The Queen of Disco, Gloria Gaynor, has had an incredibly impressive career spanning four decades… and there is no sign of her slowing down.
Gloria was born and raised in Newark, NJ. Upon graduation from high school, she began singing in NYC nightclubs and eventually found herself performing up and down the east coast. She was discovered, and signed her first recording contract with Clive Davis at Columbia Records. She later moved onto MGM/Polydor where many of her biggest hits were recorded. She has released 21 albums and 49 singles including Grammy Award winning hit "I Will Survive" which reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1979. She also saw success with "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)," "I Am What I Am" and many others.
Ms. Gaynor has toured the world, starred on Broadway and on TV, published 2 books, the latter of which received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. She has received countless awards including the LEGEND Award at the World Music Awards, the Martin Luther King Jr. Award in NYC and in 2016 “I Will Survive” was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Today she releases her new Gospel album, Testimony, an album she created with a team of Grammy Award winning songwriters and producers in Nashville, TN. In celebration of Testimony Lakeside Entertainment Group talks with Gloria Gaynor about her storied career and the challenges she overcame on her path to success.
LEG: In your autobiography you wrote, "All through my young life I wanted to sing, although nobody in my family knew it". Where did that passion for singing come from and can you tell us about your experience singing in your first band the Soul Satisfiers?
GG: I believe that your purpose lies within your passion. Therefore, my response to that question is that my passion comes from doing what I love and was created to do.
LEG: You have had a tremendous amount of success over the past forty-years since you broke into the music business. What would you say is the secret is to a successful career over such a long period of time?
GG: Again, doing what you love and remaining true to yourself. Remaining true to your own standards and doing what you believe you were created to do fosters a very sincere and charismatic presence, that when presented in a way that does not over shadow those elements fosters success in any walk of life.
LEG: You’ve been a part of so many different changes in music. What do you think the biggest change in the music business has been since you started singing with the Soul Satisfiers in the 1960’s?
GG: For me the biggest change in modern music is that we no longer get to experience either in the studio as artists or as consumers, the spontaneous creativity that can only happen between live musicians working in the studio together, inspiring one another.
LEG: “I Will Survive” turns 40 this year and has proven to be a timeless hit. Did you know back when you recorded it that the song would be one of the most iconic songs of all time? How has it made you feel to be such an inspirational voice to so many?
GG: Although I didn’t think of it in those terms, I realized when I first read the lyrics to “I Will Survive” that it had timeless lyrics that everyone could and would relate to
LEG: “Joy Comes in the Morning” is the most recent single off of your new album and captures your soulful vocals with an authenticity that could only come from someone who has experienced the challenges and trials of life. With words like, “Joy comes in the morning no matter how bad it feels, right after the storm ends and I promise it will,” you describe your own faith experience and encourage listeners to cling to hope through the darkest of times. Can you describe one of the most challenging times in your career or personal life? How did you overcome that challenge and get through that storm?
One of the most challenging times in my career was in 1978 when I fell on stage, backwards over a monitor. I jumped back up, finished my show and woke up the next morning paralyzed from the waist down. With the record company threatening to end my contract and people going around the company saying, “the queen is dead”, I had only my faith in God to sustain me. I exercised and held onto that faith until the Lord began to implement a plan to restore me and my career, a plan that included the song, “I Will Survive”.
LEG: What advice have you gotten along the way that you found valuable? What advice would you give to a young artist starting out today?
GG: The advice I received is the same advice that I would give to a young artist. Stay true to yourself. Keep people around you who knew and cared about you before your success. Don’t allow your gifts, talents and abilities to elevate you to a level at which your character cannot sustain you.
LEG: What was it like to record the new album in the iconic RCA Studio A on Music Row where Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and countless other country legends have recorded? Do you have a favorite song on the new album and why is it your favorite?
GG: It was wonderful to record in the legendary RCA Studio A. Doing so with one of the best producers in the business along with so many awesome musicians, live, was a wonderful experience and made me feel a part of the studio’s history.
LEG: What have been some of the most special collaborations you’ve worked on through the years? Is there anyone now that you’d be interested in working with that’s on the rise?
GG: Some of the most special collaborations I’ve worked with were with Englebert Humperdinck, Kool and the Gang, and the 4 duets on the new album, with Yolanda Adams, Jason Crabb, Mike Farris and Bart Millard. Up and coming artists I would like to work with are Alicia Keys, Tori Kelly, Israel Houghton, Michael W Smith, Ledisi and Pink.
LEG: Can you tell us one of your most memorable stories from the road?
GG: One of my most memorable stories occurred when I was once in Brazil. I had brought my band that I used from England. They were all Christians, and although I hadn’t recorded any Christian music at the time, I decided to put a Gospel section in the show. We performed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. On the Friday night two young ladies came to the band after the show and told them that while one of them spoke perfect Portuguese and perfect English the other one that only spoke Portuguese and had come to the show alone the first night. The one fluent in English explained that her friend had come to her home after seeing my show on Thursday night frantic. She exclaimed that there was a section of the show in which I (Gloria Gaynor) spoke for a while (in English, of course) before each song and that when I spoke “it burns in my heart”, she said, “and I have to know what she’s saying. You have to come back with me tomorrow night and tell me what she’s saying, I have to know what she’s saying!!!“ Well, what I was telling the audience was what each song meant to me, and it was all about the love, grace and mercy of God. Once the one young lady heard what I was saying and translated it to her friend, they both wanted to know from the band how they could become Christians. So the band members led them in the sinners prayer. I felt especially privileged and blessed that the Lord would use me in that way, in that setting.
LEG: What do you do to recharge and relax when you’re not recording, touring, or working?
GG: On my time off, I write. I write songs, I work on a book that I’m writing, and I journal. I also like to create recipes and cook.
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