Alicia Bridges facts for kids

Alicia Bridges (born July 15, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her worldwide hit song "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)". She co-wrote and sang this popular song in 1978.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Alicia Bridges was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She grew up in a small town called Lawndale, North Carolina. Alicia loved to sing from a very young age. She learned to play the guitar when she was just 10 years old.

By age 12, Alicia had her very own radio show. It was called The Alicia Bridges Show. It was broadcast every Saturday on a local radio station. When she was 13, Alicia started singing with bands. They performed in local clubs. She said these places helped her gain important performing experience.

Becoming Famous in the 1970s

Alicia Bridges first recorded music in 1973. She released two songs with Mega Records. These songs didn't become big hits. However, her talent caught the eye of Bill Lowery. He became her manager. Lowery helped Alicia for about two years. He introduced her to different record labels. This led to her signing with Polydor in 1977.

Alicia's first album was called Alicia Bridges. It was produced by Steve Buckingham. Alicia and her songwriting partner, Susan Hutcheson, wrote a song called "Disco 'Round". Buckingham suggested they record it as "I Love the Nightlife". He felt the song was more R&B than disco. Alicia herself hoped it would sound like a Memphis soul song.

Even though it was called "I Love the Nightlife", many clubs started playing it. This helped the song become a "sleeper" hit. A sleeper hit is a song that slowly becomes popular. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 27 weeks. It reached number five on that chart. The song also became popular in many other countries. It was a "crossover" hit, meaning it was played on different types of radio stations, even country music stations.

In 1978, Alicia Bridges was nominated for a Grammy award. She even performed "I Love the Nightlife" at the Grammy ceremony. Her album, Alicia Bridges, also became very popular. Both the album and the song were big successes around the world. "I Love the Nightlife" reached the top 40 in the UK and Germany. It was especially popular in Japan. Alicia received a Gold Record award. This meant her hit song sold over one million copies in the United States. She also got a gold record from Canada.

Even though "I Love the Nightlife" was a disco hit, Alicia Bridges mostly sang R&B, rock, and blues songs. The song "I Love the Nightlife" had a strong R&B feel. It was originally meant to be an R&B song. But her manager, Bill Lowery, saw its disco potential. A special longer version of the song was made for clubs. This version became a huge club hit worldwide.

"I Love the Nightlife" has been featured in several movies. These include Love at First Bite, The Last Days of Disco, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Alicia's next song was "Body Heat". It was a rock song with strong electric guitar sounds. This song mixed rock and dance music. At that time, rock and disco fans sometimes disagreed about music styles.

Alicia has said that Elvis Presley first made her interested in rock music. But she always saw herself as an R&B singer. She looked up to singers like Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Patti LaBelle.

An Impostor Story

In 1983, a woman was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee. She was pretending to be Alicia Bridges at a country music event. Alicia had to travel from her home in Atlanta to help with the case. Alicia said that someone had been pretending to be her for five years.

Recent Years and New Music

After releasing two albums that were not very successful in the early 1980s, Alicia Bridges started working as a DJ. She played music at dance clubs in Atlanta. In 1994, her classic disco song "I Love the Nightlife" became popular again. This happened because it was included in the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

This new popularity led Alicia to perform at retro disco shows for several years. Later, she retired and moved back to Charlotte, North Carolina.

In 2006, Alicia Bridges started her own music company. It is called Alicia Bridges Music Publications. This company has released three albums. In November 2006, she released This Girl Don't Care. This album had remixed and improved versions of her songs. In 2007, she released Say It Sister. Her third CD, Faux Diva, came out in 2008. This album included a new remix of "I Love The Nightlife".

Alicia Bridges is still active in the music world. She works as a producer and a DJ. You can find her music, digital recordings, and videos on her official websites.

In 2009, Alicia Bridges was honored. She was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

• 1978: Alicia Bridges (Polydor, 1978)
• 1979: Play It as It Lays
• 1984: Hocus Pocus
• 2002: The Collection: I Love the Nightlife (compilation)
• 2006: This Girl Don't Care (remixed and remastered compilation)
• 2007: Say It Sister (remastered compilation)
• 2008: Faux Diva (remixed and remastered compilation)

Singles

EP

• 1978: The AOR Mini-Album

See also

In Spanish: Alicia Bridges para niños

• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States