He is a singer-songwriter, keyboard player and
producer born in Hialeah, Florida.He began by learning the piano as a child and performing at his
church and then appearing with local bands where he would sing too.He attended the Miami-Dade
Community College to study music and during his part-time work at a record
store during those years he would deliver to TK Records, which would
eventually be where he would end up working.When he
did join that company he teamed up with Richard
Finch
to write songs and also with him and several others to form KC &
The Sunshine Band in 1974.With them he would see major chart success on both sides of the
Atlantic from 1975 throughout the rest of the decade and into the beginning
of the 1980s with hits that include "Get Down Tonight", "That's The Way (I
Like It)", "Boogie Shoes" and "Keep It Comin' Love".His
first No. 1 however, was "Rock Your Baby" which although initially
co-written by him and Richard
Finch for him and the Sunshine Band to perform, was taken to the
top of the charts in 82 countries by George
McCrae
.This songwriting collaboration was also sought after by many other
artists such as Jimmy "Bo" Horne and Betty Wright, who he would also
produce.He disbanded KC &
The Sunshine Band in the first year or two of the 1980s and then in 1982 he
had a horrific car accident that left him suffering from partial paralysis
and in a wheelchair.After a
long convalescence he was back playing the piano and singing again and his
solo release "Give It Up" topped the charts in the UK.His career has seen him appearing
on many albums which include Rock Your Baby and We Did It by George
McCrae
, Hard to Stop by Betty Wright, So There by Five
o'Clock Shadow, Rockin' Chair by Gwen
McCrae , Gimme Some!: The Best
of the TK Years by Jimmy Bo Horne and The Sound of Sunshine, Oh Yeah!,
Part 3 and All In a
Night's Work with the Sunshine Band.He retired for a while in 1985 but during the '90s he
reformed The Sunshine Band and now internationally tours with them playing
at least 200 dates each year.Often heard on the screen, his work can be heard on television and in
over 49 films such as Saturday Night Fever, Eyes of Laura Mars, Carlito's
Way, Forrest Gump, Space Jam, Any Given Sunday and Doctor Dolittle.
