John Casey

The Bee Gees may have been the undisputed disco kings of the late '70s, but KC & the Sunshine Band weren't far behind. During the mid- to late '70s, the multi-member and racially integrated group – led by bandleaders Harry Wayne "KC" Casey and Richard Finch – racked up some of the era's biggest, most recognized dance hits. Casey and Finch first met in 1972 while both were employed by TK Records in Miami, where among other chores, Casey served as a personal secretary and booking agent for artist Timmy Thomas. KC & the Sunshine Band officially formed in 1973, but a debut single, "Blow Your Whistle," sunk from sight upon release. It was another Casey/Finch original, 1974's "Rock Your Baby," that R&B artist George McCrae scored a hit with as KC & the Sunshine Band began issuing further albums and singles, quickly scoring big hits on their own.

"What fans heard in these four {Lyceum} shows was both a history of the Dead and a survey of their unique vision of American music, from folk to rock, with blues and R&B and country-and-western and Bakersfield all included, all melded together by the improvisational spirit of American jazz in a small-group format that owed much to European classical music."