George McCrae

George McCrae almost defines the disco era with his classic 1974 hit Rock Your Baby, although his career spans a long and successful period both before and after that landmark. Originally from Palm Beach, Florida, McCrae first came to attention in the 1960s with the Jivin' Jets, which also included his wife Gwen. He put his own career on ice to manage Gwen when her powerful R&B style launched her to solo stardom, but a meeting with KC And The Sunshine Band changed all that when they asked him to take the vocals on a track which they thought better suited his ability to reach the high notes. That track was Rock Your Baby, which went on to sell 11 million copies all over the world and was voted song of the year by Rolling Stone magazine. Follow-ups I Can't Leave You Alone and It's Been So Long were also Top 10 hits in the UK and, following divorce from Gwen, McCrae continued to record and tour through the 1980s; particularly in Europe, where his popularity endured more than in America. He was back in the public eye in 2000 when indie rock band Yo La Tengo covered one of his old hits, You Can Have It All.

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