Disco
Step-by-Step®
YouTube
Video Clip Song: "Sevilla Nights"
by Santa Esmeralda. 1978
Videotaping
began in late 1975 throughout 1976 and the first show aired
on January 1, 1977. It was created, produced, written
and first hosted by former disco dj and music business
entrepreneur, Marty Angelo.
The
dancers vote to "Make" or "Break" a song
on this segment of the Disco Step-by-Step® dance show. If
the song "made it" it was added to a future
playlist. If the dancers did not like the song and said to
"Break It," that is exactly what would happen on
the air.
Each
one hour program consisted of four segments: Disco Profile™
- special guests, Disco
Dance Instruction™ - professionals teaching
the latest dance styles, Disco Spotlight™ - featured dance couples,
and Disco Make It or Break It™ -
introduction and judgment of new songs.
Disco Step-by-Step® professional dance
instructors from Buffalo New York's Debonaire Dance Studio, Sam Fiorello and Darlene Kesler
Ceglia. Each show consisted of two 10 minute segments of professional hustle dance instruction. This was one of the highlights of the show... teaching people to hustle dance "step-by-step" in the privacy of their own homes.
The
latest disco dance music played in between each segment as
experienced dancers danced either the New York Hustle, the
Latin Hustle, or the Salsa.
The
dancers vote to "Make" or "Break" a song
on this segment of the Disco Step-by-Step® dance show. If
the song "made it" it was added to a future
playlist. If the dancers did not like the song and said to
"Break It," that is exactly what would happen on
the air. The record would be smashed to pieces. This clip
all four songs "Make It."
The
first shows aired in black and white throughout Western New
York and surrounding areas on local cable television
channels. They were video taped live at various
discos.
Disco
Step-by-Step®
YouTube
Video Clip Song: "If
My Friends Could See Me Now"
by Linda Clifford. 1979
The program remained on cable from January 1, 1977 to June
30, 1977. It moved to a local network affiliate (WBEN/WIVB
TV Channel 4) for the 1977 fall season.
Marty Angelo was
contracted to create, produce and write his original Disco
Step-by-Step® show for this
new production. The network affiliate supplied the
remote videotape facilities using broadcast quality
equipment. The new enhanced show premiered on
September 23, 1977.
Disco
Step-by-Step® professional dance instructors, Sam Fiorello,
Darlene Kesler Ceglia, Susan Godios, and "the late
Richard DiSarno" present a special disco dance
demonstration. 1978. Song: "You Never Know How Much I
Love You" by the group, Love and Kisses.
Disco Step-by-Step®
was not only the first television show in the world
dedicated to disco dance music, it was Buffalo New York's
first cable produced television show to ever cross over to a
local broadcast network affiliate.
Disco
Step-by-Step® was authorized in 1978 to present two gold
records to special guest, "the late Eddie Rivera."
Rivera was the founder of the International Disco Record
Center, the second disco dj record pool in the United
States. Rivera surprised everyone by turning around and
presenting the awards to Marty Angelo and Disco Step-by-Step®
for helping to break, Henry Stone's TK Records' "Do You Wanna Get Funky With
Me?" by Peter Brown and the "Theme from Star
Wars" by Meco in the Buffalo NY area.
Nielsen
Media Research rated the show as the leader in its Saturday
3-4 pm time slot. It had over 400,000 weekly viewers in
Western New York, parts of Pennsylvania and southern
Ontario. These ratings attracted hundreds of local and
national advertisers.
Disco
Step-by-Step®
YouTube
Video Clip Song: "Don't You Know How Much I Love You?"
by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. 1978
A total of 73 shows aired (45 original programs plus 28
reruns) from January 1, 1977 to January 15, 1980. All
available master tape copies were donated to the United
States Library of Congress in 2001.
Disco
Step-by-Step® "Disco Profile™" Interview with
"the late Eddie Rivera" founder and president of
the International Disco Record Center... the nation's
largest disco dj record pool back in the glory days of
disco. Rivera was also considered one of the first and best
disco djs. 1978
Some
of the guests who appeared on Disco Step-by-Step®
either in person or via videotape are: Andy Gibb,
Bar Kays, Bee Gees, Celi Bee & Buzzy Bunch,
Cerrone, Chic, Claudja Barry, Commodores,
Donna McDaniels, Donna Summer, Earth - Wind and
Fire, Eddie Rivera, Fist o Funk Orchestra,
Gary Criss, Grace Jones, Jacksons, John
Travolta, Johnny Guitar Watson, Odyssey,
Peter Brown, Platters, Rick James, Ritchie
Family, Saturday Night Fever movie,
Sharon Williams, Silver Convention,
T-Connection, Thank God It's Friday movie,
Vicki Sue Robinson, Village People, William
Bell, Yvonne Elliman and others.
Disco
Step-by-Step®
YouTube
Video Clip Song: "After
Dark"
by Patti Brooks. 1979
A
25 year reunion party was held on June 7, 2002 in Buffalo, New
York at the Tralfamadore Cafe.
Disco Step-by-Step® - Closing Credits -featuring the song, "Are You Ready For Me" by the popular female disco group, First Choice. This song was used at the opening and closing of each show.
1975-1980
______________
THE EXPERIMENT! - 20+
Years Later
Did Disco Really Die?
Disco Step-by-Step® - "The Experiment" - Hustle dance video track from television show taped in 1979 with 1999 audio track from Cher, "Are You Strong
Enough." Twenty year later... the answer to question... "Did Disco Die?" Hardly!!! You be the judge.
______________
______________
Marty Angelo - Disco Step-by-Step® creator,
producer, writer, and first host - 1975-1980.
______________
Watch
Marty Angelo's '700 Club' Feature Story "Live To Tell"
______________
What really happened
behind the scenes of Disco Step-by-Step®?
"I knew the disco craze would be a
gold mine, but there was still a lot of work to be done. How can we get more people interested
in disco? I asked myself. The answer shot into my mind like a bullet: a television
show. So I decided to start one. I’d never produced a TV program before, but I knew I
could do it..."
"In spite of this most recent
success with my disco television show, my life was still full of confusion and hopelessness. Oh, I seemed happy on the outside.
But deep down I was completely empty..."
"I stayed high almost the entire day, listening to the hundreds of records people
sent me. I stayed out all night in bars..."
"I was on my way, for sure. But on my way to where?
... I didn’t stop to consider such questions. If I had, I might
have been prepared for the problems that were on the way. But some people just can’t learn the easy way..."
"I heard a rumor that the station wanted
to syndicate the show. But they wanted to bring in a production company from New
York to do the work. I couldn’t believe it... I owned Disco Step-by-Step®. I’d created it. I wrote it. I dreamed it. It was all I
had. Losing it would destroy me..."
"I felt like somebody had shot an
arrow into my heart. My mind filled with rage. I was almost too angry to speak..."
Marty Angelo’s memoir,
“Once Life Matters: A New Beginning” chronicles his drug-filled search for
glory through the music industry in the ’60s, to his complete transformation
as he converted to Christianity and devoted his life to sharing God’s love.
The mission of Marty Angelo
Ministries is proclaiming and teaching the gospel of the kingdom of God throughout
prisons, jails, substance abuse recovery programs and to troubled
celebrities utilizing
life-changing books, evangelistic outreaches, and follow-up resources.
