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Gloria Gaynor (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
era hits " I Will Survive" (1978), " Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), " I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of " Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974).


Early life

Gaynor was born Gloria Fowles in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, to Daniel Fowles and Queenie Mae Proctor. Her grandmother lived nearby and was involved in her upbringing. "There was always music in our house", Gaynor wrote in her autobiography ''I Will Survive''. She enjoyed listening to the radio, and to records by Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan. Her father played the
ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
and guitar and sang professionally in nightclubs with a group called Step 'n' Fetchit. Gloria grew up a tomboy; she had five brothers and one sister. Her brothers sang
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
and formed a quartet with a friend. Gaynor was not allowed to sing with the all-male group, nor was her younger brother Arthur, as Gloria was a girl and he was too young. Arthur later acted as a tour manager for Gaynor. The family was relatively poor, but Gaynor recalls the house being filled with laughter and happiness, and the dinner table being open to neighborhood friends. They moved to a
housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...
in 1960, where Gaynor attended
South Side High School Southside High School or South Side High School may refer to: * Southside High School (Gadsden, Alabama) * Southside High School (Dallas County, Alabama), a school in the Dallas County Schools system * Southside High School (Batesville, Arkansas) ...
; she graduated in 1961. "All through my young life I wanted to sing, although nobody in my family knew it", Gaynor wrote in her autobiography. Gaynor began singing in a night club in Newark, where she was recommended to a local band by a neighbor. After several years of performing in local clubs and along the East Coast, Gaynor began her recording career in 1971 at
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
.


Early career

Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and R&B music band, in the 1960s. She recorded "She'll Be Sorry/Let Me Go Baby" (for the first time as ''Gloria Gaynor'') in 1965, for
Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists ...
's "Jocida" label. Her first real success came in 1973 when she was signed to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
by
Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 19 ...
. The fruit of that was the release of the flop single "Honey Bee". Moving on to
MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
she finally hit with the album '' Never Can Say Goodbye''. The first side of the album consisted of three songs ("Honey Bee", " Never Can Say Goodbye", and " Reach Out, I'll Be There"), with no break between the songs. This 19-minute dance marathon proved to be enormously popular, especially at dance clubs. All three songs were released as singles via radio edits and all of them became hits. The album was instrumental in introducing disco music to the public, "Never Can Say Goodbye" becoming the first song to top '' Billboard'' magazine's dance chart. It was also a hit on the mainstream Pop Charts, peaking at No. 9, and on the
R&B Charts The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
, reaching No. 34 (the original version by The Jackson 5 had been a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 in 1971). It also marked her first significant chart success internationally, making it into the Top 5 in Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK. The song would go on to be certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
, and subsequently gold in the US. Capitalizing on the success of her first album, Gaynor quickly released her follow-up, ''
Experience Gloria Gaynor ''Experience Gloria Gaynor'' is the second album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1975 on MGM Records. The album charted in the US Billboard at #64 in the US Pop chart, and at #32 in the US R&B chart. The album failed to chart in the UK, the single " ...
'', later that same year. Some of her lesser-known singles, due to lack of recurrent airplay—including "Honey Bee" (1974), "Casanova Brown" (1975), and "Let's Make a Deal" (1976), as well as her cover of the Four Tops' "Reach Out, I'll Be There"—became hits in nightclubs and reached the Top 5 on '' Billboard''s disco charts. Many charted on the Hot 100 and R&B charts as well, with songs like "(If You Want It) Do It Yourself"—a No. 1 disco hit—peaking at No. 98 on the Pop Charts and No. 24 on the R&B Charts. Gaynor's cover of " How High the Moon" topped the US Dance Charts, and made the lower parts of both the pop and R&B charts, as well as achieving some international chart success. After her 1976 album ''
I've Got You I've Got You may refer to: * I've Got You (album), a 1976 album by Gloria Gaynor * I've Got You (Marc Anthony song), 2002 * I've Got You (Martine McCutcheon song), 1999 {{dab ...
'', Gaynor shifted from her hit production team to work with other producers. She has recorded some 16 albums since, including one in England, one in Germany, and two in Italy.


Major mainstream breakthrough

In the next few years, Gaynor released two albums '' Glorious'' and '' Gloria Gaynor's Park Avenue Sound'', but would only enjoy a few more moderate hits. However, in late 1978, with the release of her album '' Love Tracks'', she climbed the pop charts again with her smash hit single " I Will Survive". The lyrics of this song are written from the point of view of a woman, recently dumped, telling her former lover that she can cope without him and does not want anything more to do with him. The song has become something of an anthem of female emancipation. Originally, "I Will Survive" was a
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
when
Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
released it in late 1978. The A-side, a song called "Substitute", then a recent worldwide hit for South African girl-group Clout, was considered more "radio friendly". Boston disco radio DJ Jack King turned the record over and recalls being stunned by what he heard: "I couldn't believe they were burying this monster hit on the B-side", stated King. "I played it and played it and my listeners went nuts!". The massive audience response forced the record company to flip the songs, so that subsequent copies of the single listed the more popular song on the A-side. King was honored at New York's Disco Masters Awards Show for three consecutive years (1979–1981) in recognition of his relentless push of the song. He was also named "Most Influential Radio Personality of the Year" (1980) by ''Rock & Records'' magazine. Gaynor and King each received a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year that award was given (Gloria had to wait another 40 years for her second Grammy, in the
Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album The Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album has been an award category at the annual Grammy Awards since 2015. The award was first approved by the board of trustees of the Grammy Awards in June 2014. According to NARAS, the award was introdu ...
category). It is ranked No. 492 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and ranked at No. 97 on
Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
's "All-Time Hot 100". In 2000, the song was ranked No. 1 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" and remains there to this day. As a disco number, the song was unique for its time by virtue of Gaynor's having no background singers or lush production. And, unlike her first disco hits, the track was not pitched up to make it faster and to render Gaynor's recorded voice in a higher register than that in which she actually sang. Most disco hits at the time were heavily produced, with multiple voices, orchestrations, overdubs, and adjustments to pitch and speed. "I Will Survive" had a much sparer and "cleaner" sound. Had it been originally planned and released as an A-side, it would almost certainly have undergone a substantially more heavy-handed remix. In late 1979, she released the album ''
I Have a Right ''I Have a Right'' is Gloria Gaynor's seventh studio album, released in 1979. The track, "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)", was released as a single and reached #42 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album has never been released on CD. Reception ...
'' which contained her next disco hit, "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)", which featured Doc Severinsen of '' The Tonight Show'' fame, playing a trumpet solo. Gaynor also recorded a disco song called "Love Is Just a Heartbeat Away" in 1979 for the cult vampire film '' Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula'', which featured a number of disco songs.


Stateside career

In 1980 and again in 1981, Gaynor released two disco albums which were virtually ignored in the United States due to the backlash against disco, which began late in 1979. The album's singles barely registered on urban contemporary radio, where disco music remained popular. In 1982, having looked into a wide variety of faiths and religious movements, she became a Christian and began to distance herself from a past she considered to be sinful. That same year, she released an album of mid-tempo R&B and pop-style songs entitled '' Gloria Gaynor''. Gaynor would achieve her final success in the 1980s with the release of her album ''
I Am Gloria Gaynor ''I Am Gloria Gaynor'' is the eleventh studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1984 by Chrysalis Records. The most notable song on the album was Gloria Gaynor's cover of "I Am What I Am" from the musical '' La Cage Aux Folles''. It reached #82 ...
'' in 1984. This was mainly due to the song " I Am What I Am", which became a hit at dance clubs, and then on the Club Play chart in late 1983/early 1984. " I Am What I Am" became a gay anthem and made Gaynor a
gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community. The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...
. Her 1986 album, ''
The Power of Gloria Gaynor ''The Power of Gloria Gaynor'', also known as ''The Power'', or ''The Power of Love'', is the twelfth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1986, which is composed mostly of cover versions of other popular songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and ...
'', was almost entirely composed of cover versions of other songs that were popular at the time.


Career revival

Gaynor's career received a revitalizing spark in the early and mid 1990s with the worldwide disco revival movement. During the late 1990s, she dabbled in acting for a while, guest starring on '' The Wayans Bros'', '' That '70s Show'' (singing "I Will Survive"), and '' Ally McBeal,'' before doing a limited engagement performance in Broadway's '' Smokey Joe's Cafe''. In 2001, Gaynor performed "I Will Survive" at the 30th Anniversary concert for
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
. Gaynor returned to the recording studio in 2002, releasing her first album in over 15 years, ''I Wish You Love''. The two singles released from the album, "Just Keep Thinking About You" and "I Never Knew", both topped ''Billboard'''s Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Both singles also secured moderate to heavy dance format radio airplay. The latter song also charted No. 30 on ''Billboard'''s
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart. In 2004, Gaynor re-released her 1997 album '' The Answer'' (also released under the title ''What a Life'') as a follow up to her successful album '' I Wish You Love''. The album includes her club hit "Oh, What a Life". In late 2002, Gaynor appeared with R&B stars on the "Rhythm, Love, and Soul" edition of the PBS series ''American Soundtrack''. Her performance of the disco hit "I Will Survive" and new single "I Never Knew" was included on the accompanying live album that was released in 2004. On September 19, 2005, Gaynor was honored twice when she and her music were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, in the "Artist" category, along with fellow disco artists Chic and
Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented ...
. Her classic anthem "I Will Survive" was inducted under the "Records" category. In January 2008, the
American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...
named Gaynor the Honorary Spokesperson of the 2008 "NYC Step Out to Fight Diabetes Walk". More television appearances followed in the late 2000s with 2009 appearances on ''The John Kerwin Show'', '' The Wendy Williams Show'', and '' The View'' to promote the 30th anniversary of "I Will Survive". In 2010, she appeared on ''
Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large grou ...
'' and '' The Tonight Show''. Forty years after its release, Gaynor continues to ride the success of "I Will Survive", touring the country and the world over and performing her signature song on dozens of TV shows. A few successful remixes of the song during the 1990s and 2000s along with new versions of the song by Lonnie Gordon,
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...
, Chantay Savage, rock group
Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
and others, as well as constant recurrent airplay on nearly all soft AC and rhythmic format radio stations have helped to keep the song in the mainstream. Gaynor said of her biggest hit in a 2012 interview: "It feels great to have such a song like that because I get kids five and six years old telling me they like the song, and then people seventy-five and eighty. It's quite an honor."Ask American Profile. Published in ''American Profile'' newsmagazine. January 29, 2012 edition. Page 2. The song was revived yet again in 2015 for the film '' The Martian'', where it is used at the end as the credits roll. Gaynor released a contemporary Christian album in late 2013. Gaynor performing in 2012 On May 16, 2015, Gaynor was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music by Dowling College. In 2017, she made a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
as a flight attendant in a Capital One commercial, while Samuel L. Jackson,
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...
, and
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
sang "I Will Survive". In 2016, "I Will Survive" was selected for induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. On May 6, 2017, Gaynor performed with her band at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
' celebration of disco music at Bibliodiscotheque, a disco dance party in the Great Hall of the
Thomas Jefferson Building The Thomas Jefferson Building is the oldest of the four United States Library of Congress buildings. Built between 1890 and 1897, it was originally known as the Library of Congress Building. It is now named for the 3rd U.S. president Thomas Jef ...
. Due to the devastation wreaked by
Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest ...
on the state of Texas in August 2017, Gaynor rewrote the lyrics to "I Will Survive", changing the title to "Texas Will Survive", and posted a video of herself singing the song on
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on August 30, 2017. In January 2020, she won her second Grammy Award in her career, 40 years after her first, for her roots gospel album ''Testimony''. In 2021, Gaynor returned to disco music when she recorded "Can’t Stop Writing Songs About You" with Australian singer
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
for the reissue of Minogue's fifteenth studio album ''
Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
'' entitled ''Disco: Guest List Edition''. The collaboration occurred following Gaynor praising Minogue for keeping Disco alive with her album of the same name. In April 2021, Gaynor recorded "Brand New" with the veteran Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. In 2022, Gaynor competed in season eight of '' The Masked Singer'' as "Mermaid" who rode on a giant clam-like vehicle that the Men in Black had to push around. After being eliminated on "Andrew Lloyd Webber Night" alongside
Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and singer with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including '' Chappelle's Show''. He also played Anthony Marentino in '' Sex and the City'' and Terri in ''Men In ...
as "Maize", Gaynor did her performance of "I Will Survive".


Personal life

Gaynor married her manager Linwood Simon in 1979. The couple divorced in 2005. She has no children. According to Gaynor, while she always wanted children, her ex-husband never desired any.


Discography

*'' Never Can Say Goodbye'' (1975) *''
Experience Gloria Gaynor ''Experience Gloria Gaynor'' is the second album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1975 on MGM Records. The album charted in the US Billboard at #64 in the US Pop chart, and at #32 in the US R&B chart. The album failed to chart in the UK, the single " ...
'' (1975) *''
I've Got You I've Got You may refer to: * I've Got You (album), a 1976 album by Gloria Gaynor * I've Got You (Marc Anthony song), 2002 * I've Got You (Martine McCutcheon song), 1999 {{dab ...
'' (1976) *'' Glorious'' (1977) *'' Gloria Gaynor's Park Avenue Sound'' (1978) *'' Love Tracks'' (1978) *''
I Have a Right ''I Have a Right'' is Gloria Gaynor's seventh studio album, released in 1979. The track, "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)", was released as a single and reached #42 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album has never been released on CD. Reception ...
'' (1979) *''
Stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (Briti ...
'' (1980) *'' I Kinda Like Me'' (1981) *'' Gloria Gaynor'' (1982) *''
I Am Gloria Gaynor ''I Am Gloria Gaynor'' is the eleventh studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1984 by Chrysalis Records. The most notable song on the album was Gloria Gaynor's cover of "I Am What I Am" from the musical '' La Cage Aux Folles''. It reached #82 ...
'' (1984) *''
The Power of Gloria Gaynor ''The Power of Gloria Gaynor'', also known as ''The Power'', or ''The Power of Love'', is the twelfth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1986, which is composed mostly of cover versions of other popular songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and ...
'' (1986) *''Love Affair'' (1992) *'' I'll Be There'' (1994) *'' The Answer'' (1997) *'' I Wish You Love'' (2003) *''I Will Survive'' (2013) *'' Testimony'' (2019)


See also

*
List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.) This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on ''Billboard'' magazine's weekly singles chart(s). This list spans from the issue dated January 1, 1955 to the present. Prior to the creation of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ''Bill ...
* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart * List of number-one dance hits (United States) *
List of number-one hits (United States) This is a list of songs that have peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the magazine's national singles charts that preceded it. Introduced in 1958, the Hot 100 is the pre-eminent singles chart in the United States, currently mo ...
*
List of best-selling singles This is a compendium of the best-selling music singles. The criterion for inclusion is to sell at least ten million copies worldwide. The singles listed here were cited by reliable sources from various media, such as digital journalism, news ...


References


External links

* * *
Gloria Gaynor interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaynor, Gloria 1943 births Living people African-American actresses African-American Christians 20th-century African-American women singers American dance musicians American disco musicians American disco singers American women pop singers American film actresses American Hi-NRG musicians American house musicians American mezzo-sopranos American soul singers American television actresses American women in electronic music Grammy Award winners Malcolm X Shabazz High School alumni Musicians from Newark, New Jersey New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees People from Cliffside Park, New Jersey People from Green Brook Township, New Jersey 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women