THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

893-KC and the Sunshine Band-(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty.

1976-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 0.17. In the 21st Century they call it ‘Twerking,’ but back in the 20th Century, it was known as ‘Shaking.’

KC and the Sunshine Band were formed in Hialeah, Miami, Florida, United States, in 1973, by Harry Wayne Casey, (KC) and Richard Finch, the bands name comes from Casey’s surname, and the ‘Sunshine State’ of Florida. The band was originally called ‘KC & The Sunshine Junkanoo Band,’ because they used studio musicians from the ‘TK’ record label, and also from a local ‘Junkanoo band,’ called the ‘Miami Junkanoo Band.’ Casey and Finch were soon joined by Jerome Smith, (1953-2000) (guitar) and Robert Johnson (drums.) In total there have been 28 different members who have worked under the ‘KC and the Sunshine Band’ banner. The band were active between 1973-1985, and then reformed in 1993, and have released their last new music to date in 2022.

The discography of KC and the Sunshine Band includes 15 studio Albums released between 1974-2015, and 49 singles issued between 1973-2022, there are also 12 official compilation Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, they have achieved 11 top 40 hits, with five of those songs making Number 1, including this track. In the UK, they have charted within the top 40 on 10 occasions, with ‘Give It Up’ from 1983, reaching Number 1.

Harry Wayne Casey was born on January 31st, 1951, in Opa-locka, Florida, United States, he is seen as a pioneer of the genre of ‘Disco Music’ in the 1970’s. Casey and Finch first met, when both were working in menial roles at ‘TK Records,’ After forming KC and the Sunshine Band, they started to write together, with their big breakthrough hit coming in the summer of 1974 with ‘Rock Your Baby,’ (see also best songs 64) which was sung by George McCrae, ‘Rock Your Baby is currently the 27th best selling single worldwide of all time, with sales in excess of 11 million copies sold. George McCrae can also be heard adding backing vocals to KC and the Sunshine Band’s first hit single ‘Queen of Clubs’ (1974-UK Number 7.) Casey and Finch also had success writing for other ‘TK Records’ artists, including Betty Wright, (1953-2020) and Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne (see also best songs 375.) Away from KC and the Sunshine Band, Casey charted at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, with the American singer Teri DeSario, on a cover version of the 1965 Barbara Mason song ‘Yes, I’m Ready,’ DeSario had been a high school classmate of Casey’s, and he was also producing her second studio Album ‘Moonlight Madness’ at the time. For all their success in the 1970’s, in the UK, KC and the Sunshine Band, are probably best remembered for the 1983 hit ‘Give It Up,’ which was their last UK, and U.S hit single, although in America it didn’t chart until 1984, when peaking at Number 18.

‘(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty’ was co-written, and co-produced by Harry Wayne Casey, and Richard Finch, and was the first of five singles released from KC and the Sunshine Band’s fourth studio Album ‘Part 3,’ from October 1976. The songs original ‘B’ side was ‘Boogie Shoes,’ which had previously appeared on the bands self titled second studio Album from 1975, and after being chosen for the ‘ Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack, (see also best songs 211-184 and 35) the song was released as a ‘A’ side single, reaching Number 35 in America, and Number 34 in the UK.

Richard Finch has explained how ‘(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty’ was directly inspired by dance moves that he and Casey had witnessed in clubs, he has said,’The Bump was big back then, and then every once in a while you’d see someone break loose and shake their booty like Jell-O. We figured, okay, how do you write about this? You know, say it like it is. We also were collecting phrases, trying to find a buzz word and write about it, or a catch phrase, and try and expound on that. Just trying to keep it fun. As we started performing, we’d pay attention to what the people were doing, either body moves or body language, and try to transfer that back into the next production. As soon as we got back off the road we’d go right into the studio with that freshly captured energy, start recording, and not try to think too much.’

‘Everybody, get on the floor, let’s dance. Don’t fight the feeling, give yourself a chance. Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your booty, shake your booty.’