Chic is considered to be one of the most popular disco groups of all time. Although they were founded in the late 70s towards the end of disco’s popularity, they were very successful. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards both met in 1970 in New York and they were both jazz musicians. Bernard Edwards claims to have been inspired by James Brown, The Otis Redding Band, and Sam & Dave. Edwards claimed that James Brown had a bassist in his band named Bernard that fascinated him. Rodgers similarly claimed he has been inspired by his elementary school music classes and knew many instruments by age 11 (Cava). Rodgers played the guitar and Edwards played the bass. The duo then formed The Big Apple Band as a jazz-rock fusion group along with Carol Douglas. The name “Big Apple Band” was a tribute to their hometown of New York City. Rodgers and Edwards soon broke up with Carol Douglas and enlisted Tony Thompson on drums, Norma Jean Wright on vocals, and Alfa Anderson also on vocals. Luci Martin soon replaced Norma Jean Wright on vocals after Wright left to pursue a solo career. Tony Thompson previously played in the band LaBelle. They started focusing on new wave music and briefly became known as Allah & the Knife Wielding Punks. After their short experiment with new wave music, the group focused on R&B and funk fusion and became known as Chic in the summer of 1977. The name change was to avoid confusion with the group Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band, who had just released their hit single, “A Fifth of Beethoven”, which was featured in the movie “Saturday Night Fever” (Huey). The group wasn’t characterized as one of the mainstream male dominated R&B groups due to the presence of Norma Jean Wright and later Luci Martin on vocals (Garrett). The band dresses elegantly with Rodgers and Edwards wearing suits on stage and the women wearing fancy gowns. Rodgers claimed that other black groups at the times looked foolish with their bright and flashy costumes. He wanted his band to stand out (Cava). With their elegant outfits, they started off early in New York City bars playing for people who just got off work. They’d keep demo tapes with them at all times hoping someone would appreciate their music and potentially sign them.