Once upon a time there was a group that later became chic

[glencro]

Ran across these 1976 clips of Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards & Tony Thompson jamming in their band THE BIG APPLE BAND. By the sounds of things, their future success was inevitable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2OZSaY8To&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJhyd4fJtas&feature=related

[roger]

Weren't they the backing band for NEW YORK CITY [[Of "Doing Fine Now" fame??)

I'm sure i heard a radio interview years agow where one of them [[presumably NILE ROGERS?) stated that they decided to "go it alone" when NEW YORK CITY decided to disband after completing a tour of England.

Roger

[soulster]

Wow! Thanks for those! Even from these clips, you can tell their basic sound had already gelled. All they had to do is get rid of their lead singer, all a keyboard player, and slow it down a bit. But, i'll bet if Maurice White had seen them cover of "Getaway", he would have considered the two for replacements in EWF if something should have happened.

[StuBass1]

I was at the Westin Hotel at the Ren Cen...probably late 1976. I was in the lobby and saw a couple of guys and a couple of young ladies standing around the lobby standing next to some instruments. The musician in me got my curiosity, and I walked up to one of the guys standing next to a guitar case [[I guess it was Nile Rogers) and asked them who they played with? The guy told me they were a group named Chic. It sounded vaguely familiar and I was telling this guy that I had played bass around Detroit. He pointed to the other guy standing a few feet away and said "that's our bass player" [[Bernard Edwards I guess). We spoke for a few minutes about whatever gig they were doing in town and I wished him good luck. I guess it worked lol