Marty Angelo biography

BIOGRAPHY 1


Buffalo’s First Disco DJ
Created America’s first disco TV and radio show

The following profile was the first in a series – released to the Buffalo, N.Y., market – in preparation for Marty Angelo’s Disco Step-By-Step® TV show’s 25-year reunion party, held July 27, 2001 in Buffalo.

When one thinks of pioneers, images that come to mind often include Daniel Boone. Marty Angelo would never be caught dead in a coonskin cap, but he blazed many a trail of his own, just the same.

Angelo cut his musical-promotion teeth as a teen and later made a tremendous impact on the entertainment scene.

“I was born on the West Side of Buffalo, graduated from Williamsville High School, then attended Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Buffalo. I was always in charge of the bands. We’d have parties and concerts in school, and I was always the guy that booked the groups.”

Angelo, now the promoter of a famous rock band, found an alternative use for some of the group’s equipment.

Marty Angelo - 1969 - in front of the infamous NYC nightclub: Steve Paul's Scene.


“I developed the very first sound system ever used in a nightclub (in Buffalo). It was in the (late) 1960s, when I was managing a group called Raven (first discovered locally by Angelo, nationally by rock legend Jimi Hendrix and internationally by former Beatle, George Harrison). I had the group’s sound system at my house. I first saw the idea of using two turntables when Raven played in a club called Scene in New York City. The club used to have a DJ play records between band sets. I kept that idea in my head.

"When we came back to Buffalo, I saw my friend, Mike Militello (co-owner of Mulligan’s Brick Bar on Allen Street). We threw a big party at Mulligan’s after Raven played Kleinhans Music Hall. That kind of established Mulligan’s Brick Bar. A couple of months later, they weren’t really doing that well – they only had a jukebox – and I said, ‘Well, I’ve got an idea if you need it.’ And Militello said, ‘No, we really don’t – we’ve got our jukebox, we’re doing fine.’ But by 10 o’clock, the place would be empty. I brought in four Altec (speakers), two AR turntables that I had in my house and my Dynaco power amp.

Militello set up an old wooden door – a junk door that he had in the bar – and I set up my equipment on it. I had Johnny Weitz, who used to play guitar with Raven build me a mixer. It was just a little box about the size of a cigarette pack, with a knob on it, and you could hook the two turntables up to it. And that was the very first mixer. I brought all my records with me. They gave me a quart of scotch, some ice and water. At about 10 o’clock, we kicked the system on and the whole place went nuts. We were playing stuff you couldn’t hear on (Top 40 AM) radio – FM stuff, R&B. I was playing black music in what was predominantly a rock club. It went over so well that nobody left. The management had to throw everybody out at three in the morning. I spun my records with that sound system for about a week, and all the other club owners came in to check out this new idea. The rest is history.

“After Raven, I went on to manage the Grass Roots in California in ’71 or ’72. I did that for about three years. I read an article in Billboard Magazine about how discotheques were becoming popular in New York and that they were selling records without the need of having to get them played on the radio. I knew what that was like, having worked in record promotion too. You had to go and talk to station managers and all that. I thought, ‘If you could sell records without having to kiss radio stations’ (butts), that’s going to be a nice field to be in.’ After I moved back to Buffalo, I went to the New York Record Pool in New York City – it was just starting. Mike Militello came with me, as the owner of Mulligan’s, and they threw him out. They said, ‘There are no club owners allowed through this door – get out.’ They let me in, and I became a member. They liked what I was going to do.

Marty Angelo (l) - Eddie Rivera (r) - 1978

Later, I became a VIP member of Eddie Rivera's IDRC (International Disco Record Center, a powerful New York-based record pool). I was really tired of working for bands, and I decided that I just wanted to spin records. I thought, ‘This is a great field to be in, because I don’t have to put up with the b.s. that happens on the road and everything that went with it.’ I said, ‘Just give me the vinyl – I don’t care about the group.’ I started to review records, then I started working as a disc jockey. I started working at Mr. Goodbar (Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo), and then went on to Mulligan’s, The Spectrum, Club 747, Bus Stop, Casey’s Nickelodeon and J.P. Morgan’s (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). My original idea already had a foothold in the Buffalo music scene when I started the DJ idea at Mulligan’s Brick Bar. Every club had a sound booth and a jock. Each club was paying the jock. The concept was working well, but I wanted to take it to another level.

“I really wanted to push disco – not because it was new – but because there was a whole lifestyle attached to it. It was nice music. I went to the first Billboard Magazine Disco Convention in New York. When I came back to Buffalo, I thought, ‘I would really like to do a (disco) television show – and a radio show – and I’d like to start promoting disco records.’ No one was doing it and thought it would be a good opportunity. I spoke with Dick Brophy at International Cable and told him about my idea. I said, ‘I’d like to do a television show and teach people to dance. If I could do that, I could teach them the whole lifestyle – haircuts, fashion.’ I was thinking of the potential advertisers who would back it once it caught on. I wanted to present the whole lifestyle -- touch dancing – strictly dance music, strictly New York Hustle. I was really kind of a record promoter, looking for an avenue for the records, because the radio stations wouldn’t play it. I thought, ‘Well hell, I’ll just get my own radio show and my own television show and I’ll try to promote the music that way.’ The cable people said, ‘Fine, let’s do it, as long as you’re going to sell advertising and as long as you’re going to do everything.’ The method to their madness was that they wanted to get into the Executive (a major Buffalo-area hotel, located across from the Buffalo Airport). They wanted their cable (in the rooms). Jimmy Cosentino, the Executive Inn’s owner, didn’t want his customers in their rooms, watching TV. He wanted them in the hotel’s clubs and restaurants. The TV show, taped at the Executive, gave International Cable a presence at the Executive.

“We taped the first show in ’76 and it went on the air on (New Year’s Day) ’77. International had black-and-white cameras. They didn’t have color cameras at the time. I was the host and we had about six couples, and Jimmy let us use the Club 747 (the Executive’s discotheque, which was constructed to resemble the interior of a jumbo jet). We didn’t even take out the seats at the time. Richard DiSarno, (co-owner of the Debonaire Dance Studio in Buffalo) and Francine Paolini were the instructors. In the beginning, I was a terrible host. I couldn’t remember what to say, so I put everything on cue cards. That’s how we got it started.

“We were actually on the air before any other disco-type television show, such as Disco ’77, which was taped in Miami. All the other shows, like Dance Fever and Soap Factory came much later.

“I also started a disco radio show on WNIA-AM – it used to come on right after they prayed the rosary! Mike Melody and I had a one-hour show, and I’d play all disco music. I also did a live show from the Club 747 when I was spinning there. It aired on the International Cable’s TV guide menu station.

“I had the first disco radio show and the first disco television show.

“We were on cable less than a year and it became extremely popular. No one ever advertised on cable television before. Not many people even watched Channel 10 – it was an access channel. We had people tuning in twice a week – on Wednesdays and Saturdays – and then it went to Courier Cable because it got so popular. I had to jockey the tapes. I had the shows on three-quarter-inch tape, and had to drive them over to Courier Cable. This was before International bought out Courier Cable.

“I was selling all the advertising, doing all the spots, writing, producing, hosting, creating – the whole number. Cable provided the cameras and operators, a sound-and-video production truck and a director. We had the most popular show on cable TV in the Buffalo area.

“Then WIVB-TV Channel 4 (in Buffalo) -- which was still broadcasting under the call letters of WBEN -- got wind of it, and wanted in on it. At that time, broadcast television did not recognize cable. At the time, ‘cable’ was considered a bad word – it was so threatening. They said, ‘We like your concept,’ but they refused to recognize that it came from cable. The kicker was that not only did they want my show, but they also wanted their own host. That’s where Kevin O’Connell came in, because Kevin was behind the scenes at Channel 4, pushing for it. Kevin was a good interviewer and a very personable guy.

“The show was on cable during the winter and spring of ’77, then premiered on WIVB in the fall of ’77.

“I considered the show an educational tool. It was entertaining, but educational. I used to have groups on and never even had them sing! I remember having Rick James on, before he made the big time. In fact, Rick was the first guest I ever had. I didn’t even have him Lip-sync – I just interviewed him. I wanted people to know what it was like to be an entertainer, what it was like to be in the music business.

“If you look at those shows, I had some very good dressers. Nobody wore polyester on our show. The women wore high heels and expensive clothes. You had to know how to dance the Hustle and you had to audition to get on. You had to know what you were doing. We got a lot of the dancers from the dance schools. If it wasn’t for Richard DiSarno and Sam Fiorello of the Debonaire Dance Studio, I would have never done that show. Not a lot of people know this, but Sam and Richard really did play a big part in it.

“The show had the highest ratings in its time slot (Saturday afternoons). We were beating ABC’s Wide World of Sports! Many advertisers couldn’t buy a spot on my show because we were sold out. In the beginning, we had two-minute spots for the Harmonicats’ latest LP, and by the end of our run, clients like Burger King, Certs and large department stores were on board.”

Marty Angelo, Curtis Blow, Mel Cheren, Vince Montana, 

and Earl Young at the first Dance Music Hall of Fame awards 2004 - NYC

Fast-forward 25 years.

“It started from doing the web site (www.discostepbystep.com) in 2000. I had some photos, and thought, ‘This could be good.’ I had seen other disco sites, like discomusic.com. I registered “discostepbystep®.com” and learned how to construct a web site. One day I looked at the calendar, and realized that these shows were produced 25 years ago. The music is still fresh – it’s just as nice and sophisticated as it was back then. That’s what gave me the idea – it’s been 25 years and we should throw a party.

The last time our entire group was together for a party was at the ‘wrap party’ thrown by the Mark Equity Group at their Idlywoods apartment complex. We have never had an official reunion in 25 years!

“As the web site got bigger, more people started to see it. I would get e-mails from former dancers, saying it would be great to get everybody together. The web site is as popular as the show was. People all over the world watch the show’s streaming video on the web site. I get e-mails in German and Italian. A DJ from Brazil thinks this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened and is coming to the reunion. So are people from the Netherlands, France, and Italy. The buzz has been incredible.”

Marty Angelo’s Top-10 All-Time Favorite Disco Records

“Don't Leave Me This Way” -- Thelma Houston

“I Love The Nightlife” -- Alicia Bridges

“You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” -- Lou Rawls

“This Is It” -- Melba Moore

“Ain't That Enough For You” -- John Davis and the Monster Orchestra

“Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” -- Tavares

“Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton

“Ain't Nothing Is Gonna Keep Me From You” -- Teri Desario

“Midnight Love Affair” -- Carol Douglas

“Are You Ready for Me” -- First Choice

Three Songs He Hated But Had To Play Anyway

“Brick House” -- Commodores

“Le Freak” -- Chic

“Rappers Delight” -- Sugarhill Gang


His Three All-Time Favorite “Slow Songs”

“I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)” -- Stevie Wonder

“Reunited” -- Peaches and Herb

“You Are The Sunshine of My Life” -- Stevie Wonder

Marty Angelo, Henry Stone 2005

Pet Peeves

“Club owners giving DJs a hard time about what equipment is needed in a disco.

“People coming into the sound booth uninvited.

“People requesting songs that had nothing to do with the evening.”






BIOGRAPHY 2

Marty Angelo, Disco Step-by-Step's® producer, writer, creator and first host was a charter member of the original New York Record Pool, a V.I.P. member of Eddie Rivera's International Disco Record Centre (IDRC) and the founder of the Buffalo New York Record Pool. His show's play lists often appeared in: Disco News, Billboard Magazine, Cashbox, Record World and others.

Disco Step-by-Step® was not only the first disco dance television show in the world but also was the first cable produced show to ever crossover to a network affiliate broadcast station. It went on to have the highest Neilson rating for its' Saturday 3 pm time slot.

London Records national disco promotion man, Billy Smith picked Marty Angelo amongst the top twenty-five most important disco djs for breaking (introducing) a new disco record. This list appeared in the book: Disco Fever, the Beat, People, Places, Styles, DeeJays, and Groups. It was written by Kitty Hanson and published in the late 1978.

Disco Sound System Developer – 1969. Marty Angelo set up the first sound system ever used in a Buffalo, New York nightclub at Mulligans Brick Bar. Marty was friends with the owners. They relied strictly on a jukebox for musical entertainment for their customers and did not think his idea would work in their club. Marty convinced them to at least try it.

He took his own sound system out of his living room and set it up in Mulligans' never used dilapidated kitchen. The system consisted of two AR Turntables, an 80 watt Dynaco amplifier, and a homemade mixer .... the size of a cigarette pack.

Marty found an old wooden door and two metal milk crates in the kitchen and set the door on top of the crates. He then placed all of his equipment onto the wooden door and proceeded to hang two Altec Lansing "Voice of the Theatre" A-7 speakers and two Altec Lansing "Valencia" speakers throughout different sections of the club.

Most customers departed Mulligans before 12 midnight. But on this historic night they would never be the same. They not only stuck around but refused to leave. The bouncers had to throw them all out at closing.

Marty continued to spin records for one week, using his own sound system and records. Club owners from all over Western New York appeared each night to check out his new idea. The rest is history. He officially became the first disk jockey to ever play in a Western New York nightclub.

Concert Promoter – Kleinhans Music Hall, various nightclubs, colleges and high schools throughout Western New York.

From 1966 to 1970, Marty Angelo was the personal manager for the legendary Columbia records recording artists, Raven (a Buffalo New York based rock/blues band discovered by Marty Angelo, former Beatle, George Harrison, and the notorious rock guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.)

Angelo was the personal manager for the hit rock band, The Grass Roots from 1970 to 1975.


Record Producer – Raven's: “Live at the Inferno”, The Rising Sons: “There’s Nothing Going For Us” and many others recorded at Spectrum Sound Productions.

Marty was a panelist on the very first Billboard Magazine's Disco Music Forum, currently known as the Dance Music Summit.

Go Disco Magazine - reporter - Buffalo Now Has World's Largest Record Store - 1976

Disco Dj - Mr. Goodbar, Mulligians Brick Bar, Spectrum, Club 747, Bus Stop, Mulligians Cafe, J.P. Morgans, Casey's Nickelodeon and many others.

Re-mixer - Step-by-Step - by Silver Convention's Ramona Wulf. Re-mixed by Wally MacDonald and Marty Angelo in 1977. This song was used as the theme song for six Disco Step-by-Step™ shows.

Indexed in the following books: Richard Dilello's book on the Beatles: The Longest Cocktail Party; Patty and David Myers': Don't Bother Knockin... This Town's A Rockin...; and Kitty Hanson's: Disco Fever, the Beat, People, Places, Styles, DeeJays, and Groups.

Go Disco Magazine: Buffalo to Have Disco Television Show. 12/76.

First Script - 1977 - International Cable

Amherst Bee Publications - Disco TV show - first newspaper ad. 01/19/77.

Buffalo Courier Express: Marty Angelo's Top 20 Discos in Western New York - 02/14/77

Focus on the Airwaves - Cable-TV Brings Dance Shows Back to Buffalo - 1977.

Buffalo Courier Express - Disco Duke Says Buffalo In Spotlight. 02/4/77. Page 1 -- Page 2

Buffalo Evening News - The Disco Dance Steps Into TV - 09/30/77

Disco Music Survey - disco newsletter Marty first published: 01/15/78.

Buffalo Evening News - Night Fever-From A Dancer's Point of View - Page 1 - Page 2. 04/78

Buffalo Evening News - DISCO DEEJAYS - The Technique of Reaching Fever Pitch. Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - 09/07/79.

International Disco Record Centre - Spinner Magazine

Spinner Magazine - Playlist

The World's Largest Disco

Marty Angelo helped organize the first World's Largest Disco. The event was held on September 8, 1979 at the Buffalo New York Convention Center and attracted over 14,000 people.

1st World's Largest Disco - Program Credits Page - 1979

Is Buffalo Gig World's Largest? - Billboard Magazine - 9/8/79

Discomania Infects Convention Center - Courier Express - 9/9/79

Big Disco Beat Fills the Air - Buffalo News - 9/9/79

Disco Sounds Like a Hit - The Beat Goes On .. and On - Buffalo News - 9/9/79

many of above links not exist longer ...

awards

2006 NEWS

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/1/emw339399.htm

Prison Evangelist Gives Inmates 20,000 Free Copies of Memoir about Drug Addiction, Incarceration & Recovery

With the release of his memoir, “Once Life Matters: A New Beginning,” prison evangelist Marty Angelo announced he is giving away 20,000 copies free-of-charge to prison inmates and rehab programs across the country. The book is a compelling, true account of how he overcame drugs, sex, alcohol and rock/ disco music and a prison sentence by the power of God.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 30, 2006 -- Christian prison evangelist Marty Angelo today announced the release of his memoir, “Once Life Matters: A New Beginning,” the gritty, true story of his life in the fast lane in the music business, caught up in drugs, sex, alcohol, rock 'n’ roll, and disco music, leading to a six-year sentence in prison for possession of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute. It is a powerful, life-changing account of Angelo’s delivery from addiction and self-destruction into a strong witness for Jesus Christ. Angelo will be giving away 20,000 copies of his book, free-of-charge to prison inmates and rehab programs across the country.

Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, says, “From the glittering lights of the music industry to a prison cell and back now to serving the Lord, Marty’s story offers hope to all of us. It’s a terrific testimony to God’s redeeming grace." http://www.martyangelo.com/book_endorsements.htm

Prior to his dramatic conversion to Christianity in 1981, Marty Angelo was an entertainment business entrepreneur for 20 years, mixing with music greats like the late Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Janis Joplin. As a personal manager for rock bands and a successful record promoter, his “Top Ten” disco record listings were regularly published in “Billboard” magazine. Voted one of the top 20 disco record promoters in the nation in the ‘70s, Angelo wrote, created and produced the popular late ‘70s show “Disco Step-by-Step,” the first television show dedicated to disco dance music. Angelo also promoted the major motion pictures “Saturday Night Fever,” “Thank God It’s Friday” and “Fame.” http://www.martyangelo.com/biography.htm

Angelo recounts his tailspin into self-destruction in graphic, visceral, and unsentimental detail. His book “is a rollercoaster ride from the rock superstar spotlight to the prison jungle and then to higher ground,” says Jack “Murph the Surf” Murphy, formerly a notorious jewel thief and now a minister with Champions for Life Ministries. “Marty Angelo survived the front line madness of that music, drug, and prison world. He came out the other end of the psychedelic tunnel with a fascinating story of out-of-this world freedom,” Murphy adds.
http://www.martyangelo.com/book_foreword.htm

In 1980, Angelo’s world came to a turning point when he was arrested for possession of cocaine and intent to distribute, charges that potentially carried a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. But just prior to being sentenced, Angelo found a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and was delivered from drugs. Sentenced for six years, he served two and a half years in federal prison and the rest of his time on parole. During his incarceration, he developed a heart for ministering to prisoners.

“Ultimately, my book isn't about me,” says Angelo. “It’s about Jesus Christ and how He willingly and faithfully pulled me out of a lifestyle that had little hope. I want to tell my story to help people understand that no matter how bad things might get, they can change and start with a clean slate. I believe God’s purpose for my life is to tell others what happened to me so they might find their way to Him,” says Angelo.

In the wake of recent controversy over the issue of embellishments and unverified facts in author James Frey’s best-selling book, “A Million Little Pieces,” Marty Angelo spoke out in support of Oprah Winfrey when she stood behind her remarks that Frey’s book had “redemptive” qualities. “When it comes to setting the record straight, Oprah Winfrey wins hands down,” says Angelo. “She did the right thing by bringing James Frey onto to her recent broadcast. She helped clear the air and impressed upon her audience the bottom line message of Frey’s book—that people don't have to be slave to substance abuse.” 

Published by Prison Impact Ministries, “Once Life Matters: A New Beginning” is part of the “70 x 7 Book Series” and is available at www.martyangelo.com for a tax-deductible donation. It is also being distributed through the Library of Hope, Impact of Life Ministries, Prison Impact Ministries, the Coalition of Prison Evangelists, and the International Prison Ministry.

About Marty Angelo

Currently a full time independent prison evangelist based in the Los Angeles area, Marty Angelo has served in ministry with Chuck Colson's "Prison Fellowship Ministries," with "Teen Challenge of Southern California," with "Faith Farm Ministries," and with the Drug Abuse Foundation of Palm Beach County's Sheriff's "Drug Farm" boot camp program. For more information, please visit www.martyangelo.com