Bimbo Jet was a name of a French disco group from the mid 1970s. They had their brief moment in 1975 when they borrowed a tune from Ahmad Zahir's song "Tanha Shudham Tanha" to produced a dance song "El Bimbo". The song gained popularity and became a hit in UK and 6 other countries in Europe. It was their only international fame.
Van McCoy was an American songwriter/producer who has been in the industry since the early 1960s. Though he penned several hits for many artists, his moment had not come until the mid 1970s. When his disco anthem "The Hustle" topped the chart and started the disco craze. Sadly, all his follow-ups could not carry on this success and "The Hustle" remained his only hit.
Walter Murphy was a jazz pianist from New York who gained an unexpected fame during the height of the disco era. In 1976, his disco version of Beethoven's Symphony no.5 became a monster hit in 1976. However, he could not came up with another hit and quietly disappeared from the scene.
Barry DeVorzon was a record producer and composer who got his break in the mid 1970s. His theme for the film 'The Young and the Restless' was later used as the background music for the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci's routine shots during the 1976 Summer Olympics. Dubbed as "Nadia's Theme", it gained enough public recognition to became a Top10 hit on Billboard chart and the only hit in his solo career.
Rhythm Heritage was a disco-funk studio group from the mid 1970s. They were mostly known for their cover of the opening theme from a TV crime-fighting series, S.W.A.T. Although their singles version was quite different from the one used in the series, it was still popular enough to earn the top spot on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sadly, they could not catch up with the song's success and disbanded in 1979.
An American disco group Wilton Place Street Band was an ensemble of studio session musicians from the 1970s. Led by a record producer Trevor Lawrence to record a cover version of the theme song from the late 1950s sitcom 'I Love Lucy'. The song landed at no.24 on US chart in 1977. The group released two more singles but none became a hit and the band released no more.
Bill Conti was an Italian-American composer who was best known for his music from 1976's boxing film 'Rocky'. The theme "Gonna Fly Now", which was used in the training scene, became a monster hit and topped the chart the following year. Conti continued to produce more soundtracks, but none could grant him another hit.
Maynard Ferguson was an Canadian trumpeter who played with several famous bands including Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and the Birdland Dream Band. He also a session player for Paramount Pictures. His cover of theme from Rocky "Gonna Fly Now" became a no.28 hit on Billboard chart in 1977. It was his only mainsteam success in his long career till his death in 2006.
Henhouse Five Plus Too was actually a pseudonym of the country/novelty expert Ray Stevens used for his 1977 records. His novelty version of Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" (composed entirely with chicken chirp) became an unexpected Top40 hit. This ficational chicken group never released another records ever again.
Although unknown in US, an Italian composer Piero Umiliani was a well-known film music composer in Europe - with over 150 titles during 1960s and 70s. His name became internationally known in the late 70s thanks to the success of his joyful song "Mah Na Mah Na". It became Top10 hit in UK and was featured in the Muppet Show.