Like the Jackson Five, the Sylvers were a family act produced by Motown veteran Freddie Peren. Peren was especially impressed with lead singer Edmund Sylver who he often compared to Michael Jackson.  The Sylvers' "Boogie Fever" was a No. 1 R&B and Pop hit in 1976, and was conceived simply as a way of getting a song out there on the radio based on a popular word of the day--"boogie."  Featuring all nine Sylvers, who performed in the studio as if in their own private disco, "Boogie Fever" had a recognizable rhythm, simple lyrics, and a real party atmosphere.

And then there was "Boogie Oogie Oogie," which was also a No. 1 R&B and Pop hit--in 1978. The song was a hit for A Taste of Honey who began their career playing military bases throughout Europe and the Far East. The band's configuration was quite unique for the era in that it was fronted by two female singer-guitarists backed by two males. "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was written in response to an incident at an Air Force club. A Taste of Honey was playing hard and working up a sweat, but getting no reponse. Realizing that the crowd was expressing silent contempt for a band fronted by females, band member Janice Marie Johnson went home and wrote the stinging song out of a sense of rage over male chauvinism.

Disco was at its peak in 1979 when Earth, Wind and Fire responded with its own celebration of the dance lifestyle, "Boogie Wonderland." Up until then, EWF had pretty much ignored disco, but with this single, they created one of the biggest disco hits ever. Using the Emotions to great effect (EWF member Maurice White was their producer) after the female trio had scored with "Best of My Love," the record is one of the very few to pair two full-fledged groups successfully on a single hit. An evocation of the disco scene, "Boogie Wonderland" recreated the fantasy life of the disco patron, and worked as a theme song to the Studio 54 crowd and their wonderland of hedonistic play.

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