Tom Savarese is a DJ best known for his role in the 1970s
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 ...
scene.
Biography
Savarese was born on April 26, 1944, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and grew up in the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
neighborhood. He attended
Fordham University
Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...
.
Savarese began his career as a DJ in 1969, playing at apartment and house parties. Overtime he became the full-time professional Disco DJ, reportedly one of the first in the US, and worked on music remixes for record labels in NYC.
By the late-1970s, Savarese was interviewed as an expert in the disco music scene by major publications, including the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and ''
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
'', calling Savarese the "key New York Disco DJ" in 1977. ''Billboard Magazine'' named Savarese the New York DJ of the Year that year,
as well as national DJ of the year in 1976 and 1977. Savarese' remixes also charted in the top 20 tracks of the ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' disco charts.
During this era, Savarese mostly played at "12 west" club,
and famously turned down the opportunity to become the first DJ to play and hold residence at the club "
Studio 54
Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...
".
[Lawrence, 418] He was also one of the first DJs to play live during New York City fashion runway shows.
References
External links
Tom Savarese DiscographyDJs Portal Biography
American disco musicians
Living people
1944 births
Musicians from the Bronx
Fordham University alumni
American DJs
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