Gotham was an American

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

trio formed in 1973 known for improvised

insult comedy Insult comedy is a comedy genre in which the act consists mainly of offensive insults, usually directed at the audience or other performers. Typical targets for insult include people in the show's audience, the town hosting the performance, or the ...

, barbershop music, and

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightlife, particularly in African-American, Italian-American, Gay and Latino communities. Its sound features four-on-the-floor ...

. The trio comprised Gary Herb, Michael Pace, and Jonathan Morrow, the last of which was replaced by David McDaniel in 1975. They performed nationally and had sustained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Circa 1977,

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

called them "One of the fastest-paced acts in the nitery business", and ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described the trio as "habit-forming."

Performances

In September 1976, they performed at the Grand Finale nightclub in

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

Manhattan and were featured in its advertising materials. Their 45-minute show included " How Long Has This Train Been Gone?", " Where Did Our Love Go?", and " Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters". The performance was uploaded to the internet in 2004. In 1976,

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

hired Gotham to provide background vocals on ''Songs for the New Depression''. Around this time, ''

The Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the ''Washington'' ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday ...

'''s Ear gossip section labeled them as a D.C. "must-see". They were interviewed in-depth by ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

;'' where Gary Herb, Michael Pace, and David McDaniel discussed their careers, their performances, and their views on politics and contemporary media. They were featured on the cover of ''Videography'' magazine in 1977. The same year, their comedy act was televised on '' The Emerald City'', a

Channel J Manhattan Cable Television's Channel J was a Public-access television, public-access television channel broadcast from New York City from 1976 to 1990. It became famous and controversial for its lack of censorship and its depiction of marginalize ...

program filmed in Manhattan. Their 1979 disco album, '' Void Where Inhibited'', was composed by Harold Wheeler and released by Aurum Records in 1979. They performed their upcoming disco song "AC/DC Man" at the 1979

National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights The first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C., on October 14, 1979. The first such march on Washington, it drew between 75,000 and 125,000Ghaziani, Amin. 2008. ...

References

American cabaret singers American cabaret performers {{US-band-stub

Performances

See also

References