With the news of Alfa Anderson’s death at age 78, one of the lasting voices of disco was silenced. First as a session singer for Chic, Anderson sang backup on their early hits “Everybody Dance” and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” as part of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ fledgling outfit. Then, as a front person, Anderson helped power dancefloor anthems like “Good Times,” “Le Freak,” “My Forbidden Lover” and “I Want Your Love,” defining the group vocally and visually.
Before Chic, Anderson had left her mark working with jazz great Cannonball Adderley and also was heard on the soundtrack of 1978’s The Wiz. After the group disbanded in 1983, she toured with her longtime friend Luther Vandross, sang backup on a slew of records and recorded on her own; she also returned to her other love, teaching and education.
In 2013, Anderson spoke with Rolling Stone about her time in Chic as part of the magazine’s feature story on Rodgers. Here, for the first time, is the complete interview with one of the landmark voices of disco.
How did you come to join Chic?
It was because of Luther Vandross that I met them. Luther and I were friends and he did a lot of sessions and jingles and would often take me with him. And I’ll never forget: he called me and said, “I have a session I want you to do. I have this friend Nile Rodgers who has this group called Chic.”
I said, “Cool, great.” And he said, “It’s disco.” And I said, “Disco? You’re gonna do disco?”
And he said, “Oh, Alfa, it’s fun, it’s great, you’re gonna love it.” So I went and I heard “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” and loved it! I looked at Luther and said, “This is not your ordinary disco. This is something different.” It wasn’t traditional 120 beats-per-minute disco. And the first moment I met Nile and Bernard, I thought, this is a dynamic team creating something special. As I was singing, I thought, “I’d love to be a part of this. This is phenomenal.”
As legend has it, Norma Jean Wright was the first lead singer, but you were promoted to her slot after she left to make her own record.
Yes. Luther and I sang background on the first album and background support for the first tour. Then Norma went on to her solo career and I was asked to join with Luci Martin, and that changed my life. The entire trajectory of my life! I was a teacher [at Hunter College in New York]. I was an educator. I didn’t even leave that job until after the first tour!
Were you on salary with Chic?
Yes. [Rodgers and Edwards] were the producers and writers and we were signed to their production company. That was the hierarchy of the infrastructure.
Nile and Bernard seemed like best friends, always joking and very excited. They had a great rapport. But it wasn’t all fun. Bernard and Nile were taskmasters in the studio. You had to come and listen to the song and get it perfect right there. There were no demos.
Then you sang on the second album, 1978’s C’est Chic, and away it went.
Disco was a period of sex, drugs and rock and roll at its height — drugs, sex and disco. People began to long for what everyone perceived as the good old days when times and values were different. In the studio it was casual Chic [for wardrobe]. But outside, I always wore pumps. You had a certain way you had to look because you never knew when you were going to be photographed.
What do you recall as Chic’s peak moment?
We did a concert at a stadium in San Diego and there were like 60,000 fans. We were backstage very, very nervous about our reception. My knees were knocking! We went out and did the “Chic Cheer.” There were a few seconds of delay between what we were doing and what the audience was hearing. So we’re singing and all of a sudden there’s this second or two of stillness and then this wall of sound rushing out to you. It was approval and it was so wonderful. We looked at each other and said, “Yeah!”
As we were leaving the stage, we were in the little golf carts they used to bring you back and forth to the dressing rooms. The audience is going wild and the promoters asked us to go back, so we went back onstage. That was the acid test that our music was acceptable. That will be forever etched in my mind.
Nile has said that his drinking began during those Chic concerts to counter stage fright.
That’s the way it happens! It’s daunting to be there. You love being there and you love the adoration, but my knees would knock. Remember the song they wrote, “Stage Fright”? We were all suffering from it. But we didn’t tell each other about it. I wish we had been more supportive of each other in terms of talking with each other about stage fright.
What was Nile like at the time?
He always wanted to be excellent. He’s always strove to be that. He’s never really needed a lot of sleep! [Laughs] Some people have this switch inside of them that rarely turns off and it’s an all-consuming fire inside them. On rare occasions I saw him down or sad, but he was always energetic. Always upbeat and smiling. Always working and creating. They would work at night, all night. He and Bernard both had that kind of energy.
What do you recall of the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” rally in Chicago in 1979, where people burned disco records?
You know, I didn’t put much stock in it at the time. The audience feedback was great and we were loving what we were doing. We had fun! We were like a family. So it didn’t impact me that way. I knew I loved what I did and loved the music and being onstage.
The backlash didn’t hit until the album released after that [1980’s less successful Real People]. That one wasn’t received very well, and that became a rude awakening. That’s when it got me. Prior to that, I figured, “This is life. This is what happens.”
But again, I wasn’t the producer or the writer, so I’m sure it impacted Nile or Bernard differently. They were the CEOs of the organization. They had had phenomenal success and began to think about how they could maintain their viability and success as producers, with Chic being one of the things they do. This is conjecture. But you want to shore up a few things for yourself so you go out and do more productions with other people. They had great diversity of style in writing.
Nile has spoken and written about how drugs and alcohol fueled his creativity during that period.
Hmmm … I’m not sure. He has his story to tell. I’m not sure it impacted us negatively at all. I certainly didn’t see that. I just saw continual growth. But I was never one to do much partying. I went to Studio 45 one time. We were treated differently and we were in the VIP section. It was that kind of vibe. I’m glad I went, but I was not a regular.
What are your memories of the end of Chic?
Very surprised and very saddened. I didn’t see it coming. It was more than sad. It was very painful. And impacted far beyond the Chic years. I was sad for so long. I almost didn’t want to do music anymore.
What exactly happened?
I remember getting a letter. Vividly. What will be forever emblazed on my mind was, “As of this day, your services will no longer be required.” I was hurt and surprised by it. It came from the Chic organization, and it was signed by them. And that was like, OMG. Back then it wasn’t OMG! [Laughs] It was, “What?” It was painful. That’s the only way I can describe it. it blindsided me.
[Talking to Rolling Stone in 2013, Rodgers recalled, about working on his memoir, “When I was interviewing people for the book, they’d tell me that: ‘I’ll never forget that day when Chic disbanded.’ Because it was just, like, a phone call: ‘Oh, guys, by the way, we’re done.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘We don’t exist anymore.’ We were talking to the people … because we had everybody on salary. They all worked for us.”]
Did you sense any strain between Nile and Bernard at the time?
Yes, I did. There was tension between them. I never thought they wouldn’t be able to work it out. But they were not as forthcoming as they’d been before, so I wasn’t sure what the tensions were. Luther and I both noticed a strain and tension between them. but never thought it would [impact the band].
You weren’t part of the Chic reunion in the early Nineties. What happened?
I didn’t know it was happening. I was never contacted and I never auditioned. So, bullet no. 2! [Laughs] But the group now [2013] is absolutely incredible and awesome. I have no issues.
Looking back, what was Chic’s legacy?
We were the first group that had diversity play out in a very real way in terms our fan base and the people who came to our concerts. We knocked down all walls — Black, white, gay, straight, old, young. Everyone was dancing to the groove and singing the songs.