A Night at the Disco – Book Signing – Barbara’s Bookstore, USA

We kindly request that if you would like your book signed, it must be purchased at Barbara’s Bookstore. To ensure a smooth and efficient signing process, please present your receipt as proof of purchase.

A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–79, with an unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists.

A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–’79. An unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists, illuminating the styles and sounds from a decade that sparked a global phenomenon in music and culture. Exclusive comments from Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, founding members of CHIC, Labelle, The Trammps, Village People, Earth, Wind & Fire, and dozens more artists, songwriters and producers, offering fascinating insights that tell the stories behind the beats. From underground New York clubs to discothèques across the globe, A Night at the Disco illustrates how artists spanning soul, pop, disco, funk, jazz and rock defined nightlife during the 1970s and influenced popular music to the present day.

With a foreword by Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire, this is a real treat for music, dance and disco fans everywhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & GUEST

Christian John Wikane is a NYC-based music journalist and essayist. Since 2003, he’s interviewed more than 600 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including Paul McCartney, Janelle Monáe, Donna Summer, Pete Seeger, Annie Lennox, Maurice White, Jimmy Scott, Carly Simon, and Kenny Gamble. He and filmmaker Sekou Luke currently produce the video series “Unscripted: Conversations with Christian John Wikane,” which features his interviews with GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy-winning artists, and have also produced “Unscripted Live” at the Apollo Theater, City Winery, and Lincoln Center (2024 “American Songbook” series). Christian’s also a contributing writer for PEOPLE Magazine and was Contributing Editor for PopMatters online magazine from 2006-2023. He was also credited as a consultant for HBO’s Emmy-nominated Tina Turner documentary, Tina (2021), as well as CNN’s Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over (2021) and HBO’s Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2022).

Christian’s had the distinct honor of curating and moderating several events on the main stage of the Apollo Theater for Apollo Education’s “Live Wire” series, including “Legendary: A Conversation with Dionne Warwick and Melba Moore,” “Bold Soul Sisters,” a panel discussion featuring Nona Hendryx, Ruth Pointer, Kathy Sledge, and Rochelle Fleming, and “She’s A Rebel: An Interview with Martha Reeves, Sarah Dash, and Joshie Jo Armstead.” He’s moderated two events for the Brooklyn Museum, “From Studio 54 to Number One” (2020) featuring Alfa Anderson, Linda Clifford, and Cory Daye, and “The Soulfulness of David Bowie” (2018) featuring Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark, and led an all-star panel for Stevens Institute of Technology’s screening of CNN Films’ Luther: Never Too Much (2024). He’s also conducted a live Q&A with disco legends D.C. LaRue and Felipe Rose (original co-founder and Native of Village People) for Queer/Art/Film’s screening of Thank God It’s Friday (1978) at IFC Center.

Since 2010, Christian has authored extensive liner notes for more than 200 album re-issues by major and independent record companies in the U.S. and U.K., including more than a dozen releases for the Estate of Donna Summer. He’s also conducted interviews for several BBC Radio documentaries, Sirius XM’s Studio 54 channel, Chase Bank (“Inside Access”), and hosted/produced more than a dozen concerts at Joe’s Pub (the Public Theater), the Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. He’s guest lectured for Barnard College’s “Harlem Semester” Program (2017-2025) and has presented at EMP Pop Conference, the Parrish Art Museum, Apollo Education’s “Master Class” Series, and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music. He’s the sole author of Casablanca Records: Play It Again (2009), a 50,000-word oral history that documented the 35th anniversary of Casablanca Records and the co-author of A Night at the Disco (2026) and What the Band Wore: Fashion & Music (2023), published by ACC Art Books.

www.christianjohnwikane.com / IG @christianjohn.wikane

Linda Clifford has made her mark among the classic R&B singers and also as a legendary disco diva. Electrifying audiences with her music and widely celebrated performances, this multi-talented and dynamic entertainer’s accomplishments are vast.

Linda’s landmark recordings have spent a total of 60 weeks at #1 on Billboard Magazine’s dance charts earning Grammy Award and televised performances, Linda has appeared on American Bandstand, Solid Gold, Soul Train, The Midnight Special (including two stints as host), Don Kirchner’s Rock Concert and The Merv Griffin Show. She is an exciting live performer with sold out live concerts around the world including New York’s Lincoln Center. Linda is also an acclaimed songwriter, with her compositions being sought out by Cher and Gladys Knight. She has the distinction of being featured on the Oscar winning #1 motion picture soundtrack album Fame and as an actress, has had roles in such classic films as Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby with Mia Farrow. A true renaissance artist!

This award-winning entertainer began her musical career at the early age of four, and was
singing on local New York television programs when she was seven years old. Three years later, she appeared with Harry Belafonte and Sydney Poitier in a television special for the NAACP. After high school, Linda focused her career in the jazz music genre, performing first with the Jericho Jazz Singers and later touring this country with her own trio, Linda and the Trade Winds. She then switched musical directions, singing R&B and pop and found early success with Paramount Records and the single Long Long Winter.

Eventually, Linda signed with R&B giant Curtis Mayfield and his Curtom Records. Her first
album, Linda featured the hit single From Now On, but it was her follow-up which would
propel her into the international spotlight. Her discotized remake of If My Friends Could See Me Now shot up to #1 on the dance charts, bringing her numerous accolades including as American Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, Cashbox Magazine’s Top Female
Vocalist Award, Record World Magazine’s Best New Female Vocalist and Best Pop Album
designations.

More #1 success followed with her subsequent Curtom releases including Don’t Come Crying To Me, Shoot Your Best Shot produced by Isaac Hayes and Linda’s smash hit Runaway Love, which topped the Billboard Disco/Dance chart at #1 for 16 weeks and reached #3 on Billboard’s R&B chart. A hit duet single with Curtis Mayfield, Between You Baby and Me, resulted in the pari recording a full length album. Entitled The Right Combination, the effort produced two more R&B hits by the duo. She scored another big success with the hit single Red Light, that appeared on the multi-million selling. Oscar winning #1 soundtrack album Fame. The song earned a Grammy nomination and spent nine weeks at #1 on Billboard’s dance chart and appeared on Linda’s followup hit album I’m Yours.

However, at the peak of her fame, Linda decided to concentrate on her personal life. Refocusing her career in a new direction that would allow her to spend more time at home raising her family, Linda began singing commercial jingles for McDonalds, Cherry Coke, Maybelline, Pontiac, Tropicana, Oldsmobile, Michelob Lite and the themes to The Phil Donahue Show and the police drama Chicago. During this period, Linda also found time to occasionally record several albums for Red Label Records. Again, the results produced two #1 hits on the dance charts. A Night with the Boys and the The Heat in Me. Their respective music videos also received considerable airplay.

Now in the new millennium, Linda is conquering the music world with a vengeance. Returning to the charts with her hit dance singles Changin’ and Philly Groove, Billboard Magazine exclaimed “Linda Clifford’s vocal light still burns bright.” A gifted songwrited, Linda was recently signed to one of the world’s biggest publishing houses Warner-Chappell Music. Her compositions have been sought out by such top performers as Cher, Gladys Knight, Gloria Gaynor and Martha Wash, who scored a top 5 hit with Linda’s song, You Lift Me Up. In 2005, Linda was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago Music Awards for her many accomplishments in the music industry.

Augmenting her success-filled recording career were Linda’s acclaimed concert performances. Entertaining the world over, Linda has appeared at such prestigious venues as Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, The Roxy, the Allstate Arena and Park West to SRO audiences, thrilling them with her powerful and energetic live shows.

A versatile performer, Linda is an accomplished actress, having appeared in the box office hit films The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis, Coogan’s Bluff with Clint Eastwood, Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby with Mia Farrow and Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine.

Using her talent for numerous charitable causes, Linda has performed at the Jerry Lewis
Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, The Ronald McDonald House Benefit with American Idol’s
Clay Aiken and Divas Simply Singing, which benefits the Angel Food Network, delivering
food for adults and children with AIDS/HIV.

When Linda is not on the road, she utilizes her experiences as a performer and former Miss New York State in the Miss USA Pageant, as an instructor at Roosevelt University’s Music
Conservatory and as a stage presence coach, teaching public performances, stage poise, lyric sensitivity, and vocal presentation.

Vocalist-Songwriter-Concert Performer-Actress, Linda Clifford is a true entertainer in every sense of the word, taking audiences on the exhilarating musical journey, while touching their souls.