BACKGROUND: Van McCoy's musical venture started in Washington, DC, when his brother, Norman, Jr. and a few high school buddies formed a street corner singing group called the Starlighters.  Van became the lead singer, writer, and music director for the group. When they recorded "The Birdland" (named for a popular dance of the late '50s), little did he know that he would go on to popularize one of the biggest dance crazes to hit the floor two decades later.

   The Starlighters ended as military draft, marriage and college called them away one by one. Van entered Howard University but left after two years and moved to Philadelphia. After a brief stint with the Heartbeats, Van started Rockin' Records with his uncle. He released his own song "Hey Mr. DJ" which was picked up by Scepter Records in New York.

   The connection led to him being hired by Florence Greenberg of Scepter as a staff writer and A&R man. While at that label he wrote "Stop The Music" for the Shirelles. In 1962 he joined songwriter/producers Lieber and Stoller as a staff writer, and composed many hits including "Baby I'm Yours" for Barbara Lewis. Van also wrote "Giving Up" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. With April Blackwood Music, Van turned out hits for stars such as Chad & Jeremy, Ruby & The Romantics, Irma Thomas, Nancy Wilson and the original Peaches & Herb. Columbia Records was impressed with the smooth and mellow quality of Van’s own voice and launched him as a singer. The famed Mitch Miller produced an album of beautiful ballads, "Nighttime is Lonely Time," with vocals by Van McCoy.

   Van didn’t want to be a vocalist and pulled away to pursue his real love, writing and producing music for other artists. He wrote for Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Vikki Carr, Tom Jones, Nina Simone, Jackie Wilson, Gloria Lynn, Brenda & The Tabulations, Melba Moore, Stacey Lattisaw and David Ruffin among others. He also wrote and produced The President's "5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love)" and worked with the Stylistics.

   The prolific writer also provided some of the music for the TV classic, "Woman Called Moses," the story of Harriett Tubman. Mae West, the legendary actress, produced and starred in her own movie, Sextette and asked Van to write the theme song, and to make a cameo appearance in the film. He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show" and appeared on "The Mike Douglas Show."

   His last eight years were spent in partnership with writer/producer Charles Kipps at McCoy-Kipps Productions. As fame and fortune grew, Van was pressed back into singing, recording and performing. He formed his own orchestra, Soul City Symphony, and with singers Faith, Hope & Charity, produced several albums and gave many performances. Then came the Grammy-nominated "Disco Baby" album and the Grammy winning, Gold Single, "The Hustle." The Disco explosion of the mid- '70s propelled Van and The Hustle into a worldwide tour, and later to a great show at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

THE SONG: Oddly, Van didn't realize how big "The Hustle" would become. It was the last song recorded for the album, and it almost didn't get recorded at all. Van had been turned on to the dance called The Hustle by New York dj David Todd, who kept urging him to check it out at the Adam's Apple club. Van was too busy to go and sent a friend, who reported back that it was a strange dance indeed. It seems that it harkened back to the ballroom dance era, when people actually danced together, rather than apart.

   Van was intrigued, but the "Disco Baby" album had already been recorded and finished.  With one hour of studio time left, at the urging of the friend, Van wrote down some music and the words "Do The Hustle!". The production is credited not to Van, however, but to veterans Hugo (Peretti) and Luigi (Creatore), who had created numerous past hits, including ">The Lion Sleeps Tonight". 

   Van McCoy, overwhelmed by the sudden burst of stardom and life in the fast lane, never got back to the mellow life and fun career he had so dearly cherished. The 39 year old star was stricken with heart failure in his fashionable home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and without regaining consciousness, died July 6, 1979 at Englewood General Hospital.

>The Legendary Van McCoy Website