In 1980 Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced the album Diana for Diana Ross, yielding the smash hits ” Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out”. On Diana’s 1985 album Swept Away, Edwards wrote and produced the top ten “Telephone”. Chic’s song “Good Times” played a pivotal role in the explosion of hip hop music, as an interpolation of the song’s bass line and the record’s string-section sample was the bedrock of The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight“, the first multiple-platinum Hip Hop single.
Diana Ross – Telephone
Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
“Le Freak” is Atlantic Records only triple platinum selling single and “Good Times” shot to the No. 1 spot in spite of the ” Disco Sucks” backlash in 1979.
The success of Chic’s first singles led Atlantic to offer Rodgers and Edwards the opportunity to produce any act on its roster. They chose Sister Sledge, whose 1978 album, We Are Family,peaked at No. 3 and remained on the charts well into 1979. The first two singles, ” He’s the Greatest Dancer” and the title cut ” We Are Family” both reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, and No. 6 and No. 2, respectively on the Pop chart. “He’s the Greatest Dancer” was sampled in 1998 on Will Smith’s “Gettin Jiggy With It”.
Bernard Edward’s bass line from Chic hit “Good Times” has become one of the most copied pieces of music in history, and had a huge influence on musicians of many genres when released and was the inspiration for “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. In an interview with New Musical Express, Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards stated, “…that Queen record came about because that Queen bass player… spent some time hanging out with us at our studio”.