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

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!

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.

I’ve been waiting (for what seems like forever) for a book like this to be published and it’s finally arrived … James Arena has truly captured the essence of many of the leading female stars of the Disco Era! They enlighten the reader to both the highs and lows of their professional as well as personal lives. The stars’ stories are fascinating; it’s amazing to pick up on common themes that recur throughout and to learn what has driven many of these amazingly talented ladies to continue to perform up to this day. A “must read” for both die-hard disco/dance music fans as well as those who are newer listeners of the genre.

Very comprehensive book about the ladies of discoin their own words. I found it quite interesting as a child of the 79s who loved disco.

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.

Loved hearing the stories of all these great singer's in there own words. It's a must read if you love music.

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

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 !

Très intéressant et facile à lire, ça nous permet de replonger dans les belles années du disco et de suivre l'après de plusieurs artistes féminines au-delà de cette période très prolifique.

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!

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