Harry Wayne "KC" Casey (KC & The Sunshine Band)
S5 / Episode 10
About this episode
Harry Wayne “KC” Casey is a hit machine.
As the founder, songwriter, producer, and frontman of KC and the Sunshine Band, KC helped define the sound of the 1970s and 80s with a run of joyous, groove-driven records that still light up dance floors around the world. Blending Miami soul, funk, R&B, and pop into an irresistible new hybrid, he turned the studio into a celebration — creating a string of era-defining party-starter hits including Get Down Tonight, That’s the Way (I Like It), I’m Your Boogie Man, (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty, Please Don't Go and Give It Up.
Working out of TK Studios in Miami, KC helped pioneer the tight rhythm tracks, punchy horn arrangements, and infectious hooks that became foundational to dance music's global explosion. The result was one of the most remarkable hit streaks of the decade — five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
But KC’s impact went beyond his own band. His songwriting and production helped shape the broader Miami sound of the era, including co-writing the monster hit Rock Your Baby for George McCrae — a record often cited as one of the earliest true disco smashes.
In this conversation, KC reflects on building hits from the ground up in Miami, the chemistry that powered the Sunshine Band, the birth of dance as a global movement, and how a feel-good groove — when it’s right — can travel across decades.