Disco Step-by-Step® - the first television show in the world dedicated to disco music, dance instruction, and hustle dancing. Videotaping began in late 1975 throughout 1976 and the first show aired on cable access on January 1, 1977. One year later the show moved from cable to WBEN-TV, a CBS affiliate in Buffalo, New York. It ran until late 1980.
Marty Angelo - Disco Step-by-Step® creator,
producer, writer, and first host - 1975-1980.
The show was produced, written, created and first hosted by
former disco dj and music business entrepreneur, Marty Angelo.
He was inspired back in the
1950s to go into the music business after watching Dick
Clark's American Bandstand. The show was later hosted by WBEN-TV's Kevin O'Connell.
Kevin
O'Connell
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.
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
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.
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.
Producer
Marty Angelo and WBEN/WIVB
TV Channel 4 Director Paul C. Hansen
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®
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.
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.
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.
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,
Billy Fajardo and Disco Dance Dimensions, 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.
A
25 year reunion party was held on June 7, 2002 in Buffalo, New
York at the Tralfamadore Cafe.
Thelma
Houston
Djs
Charlie Anzalone, John Ceglia, Charlie Cimino, John Bisci
and Gary Deane
"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..."
Once Life Matters is a second
chance ministry founded by minister/author Marty Angelo that brings hope to
those who are weary from the weight of the world with the love of Jesus Christ
Once Life Matters Ministries, Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, gifts to which may be deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
