KC and the Sunshine Band to "groove" at Beaver Dam Amphitheater

Jun. 10—The audience at Beaver Dam Amphitheater tonight will be treated to the sounds of dance, disco, funk, pop and more as the Grammy-winning group KC and the Sunshine Band take the stage for "DISCO at The DAM."

The group, which will be joined by The Boogie Knights as the opening act, will be performing at the venue for the first time.

"I'm excited to be there," said Harry Wayne Casey, best known as KC, the lead vocalist and founder of the band. "I look forward to having a good time with everyone. It's just going to be a fun time."

Casey, 72, said he enjoys being able to perform, regardless of location, in order to see the fans and listeners who have supported them for more than 50 years.

"Coming to any show is exciting for me because it's my one chance to connect with the audience and with the fans, and they have a huge connection with us as artists because they have all the articles, and music and everything," he said. "But until (I get) in front of them and actually see them, I don't have a connection to the fans. So (this) gives me a connection to the fans, and I love that.

"There's nothing (better) than looking out into that audience and seeing everyone having such a great time."

The group formed in 1973 while Casey was working in music behind-the-scenes with TK Records.

"I was writing songs for other artists at the label, and then I thought, 'I'm not going to get discovered, so I just need to write the song for myself,' " he said. "A lot of the records that came out of (the label) before me were like one-hit-wonders, so I just wanted the one hit."

When Casey ended up releasing music, he didn't anticipate it would take off like it did.

"I wasn't thinking about what was going to be the second one, or third one or fourth one until I started making them, and then I really knew that they were hits."

While the group's debut album "Do It Good" spawned an R&B hit with "Blow Your Whistle," KC and the Sunshine Band found mainstream success in 1975 with the self-titled second album peaking at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart, which included the No. 1 hits "Get Down Tonight" and "That's the Way (I Like It)."

"I knew I had something going on, because right away we started making noise not only in the U.S. but in Europe from the very first song," Casey said.

A fan of R&B music, Casey noticed that the music in the mid-70s had "gotten very dark" due to societal issues such as the gas shortage. He was keen on "wanting to make some music that was ... nonstop, kind-of uptempo."

"There were times when an album would come out and had a couple uptempo songs, (but) the rest would just put you to sleep," he said. "I wanted to make an album that wouldn't put you to sleep; so side A and side B (had) an uptempo-type of vibe."

The band continued its string of hits and popularity throughout the decade with the release of "Part 3" in 1976, which contained the No. 1 tracks "I'm Your Boogie Man," "Keep It Comin' Love" and "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty."

Casey received two Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Producer of the Year" in 1978 for his work on the soundtrack for the Golden-Globe nominated dance drama "Saturday Night Fever."

Casey's material has been heard throughout the years at major sporting events such as the NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series, the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby, while also being featured in over 200 motion picture film soundtracks — making the tunes accessible for a constant new legion of fans.

"I have been in the business practically my whole life — around the business and in it .... I have never seen anything like a type of sound that won't go away and doesn't go away when they try to dismiss it," he said. "It's pretty amazing, because when you're making the music, you're never thinking about the impact it's gonna have 50 years later."

Some of the songs have been sampled in other artists' works throughout the years, which Casey finds to be the "highest form of flattery."

"The funny part about it is that it's hitting a whole new generation that has no idea that this stuff they're getting (into) was created 30 or 40 years ago," Casey laughed. "(It's) exciting. ... Anytime somebody covers one of my songs or anything (like that), ... it's really pretty awesome."

Regarding the show, Casey said "there's a lot of talent on that stage besides mine" and the patrons should expect a "production" with "all the hits, and then some."

"We're all over the place ...," he said. "It's a lot of entertainment, and the musicians are so talented, and I would be remiss if I didn't share all that talent on the stage.

"The only expectation for me is that (the audience) is coming to have a good time and to listen to some music (from) what I think is a great band, and just have some fun with us ... and forget about your troubles."

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the concert slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are still available for purchase at beaverdamtourism.com.