Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor was an icon of the disco era thanks to “I Will Survive”, which became an LGBTQ anthem for its message of perseverance and resilience. • Gaynor had five Top 5 singles on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart before breaking through to the pop charts in 1978 with “I Will Survive”, an enduring hit that reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. The song won a Grammy for Best Disco Recording in 1980—the only year there was an award in that category. • She got her start in the ’60s with the R&B band The Soul Satisfiers before releasing her first solo single, “She’ll Be Sorry”, in 1965. • Gaynor had her first Dance Club Songs No. 1 in 1974 with “Never Can Say Goodbye”, which the Jackson 5 had originally recorded in 1971. Gaynor’s version also cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. • “I Will Survive”, Gaynor’s biggest hit, was first released as the B-side to another single, a version of The Righteous Brothers’ “Substitute”. Club DJs started playing “I Will Survive” instead, and radio airplay soon followed. • Gaynor’s 1984 album I Am Gloria Gaynor yielded her last US Top 10 single, a version of “I Am What I Am” that hit No. 3 on Dance Club Songs. • A disco resurgence in the ’90s revived interest in Gaynor’s career, and she did guest spots on the TV sitcoms The Wayans Bros, That ’70s Show and Ally McBeal. In August 1999, Gaynor did a limited-engagement performance in the Broadway musical Smokey Joe's Cafe. • Gaynor’s 2019 album Testimony won a Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Recording.