Disco was all the rage back in the late ’70s. You couldn’t walk into a bar or turn on the radio without hearing that incessant four-on-the-floor disco beat. It was even more in-your-face at the various dance clubs of the day, which I tried to avoid like the proverbial plague.
Because disco was so big, all sorts of artists tried to break into the scene with funky dance-flavored numbers. Case in point is today’s classic song of the day, “Got to Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn. The tune was off her self-titled debut album and, when released as a single in August of 1978, hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, #11 on Billboard’s National Disco Action Top 40 chart, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.
“Got to Be Real” was supposedly written by Ms. Lynn, David Paitch, and David Foster. You might know Mr. Paitch, who co-produced the track with his brother Marty, as the co-founder and keyboardist of the group Toto. Mr. Foster is a well-known producer and composer wholly or partly responsible for songs like “I Will Always Love You,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “Glory of Love,” “Breakdown Dead Ahead,” “You’re the Inspiration,” and “Heart to Heart.”
The backing musicians for “Got to Be Real” included David Paitch on keyboards, Ray Parker Jr. on guitar, David Shields on bass, and James Gadson on drums. It was recorded in April of 1978 at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood.
Born in Los Angeles, Cheryl Lynn got her start singing in her church choir as a young girl. She made an appearance on The Gong Show in 1976, when she was just 19 years old, then got a gig as a backing vocalist for the national touring company of The Wiz, eventually graduating to the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West. She then signed with Columbia Records and released her first album (which contained “Got to Be Real”) in 1978.
Post-“Got to Be Real,” Cheryl Lynn had a few club and R&B hits (including “Shake It Up Tonight,” “If This World Were Mine,” “Encore,” “If You Were Mine,” and “Everytime I Say Goodbye”), but nothing else that hit the mainstream charts. She’s still out there performing today, age 68.
And here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day. It’s Cheryl Lynn lip-synching her way through “Got to Be Real” on the February 17, 1979, episode of Soul Train. I gotta admit, this one gets my toes tapping; she had some pipes.
