The Ritchie Family

Formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1975, the Ritchie Family was a disco trio created by French producer and songwriter Jacques Morali, who would also create the Village People a short time later. Made up of three unrelated singers – Cassandra Ann Wooten, Gwendolyn Oliver, and Cheryl Mason Jacks – the group was named after producer Richie Rome. Morali had previously worked with both Wooten and Oliver (both were formerly members of Honey & the Bees) and he recruited them first for this new musical project. The trio’s first single, a cover of the 1939 song “Brazil”, was an international hit and reached number 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number 1 on the Dance chart. The single also charted in the UK, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, and Canada. The 1975 singles “Peanut Vendor” and “I Want to Dance with You (Dance with Me)” also charted well. However, the Ritchie Family achieved their greatest international success with the 1976 single “The Best Disco in Town,” which hit number 1 on the US Dance Singles chart and the Top 20 in the UK, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada. “Life is Music” (1978) was also a hit but the band’s singles following singles didn’t set the charts on fire. In 1978, all three original vocalists of the Ritchie Family were fired without warning and replaced by three new vocalists. While a few singles charted – “Put Your Feet to the Beat” (1979), “Give Me a Break” (1980), “I’ll Do My Best (Fore You Baby)” (1982), and “All Night All Right” (1983) – the group’s popularity waned and they split in 1983, which coincided with Jacques Morali’s AIDS diagnosis. Jacques Morali died on November 15, 1991. Several members of the Ritchie Family have performed and recorded singles under the group’s name over the years.

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