Jim Burgess
James Michael Burgess (born July 21, 1953 in Okeechobee , † January 18, 1993 in Philadelphia ) was an American music producer and DJ who was particularly active in New York in the 1970s . He produced remixes and disc versions of many popular songs, some of which have sold millions of copies. He was also a popular DJ in many New York clubs and was considered "one of the hottest DJ's and remixers of the disco era"
Life
Burgess was a trained singer ( tenor ). He began his DJ career in Florida in the mid-1970s and then moved to Atlanta , where he worked at The Limelight club and was discovered by Tony Martino and Alan Harris who owned 12 West club in New York. Burgess then moved to New York and worked at clubs 12 West, The Saint, Underground, Studio 54 and Paradise Garage , among others . Since it opened on September 20, 1980, he was one of the original three permanent DJs at The Saint.
Burgess decided to end his DJ career at the age of 28 with a farewell party on January 31, 1981 at The Saint. During the party, he left the club in the middle of the night and simply let the last record run out. Then Sharon White took over his post for the rest of the night.
In 1987 he moved to Philadelphia to work as an opera singer. He took vocal lessons again and sang for the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Rittenhouse Opera Society. He appeared as Florestan in the opera Fidelio at the Lake George Opera Festival in New York and as Siegfried and Parsifal in the Liederkranz Society of New York, which awarded him the first prize in its Wagner competition.
In 1992 Burgess was informed that he had been diagnosed with HIV infection. The disease developed very quickly, and just four months after diagnosis he died of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in his Philadelphia home. He left behind his partner, as well as a sister and a brother.
Discography
Remixes
Some of the key recordings that Jim Burgess was involved in remixing or producing:
song | Artist | Label | publication |
---|---|---|---|
Just As Long As We're Together | Prince | Warner Brothers | 1978 |
Because Ya Think I'm Sexy? | Rod Stewart | Warner Brothers | 1978 |
I Was Made for Lovin 'You | KISS | Casablanca | 1979 |
I've Got the Next Dance | Deniece Williams | Columbia | 1979 |
Victim | Candi Staton | Warner Brothers | 1978 |
Web links
- http://www.djhistory.com/forum/showthread.php?p=273735
- http://gayhistory.wikispaces.com/Burgess,+Jim
- https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3DB103DF936A15752C0A965958260
- http://www.discomusic.com/people-more/1556_0_11_0_C/
- http: //www.discomusicpeople-more/45_0_11_0_C/ John Celiga interview
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Jim Burgess Bio , www.disco-disco.com, accessed February 17, 2018.
- ^ NY Disco Clubs , www.disco-disco.com, accessed February 18, 2018.
- ↑ a b Death notice , NYTIMES, January 25, 1993
- ↑ Discography , www.discogs.com, accessed 2008-07-23
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Burgess, Jim |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Burgess, James Michael |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American music producer, remixer and club DJ |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 21, 1953 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Okeechobee |
DATE OF DEATH | January 18, 1993 |
Place of death | Philadelphia |