Richie Kaczor
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Richard "Richie" Paul Kaczor (9 December 1952 – April 1993) was an American DJ whose career spanned from disco's infancy in the 1970s, up until his death in 1993. He was born on 9 December 1952 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Kaczor’s DJ career began in New Jersey, where he played in several nightclubs. Most notably, he played at One Sane Man (known also as The Alamo). In 1973, Kaczor’s DJ career with the Hollywood Discotheque, located in Manhattan, New York began. During his four years at the nightclub, Kaczor developed and demonstrated skills in beat mixing that gained recognition within the nightclub industry. After leaving Hollywood Discotheque in 1977, Kaczor briefly played at the Second Story in Philadelphia before being approached by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. The duo introduced themselves as owners of Studio 54, a newly established nightclub in Manhattan.
Rubell and Schrager proposed the idea of establishing a residency at the nightclub. Kaczor agreed, and on 26 April 1977, Studio 54 opened its doors for the first time. Kaczor was the premiere DJ for the event, and before the end of the night, the club was turning away guests due to the large crowd overreaching the club’s capacity. Studio 54 quickly rose to success, being well known for its extravagant events and popularity with celebrities and the wealthy.
In addition to Kaczor, Nicky Siano was also a resident DJ at the nightclub. Kaczor played on weekends, and Siano played weekday nights. James Opdyke, a friend of Kaczor (noted to have played at the Underground and the Saint), was also hired as a fill-in during set breaks.[1]
Richie Kaczor was credited by fellow DJs at the time for popularizing Gloria Gaynor's track "I Will Survive" which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Siano believes that Kaczor was the first in the industry to acknowledge the track, (originally a B-side track onSubstitute") and had a profound influence on the track’s success.[3]
On 4 March 1980, Kaczor and Studio 54 lighting engineer, Robert DeSilva, opened the upper level Disco 40 in Hamilton, Bermuda.[4]
Richard Kaczor died in April 1993 at age 40 from AIDS.[1][5][6]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Richie Kaczor @ Disco-Disco.com
- ^ Ortiz, Lori (2011). Disco Dance. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 72–73. ISBN 9780313377464 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Richie Kaczor @ Disco-Disco.com". www.disco-disco.com. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ "List of Famous Disc Jockeys". Ranker. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Dorr, Roberta E. (October 2006). "Something Old Is New Again: Revisiting Language Experience". The Reading Teacher. 60 (2): 138–146. doi:10.1598/rt.60.2.4. ISSN 0034-0561.
- ^ "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
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