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D.C. LaRue (born David Charles L'Heureux on April 26, 1948 in Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.A.) was a disco artist. His music was successful in dance/disco clubs and on dance music charts worldwide during the late '70s and early '80s.
[edit] History
His first big hit happened in 1976 and was titled "Cathedrals". With its release on Pyramid Records D.C. proved he could write, sing, produce and perform like a true veteran. LaRue's 1976 "Cathedrals" 12" 45 RPM caused an immediate sensation in the disco/dance clubs throughout the world. D.C. was the first white male to ever hold the #1 R&B/Soul chart position in England. Cathedrals was the first commercially available 12" disco single in the USA and the only 12" single to be charted on Billboard Magazine's Top 100 Singles chart before or since.
In less than a year he began work on his second album, The Tea Dance. The 1976 recording featured such notable background singers as Lani Groves and Sharon Redd. It also included a duet with legendary 1960s rock/pop icon Lou Christie. The stand out cuts included the 12" of "Face Of Love," "Overture" and "Don't Keep It In The Shadows." The album presented itself was a concept capturing the essence and feel of a Broadway show. LaRue's Cathedrals album sold over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks of release but The Tea Dance more than doubled that sales figure and over the course of its life and became a bigger hit.
About the extended break on the 12" re-mix of "Indiscreet" from The Tea Dance hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash is quoted as saying "It was first Hip Hop break I heard...the start of all the Hip Hop and Rap to come!"
1977 brought limited personal appearances, signing a deal for a cameo movie role and putting the finishing touches on several tracks for his third album Confessions. He changed labels because of a new distribution agreement between Pyramid Productions and Casablanca Records. As part of the deal he was asked to provide two tracks for the Casablanca Filmworks movie Thank God It's Friday.
1978 began with the release of the soundtrack album for Thank God It's Friday which included D.C.'s track "Do You Want The Real Thing?" That year also saw the spectacular success of his third album Confessions. The release of the 12" remix of its "Let Them Dance" track propelled the album to gold status over night and garnered him numerous disco/dance awards throughout the world.
LaRue's movie debut was a cameo in the Bee Gees' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. D.C. also appeared in the Village People film Can't Stop The Music (1980).
In 1979 he released Forces Of the Night. It featured the 12" single "Hot Jungle Drums And Voodoo Rhythm" as well as duets with Rita Moreno (Hollywood actress/Broadway dancer) on "Have A Good Time" and Michelle Aller (the beautiful voice on Cerrone's "Call Me Tonight") on "On With The Dance."
As the decade ended D.C. released his final vinyl output. 1981's Star Baby retained the spark and ingenuity that had been prevalent in his earlier releases but with the disco area coming to an end it was sadly overlooked. It did however feature yet another exciting duet with Lou Christie ("Into The Ozone") and the 12" release of "So Much For L.A." garnered quite a bit of positive club reaction. It was the first ever double sided Casablanca Records 12" single with the flip side being the track "Boys Can't Fake It."
As the disco era ended D.C. turned to other interests, most notably his love of photography and graphic design.
Recently (2006) his classic recording of "Cathedrals" was sampled in England (3AM/Bobby Blaco & Miki Moto) and it turned into an internationally successful dance hit all over again. His music continues to live on. Not only are his recordings the perfect reflection of a Disco era gone by but an example of an art that is just as relevant today.
The editors of GQ Magazine voted LaRue one of the 6 creative artist who would epitomize "success in the decades ahead."
[edit] Albums
- Ca-the-drals (Pyramid 1976)
- Tea Dance (Pyramid 1977)
- Forces of the Night (Casablanca 1979)
- Confessions (Casablanca 1980)
- Star Baby (Casablanca 1981)
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