Today’s classic song of the day was one of the first disco tunes of the 1970s. It allegedly influenced Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus to write “Dancing Queen” for ABBA, another huge early disco track.
The song is “Rock Your Baby” and the artist was George McCrae. Released in May of 1974, this dance track made it all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. It was also #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B chart and in countries around the world, including Austria, Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and West Germany.
“Rock Your Baby” was written and produced by Harry Wayne “KC” Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, who were kind of on a roll at the time. Other members of KC’s band played on the record, which was originally intended for George McCrae’s wife, Gwen. Gwen was late for the session, however, so George stepped in and made the song his. (Don’t feel sorry for Gwen McCrae, however; she had a later hit in 1975 with the tune “Rockin’ Chair.”)
Also of note is the fact that “Rock Your Baby” was one of the first tracks to feature a drum machine. The less said about that, the better.
The single was George McCrae’s sole mainstream hit. He’d been singing professionally since the early ’60s and continued to record and perform well into the 2010s. He’s currently living in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 81 years of age.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day. It’s George McCrae, lip-synching “Rock Your Baby” on the Dutch television program, TopPop. Smooth.
First HIT record to use a drum machine was “Family Affair” by Sly and The Family Stone.