George McCrae

George McCrae was one of the pioneers of the Florida dance sound that dominated much of 70s R&B. He was also the singer of one of the first disco hits, 1974's smash "Rock Your Baby".

McCrae formed his own singing group, the Jivin' Jets, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1963. Four years later, he reformed the group, with his wife Gwen joining the line-up, but soon afterwards they decided to work as a duo, recording for Henry Stone's Alston record label. Gwen then won a solo contract, with George acting as her manager as well as doing some singing on sessions and in clubs.

He was about to return to college to study law enforcement when Richard Finch & Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band invited him to sing the lyrics for a song that they had recorded for the band but couldn't reach the high notes that were required for the song. The song, "Rock Your Baby," became one of the first hits of the disco era in 1974, winning for McCrae a Grammy nomination and selling an estimated eleven million copies worldwide, topping the charts in the U.S., UK, and over 80 other countries.

McCrae never came close to matching the success of "Rock Your Baby," though he had moderate hits with "I Can't Leave You Alone" and "I Get Lifted." He remained popular in Europe, where he continued to perform for years after his commercial peak.

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