Alicia Bridges
| Alicia Bridges | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1953 |
| Origin | Lawndale, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Disco, R&B, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Website | www.aliciabridges.com |
Alicia Bridges (born July 15, 1953) is an American singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" in 1978.
Early years
Alicia Bridges was born in Lawndale, North Carolina, a small town in Cleveland County. She sang from a very young age and learned to play guitar at the age of 10. At the age of 12 she had her own radio program, The Alicia Bridges Show, broadcast every Saturday on station WADA in Shelby, North Carolina. Occasionally she would sing on the show but has said what she is most proud of is that she "ran all the dials, the turntables, cued the records and made all the announcements live on the air".
Discovery and fame (1970s)
In 1977 she was signed to Polydor Records. Her 1978 hit single "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also appeared on Billboard's "Hits of the World" chart. The song was also in the #5 position on the Record World and Cash Box charts. It was also a "crossover" hit, receiving play even on country music stations. The cover of the 1978 self-titled LP features an early skyline picture of Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1978 Bridges was a Grammy nominee and was the opening act, performing "I Love the Nightlife". Bridges' self-titled LP, Alicia Bridges, was also rising on the Billboard, Cash Box and Record World charts and the LP remained on the charts for up to 35 weeks. Both the LP and the single release were international successes, and "I Love the Nightlife" went top 40 in the UK and Germany, Spain and other European countries. Bridges' music was especially popular in Japan as well. She received an RIAA Certified Gold Record for the sale of over one million copies of her hit single in the USA, as well as a gold record from Canada.
Contrary to the impression created by her success with "I Love the Nightlife", Alicia was primarily a singer of rock, blues and love songs. "I Love the Nightlife" has a definite back beat and organ similar to early 1970s R&B; the original intention was for "I Love the Nightlife" to be an R&B song, but when publishing mogul Bill Lowery first heard the song, he envisioned it as a disco dance tune. Soon after, Jim Burgess created a 12" single remix. Ultimately this mix became a worldwide hit. The song has been featured in several movies, including Love at First Bite, The Last Days of Disco and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Bridges' second single, "Body Heat", was a rock song with strong electric guitar rhythms. It was a "rock/dance" song released at a time when there was some rivalry between disco fans and rock fans; this time period began to see more songs which mixed the genres of rock and disco to create a "rock/disco" flavor.
In an interview, Bridges mentioned Elvis Presley as the singer who originally aroused her interest in rock music but she has always considered herself an R&B singer. She cited Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle as her 70's influences. She said that she didn't care for white female singers as a rule with the exception of Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. She complained that white women sounded like they were "sleepwalking" through their performances. "Yeah, I jump around a lot when I'm performing," she said.[1]
Impostor
In 1983, a woman was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee for pretending to be Alicia Bridges during a country music convention. Bridges drove from her home in Atlanta to give evidence in the case. Bridges stated that she had been plagued by an impostor for five years.[2]
Recent years
Alicia Bridges Music Publications was founded in 2006 and has produced three albums.
In November 2006 Bridges released a remixed and remastered compilation of her songs titled This Girl Don't Care.
In 2007 she released Say It Sister.
Her third CD, Faux Diva, was released in 2008; this included a remix of "I Love The Nightlife".
Bridges is currently active in the music community as a producer and DJ. Her works, digital versions of her recordings, a blog and videos can be found on her official web sites, aliciabridges.com, discoround.com and ilovethenightlife.com.
Personal life
Bridges is openly lesbian. She has stated that as a teenager, she realized she was "different from the rest", as discussed during a 1998 interview for The Advocate.[3]
Discography
Albums
- 1978: Alicia Bridges (Polydor, 1978)
- 1979: Play It as It Lays
- 1984: Hocus Pocus
- 2002: The Collection: I Love the Nightlife (Compilation)
- 2006: This Girl Don't Care (Remixed & Remastered Compilation)
- 2007: Say It Sister (Remastered Compilation)
- 2008: Faux Diva (Remixed & Remastered Compilation)
References
- ↑ "Sultry and bluesy-voiced Alicia doesn't renege on tough image" (March 3, 1979) Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- ↑ "Impostor's identity revealed" (October 23, 1983) Hutchinson News, Hutchinson, Kansas
- ↑ Walters, Barry (1998-07-21), "Where are they now?", The Advocate, retrieved 2007-09-06