Soul Cha Cha - Van McCoy

Van McCoy was born on January 6, 1940. McCoy moved to Philadelphia just before he was twenty, where he formed his own label Rockin' Records, and released his first single Hey Mr. DJ in 1959. This single gained the attention of Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg, who hired McCoy as a staff writer and A&R Representative. As a writer there, McCoy wrote many hits for Gladys Knight & The Pips, Chris Bartley and Jackie Wilson, amongst others. He also put together the hit-making duo of Peaches & Herb, arranging and co-producing their first hit, 'Let's Fall In Love'.

In the second half of the Seventies he made a series of solo albums. His biggest single success was 'The Hustle' (1975), but in 1977 he had two hits in the UK with 'Soul Cha Cha' and 'The Shuffle'. These two tracks are both mainly instrumental, although the former contains vocals by a certain Zulema. In the Netherlands, only 'Soul Cha Cha' became a hit, reaching number 7 in the spring of 1977, but 'The Shuffle' was included on the B-side and became a popular radio tune for Radio Veronica.

Van McCoy died from a heart attack in Englewood, New Jersey on July 6, 1979.

My collection: 7" single no. 3474

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Soul Cha Cha' / 'The Shuffle'

Download: here