The prime movers of disco are almost all dead. But their influence lives on
Disco died last week. Donna Summer passed away on Thursday and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees followed her into the unknown on Sunday. They died young,succumbing to cancer in their early sixties. Of the kings and queens of disco,the only one left alive is Barry Gibb,Robins eldest brother. He was the trademark falsetto that led Saturday Night Fever,supported by the timbre of Robins vibrato. And theres John Travolta,of course,who became so typecast by Saturday Night Fever that he was in free-fall until his career was revived by the role of a hitman in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction.
Though neither the Bee Gees nor Donna Summer began disco,they defined its sound and projected it beyond Europe and North America to a global listenership. Echoes of their work are audible in genres that developed decades later,like electronic dance. And the participatory nature of disco you didnt listen to it,you danced to it turned dance into a public art form tailor-made for TV contests. The prime movers of disco are almost all dead,but their influence lives on in myriad musical forms.