Spread from the November 1977 issue of Mandate (“Entertainment and Eros for Renaissance Men”), showing. Morali had always wanted to write songs for a gay audience, and though rock-and-roll record sales depended on radio play, Belolo knew that if a song made people at the discos rush onto the floor, it could break the bank. The Ritchie Family had been a hit, but now the producers were in search of a new act. It was a warm day in 1977, and they were on the make, having moved to New York from Paris after one of their groups, a Philadelphia trio called the Ritchie Family, made it to number five on the Billboard charts with a disco cover of a song from the 1930s.
Though Henri, unlike his business partner, was straight, both men were infatuated with fashion, America, and, above all, disco. It reminded the two music producers of Paris, and besides, the gay clubs had the best DJs. Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo had been spending a lot of time in Greenwich Village that spring.
