Disco Music
The song was written by the groups bass player and producer Rick Finch and their lead singer and keyboardist Harry Wayne Casey (the eponymous KC of the Sunshine Band). They were inspired by watching people dance at the clubs. The dance The Bump was popular at the time, and Finch said, “every once in a while you’d see someone break loose and shake their booty like Jell-O. We figured, okay, how do you write about this?” This song was the third of five #1 hits for them. “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” was released on their 1976 album Part 3 as well as a single, backed with “Boogie Shoes.” (That song had been released on their 1975 album titled KC and The Sunshine Band. It became very popular after it was featured in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever.)
The song charted internationally in 1976. It went to #1 on the U.S billboard Hot 100, U.S. Hot Soul Singles, U.S. Cash Box, and U.S. Record World, and in Canada. It was in the Top 20 in Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden. It was #22 in the U.K. and #23 in Germany.
KC and the Sunshine Band formed in Hialeah, Florida in 1973. The KC refers to Harry Wayne Casey. The sunshine part refers to Florida, which is known as the sunshine state. On the album Part 3 were Harry Wayne Casey (keyboards, vocal), Jerome Smith (guitar), Richard Finch (bass , drums, percussion), Robert Johnson (drums), Fermin Goytisolo (percussion), Oliver C. Brown (percussion), Ken Faulk (trumpet), Vinnie Tanno (trumpet), Mike Lewis (tenor sax), Whit Sidener (baritone sax). On background vocals were Beverly Champion, Margaret Reynolds, and Jeanette Williams. The lineup for the band has changed over the years. They continue to tour and perform.
