Did Disco Really Die on July 12, 1979?
It is rare that you can actually pinpoint the rise and fall of a music genre at any point in time but disco music may apply. In the early 1970s, disco music began its meteoric rise in New York City basements and served as an important part of the liberation movements during that time for the LGBTQ+ community. As they say, all good things come to an end and many call July 12, 1979, the day that disco died. Now, a Netflix film called The Saint of Second Chances opens up about the infamous evening in history.
At one point in the film, we follow a Chicago DJ named Steve Dahl, who was apparently not a disco fan, and how he led the way for a promotional stunt where people would bring disco albums to burn during a Chicago White Sox baseball game at Comiskey Park. During that time the White Sox were struggling to get fans to attend games and White Sox owner Bill Veeck asked Dahl for help. Dahl was already part of the anti-disco craze after being dumped from a radio station when people began craving disco instead of rock.
Comiskey Park previously hosted a “Salute to Disco” night so they figured that an anti-disco evening could attract another large crowd. However, the evening turned much more sinister than they could have ever imagined. Thousands did show up and the dumpster for disco records overflowed. Things got violent as Dahl triggered explosives to blow up the records and fans stormed the field, destroying the property and even stealing bases until riot police showed up.
Everett Collection
Many years later, Dahl said that he truly believed that disco was already on its way out but the stunt he orchestrated “hastened its demise.” Of course, it didn’t die overnight. That same week music by Donna Summer and Chic continued to rule the charts. However, radio stations began turning back to rock music and many discotheques started shutting down, rendering the end of an era. Disco’s rise and fall did make way for genres such as hip-hop, pop and house music.
Remind While many say the event was filled with racism and homophobia, Dahl maintains the belief that it was just anti-disco. Of course, disco is not actually dead as there are always fans of any music genre, but this horrible event in human history did not help its legacy. Whether you like disco or not, I think we can all agree that night was not something to be repeated or ever applauded.
Disco
July 2023
Return to the days when we boogie-oogie-oogied till we just couldn’t boogie no more!
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