First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers

This is a tough review to write because I was and still am a HUGE disco fan and have recordings from almost everyone covered in this book. One of the artists who is a cherished friend and I've also met and seen many of the others perform live. Hence, I can say that the author does a nice job letting us "meet" the caring, hardworking, gifted, wonderful artists behind the music.The book was originally going to be a biography of Andrea True but that project was sidetracked by her untimely death. Nonetheless, there is far greater coverage of her than of any of the others and the author's "valentine" to Andrea is clear. The author did disclose that there were a number of artists who were uninterested in participating in the project but, as a result, he really had to scrape the bottom of the proverbial barrel to include artists who had only one or two hits and recorded one or two albums. I mean, really......putting Audrey Landers alongside Gloria Gaynor, Linda Clifford and Martha Wash?! As much as I enjoyed Andrea True's three hits, she was a very weak, at best, singer whose vocals had to be "doubled" to be audible. Not quite in the same league as Evelyn King or Jeanie Tracy.While the stories of these ladies were interesting to read, the themes were generic......getting cheated out of royalties, not being promoted by their records companies, avoiding the drugs and insanity of Studio 54 when they were performing there and how they've survived post-disco. After a while it was just the same story with a different name. The book is also VERY poorly written and horribly organized/edited. While the author used quotes from his interviewees, his own writing style was totally unengaging and repetitive.Great concept and plan. Horrible execution.Sorry. :-(

James Arena has written a book that will make a lot of disco lovers happy. He shines a light on 32 of the ladies who sang some of the biggest disco hits. He lets the ladies tell their own stories---their family backgrounds, how they got started, how they felt about disco at the time and the hit(s) they recorded, and what they've been up to in the intervening years. The book contains exactly the kind of information I have been dying to know for a long time. You come away from the book seeing how strong and resilient these ladies are, as well as what nice people they are. There is also a strong theme of faith and love for all people running through their lives. Reading this book helped me realize that the good feelings and happiness that come through when I listen to their music is genuine, and was present during the creative process as they recorded their songs.

I just love The First Ladies of Disco - The Book. It is absolutely phenomenal, and a wealth of wonderful stories from such a fun and exciting part of the music industry genre. I wasn't of age when these women were at the height of their careers, however I do have a great admiration and adoration to each and every one of them for their work and contributions they made to the music industry. The interviews are very well articulated by James Arena. The stories of their lives, before and during and after their successes, hard work and determination are all exciting and inspiring. This book will leave you looking up and researching material of each and everyone of these talented ladies, collecting on vinyl is always fun. Thank you James for taking the time to give dues and admiration to these underrated vocalists who have left their voices on pop culture and a very fun exciting and entertaining soundtrack of our lives.

Having been involved in the disco scene from the beginning, with 25 years as a club DJ in Chicago, Miami and Key West, I had the pleasure of working with many of these great ladies. This book pulls together over 30 of the fabulous queens of the disco. The interviews are all extremely interesting and beautifully interpreted by James Arena. The stories of their lives before, during and after their successes are all truly fascinating and inspiring. There is a lot of information that can't be found in Wikipedia or album liner notes.More than just a trip down memory lane, the book is an inspiration to any young artist interested in the business, and will leave you scrambling to order (on Amazon of course) any of their available material.Thanks James for taking the time to give dues to these often overlooked vocalists who have left their voices on popular culture and the collective soundtrack of our lives.

The Book is a great read. Being a huge fan of the Disco era from 1974-1979 and being heavily into the vinyl at that time and also to this day, I had/have almost every disco record recorded. Now some in great remastered cd form as well. Always loved the lush orchestrations, which I wish they could bring back to the live shows, now that would be impressive. Why 3 stars, a lot of "First" Ladies were not included and wish they were. I also read a lot about the artists when the music was happening in that day. They all lead different and interesting lives and some never got the credit they deserved. Some were back up singers for major disco groups that were already well established and some lead singers, with amazing producers and arrangers. As far as the book, the writing and the stories, very well done! A Special mention to Donna Summer (RIP), Gloria Gaynor and Linda Clifford, you ruled the era!

This buoyant book provides not only a telling of how these wonderful ladies became so successful with their music and sang some of the best loved and remembered tunes of the disco era, but provides the best insight I have ever read into their lives, thoughts, and perspectives. Mr. Arena has indeed picked the very best and most notable female disco singers. My favorites, Linda Clifford and Claudja Barry, provided great support for the book. But each one is a treasurer, and having listened over and over again to all these artists they seem like almost close friends. Debbie Jacobs' interview is so uplifting. And I was fascinated by how Suzi Lane was able to work with Giorgio on her first album, and then disappeared from sight. All these ladies are wonderful!! Worth every penny!

If, like me, you enjoy music from the 70's and 80's that you can dance to, then this is the book for you. It contains interviews with some well-known and some lesser-known artists from the disco era, even though many artists in the book weren't disco singers perse, as they had a career before and/or after the disco craze died down.The book is very well-written and the interviews provide a rare insight into the lives and especially careers of these elusive singers as as well as the making of some of disco's most iconic records such as (of course) Evelyn "Champagne" King's "Shame" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". These stories have been documented elsewhere as well, but it is the wealth of information about the other artists and records included in the book that makes it one of a kind.A highly recommended read! Apparently a second volume is in the works- can't wait!

This book is a treat for those of us who grew up with this music and for those rediscovering these pioneering women. Generally speaking most overviews of artists involve a great deal of smoke and mirrors when reviewing the past, not James Arena, he has eschewed the notion of creating a convincing illusion and presented a warts and all account of how it really was for these divas living and experiencing life at the height of disco. Through his masterful skill of writing, he has allowed these ladies to tell their own story, from their perspective. Throughout my life these birds of song have come in and out of my life musically and Mr Arena's ability to create word images so vivid that it is almost like meeting up with old friends again.I look forward to Mr Arena's next tome with great anticipation !

Excellent book. I have recordings by all the artists mentioned so it was great to read about them and their memories.

L'auteur américain James Arena a fait du beau boulot en interviewant 32 reines du Disco (parmi lesquelles Gloria Gaynor, Miquel Brown, Evelyn "Champagne" King", Evelyn Thomas, Claudja Barry, Madleen Kane....). 32 portraits de femmes qui ont contribué à la fin des années 1970 et au début des années 1980 au succès mondial d'un genre musical souvent dénigré: le Disco. Un régal pour les fanatiques de ce style musical. Bravo!!!R.Ruiz