D. C. LaRue

D. C. LaRue

D.C. LaRue (born David Charles L'Heureux on April 26, 1948 in Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.A.) was a disco artist. His music was successful in dance/disco clubs and on dance music charts worldwide during the late '70s and early '80s.

History

His first big hit happened in 1976 and was titled "Cathedrals". With its release on Pyramid Records D.C. proved he could write, sing, produce and perform like a true veteran. LaRue's 1976 "Cathedrals" 12" 45 RPM caused an immediate sensation in the disco/dance clubs throughout the world. D.C. was the first white male to ever hold the #1 R&B/Soul chart position in England. "Cathedrals" was the first commercially available 12" disco single in the USA and the only 12" single to be charted on Billboard Magazine's Top 100 Singles chart before or since.

In less than a year he began work on his second album, "The Tea Dance". The 1976 recording featured such notable background singers as Lani Groves and Sharon Redd. It also included a duet with legendary 1960s rock/pop icon Lou Christie. The stand out cuts included the 12" of "Face Of Love," "Overture" and "Don't Keep It In The Shadows." The album presented itself was a concept capturing the essence and feel of a Broadway show. LaRue's "Cathedrals" album sold over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks of release but "The Tea Dance" more than doubled that sales figure and over the course of its life and became a bigger hit.

About the extended break on the 12" re-mix of "Indiscreet" from "The Tea Dance" rapper Grandmaster Flash is quoted as saying "It was first Hip Hop break I heard...the start of all the Hip Hop and Rap to come!"

1977 brought limited personal appearances, signing a deal for a cameo movie role and putting the finishing touches on several tracks for his third album "Confessions". He changed labels because of a new distribution agreement between Pyramid Productions and Casablanca Records. As part of the deal he was asked to provide two tracks for the Casablanca Filmworks movie "Thank God It's Friday".

1978 began with the release of the soundtrack album for "Thank God It's Friday" which included D.C.'s track "Do You Want The Real Thing?" That year also saw the spectacular success of his third album "Confessions". The release of the 12" remix of its "Let Them Dance" track propelled the album to gold status over night and garnered him numerous disco/dance awards throughout the world.

LaRue's movie debut was a cameo in the Bee Gees' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." D.C. also appeared in the Village People film "Can't Stop The Music" (1980). In 1979 he released "Forces Of the Night". It featured the 12" single "Hot Jungle Drums And Voodoo Rhythm" as well as duets with Rita Moreno (Hollywood actress/Broadway dancer) on "Have A Good Time" and Michelle Aller (the beautiful voice on Cerrone's "Call Me Tonight") on "On With The Dance."

As the decade ended D.C. released his final vinyl output. 1981's "Star Baby" retained the spark and ingenuity that had been prevalent in his earlier releases but with the disco area coming to an end it was sadly overlooked. It did however feature yet another exciting duet with Lou Christie ("Into The Ozone") and the 12" release of "So Much For L.A." garnered quite a bit of positive club reaction. It was the first ever double sided Casablanca Records 12" single with the flip side being the track "Boys Can't Fake It."

As the disco era ended D.C. turned to other interests, most notably his love of photography and graphic design.

Recently (2006) his classic recording of "Cathedrals" was sampled in England (3AM/Bobby Blaco & Miki Moto) and it turned into an internationally successful dance hit all over again. His music continues to live on. Not only are his recordings the perfect reflection of a Disco era gone by but an example of an art that is just as relevant today.

The editors of "GQ Magazine" voted LaRue one of the 6 creative artist who would epitomize "success in the decades ahead."

Albums

* "Ca-the-drals" (Pyramid 1976)
* "Tea Dance" (Pyramid 1977)
* "Forces of the Night" (Casablanca 1979)
* "Confessions" (Casablanca 1980)
* "Star Baby" (Casablanca 1981)

External links

* [http://www.dclarue.org Official site]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Larue Wilson — is a character introduced in the 1965 sitcom version of Gidget , where she was played by Lynette Winter. IMDb credits for Gidget (TV series) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058806/] ] Larue is first mentioned in Frederick Kohner s 1957 novel Gidget …   Wikipedia

  • LaRue — oder Larue ist der Name folgender Personen: Al Lash LaRue (1917–1996), US amerikanischer Schauspieler André Leon Larue (1785–1834), genannt Mansion, französischer Maler Chi Chi LaRue (* 1959), amerikanischer Produzent und Regisseur Eva LaRue (*… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • LaRue — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Larue est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Achille Larue (1849 1922), député fédéral de Bellechasse au Québec Chi Chi LaRue (né en 1959),… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • LaRue County — Courthouse in Hodgenville Verwaltung US Bundesstaat: Kentucky …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • LaRue — or Larue may refer to:People*D.C. LaRue (born 1948), disco artist *Eva LaRue (born 1966), actress *Jason LaRue (born 1974), baseball player *Lash La Rue (1917 – 1996), actorOther*LaRue (band) *Larue Wilson, fictional character in Gidget …   Wikipedia

  • LaRue Martin — Datos personales Nombre completo LaRue Martin Nacimiento Chicago, (Illinois) …   Wikipedia Español

  • LaRue Martin — (born March 30 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player. Martin was taken first overall by the National Basketball Association s (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famer… …   Wikipedia

  • Larue — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Allen Larue (* 1981), seychellischer Fußballspieler Paul Larue (* 1956), deutscher Kommunalpolitiker (Düren) Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • LaRue Martin — (né le 30 mars 1950 à Chicago, Illinois ) est un ancien joueur américain professionnel de basket ball, souvent considéré comme le pire premier choix de draft NBA de l histoire. Martin fut sélectionné à sa sortie de l Université Loyola par les… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • LaRue Parker — LaRue Martin Parker is the current Chairperson of the Caddo nation. She has been chairperson since at least 2000, and was re elected over opposition candidate, Christine Smith Noah, in the July 9, 2005 election …   Wikipedia

  • LaRue, Texas — LaRue is an unincorporated community in Henderson County, Texas, United States.The La Poynor Independent School District serves area students.External links* …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”