George McCrae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George McCrae (born 19 October 1944 at West Palm Beach, Florida) is a soul singer most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".

McCrae formed his own singing group, the Jivin' Jets, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1963. Four years later, he reformed the group, with his wife Gwen joining the line-up, but soon afterwards they decided to work as a duo, recording for Henry Stone's Alston record label. Gwen then won a solo contract, with George acting as her manager as well as doing some singing on sessions and in clubs.

He was about to return to college to study law enforcement when he heard, at Stone’s TK Records, an instrumental track written and recorded by Harry Wayne Casey ("KC") and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, and offered to add vocals. It suited his high-pitched voice to the extent that the song, "Rock Your Baby", became in 1974 one of the first hits of the disco era, selling an estimated eleven million copies worldwide, topping the charts in the U.S., UK, and over 80 other countries.

Two further single releases, "I Can't Leave You Alone" and "It's Been So Long" also reached the UK Singles Chart Top 10, but he had much less success with follow-ups in the U.S. He continued to record with and manage his wife until their divorce, and also continued to record and tour through the 1980s in his own right, particularly in Europe where he remained popular. He now lives in The Netherlands.