t seen a setlist but you can check out one below from a June show in Hawaii. (It includes a cover of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, who you may have caught in NYC this past weekend.) Ross was not featured in the First Ladies of Disco book, but was shouted out by Carol Douglas (who was in the book). Scherrie Payne, who was in The Supremes after Ross left the band in 1970, and was on their disco-era album High Energy, is in the book. Fun fact: as mentioned above, Martha Wash was in the Weather Girls who sang “It’s Raining Men,” a hit 1982 song that was famously offered to Diana Ross, Cher, Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer before Martha Wash’s group took it. Martha Wash also covered it again in 1997 as a duet with Ru Paul.

SETLIST: DIANA ROSS @ Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI 6/13/2015
I’m Coming Out
More Today Than Yesterday (Spiral Starecase cover)
My World Is Empty Without You (The Supremes song)
Come See About Me (The Supremes song)
Baby Love (The Supremes song)
Stop! In the Name of Love (The Supremes song)
You Can’t Hurry Love (The Supremes song)
Touch Me in the Morning
Love Child (Diana Ross & The Supremes song)
The Boss
It’s My House
Upside Down
Endless Love
Love Hangover / Take Me Higher / Ease on Down the Road
The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield cover)
Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday cover)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers cover)
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell cover)
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)

Encore:
Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)
I Will Survive (Reprise)

Encore 2:
If We Hold on Together
I Will Survive (Reprise)