Dan Hartman - Vertigo Relight My Fire 1979 Disco Purrfection Version (Disco Classic)

"One can easily imagine a young Dan Hartman, pounding away on his piano at the age of 13 when he joined his first band along with his brother to form The Legends.

Born December 8, 1950 in Harrisburg, PA, he was a prolific writer who honed his craft with a spate of non hit songs until he was asked to join the influential Johnny Winter Band as a backing musician and then moved on to brother Edgar Winter's Group where he played bass and was given a free hand to participate in their monster hit collaboration, "They Only Come Out At Night", a glam rock affair that defined the new rock ethos with the #1 pop hit "Frankenstein" and then Hartman sang lead on "Free Ride" a #14 pop hit in 1973

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He continued to flourish, learning more instruments and then went solo in 1976 His label issued "Who Is Dan Hartman and Why Is Everyone Saying Wonderful Things About Him?", a promotional LP compilation of his tunes recorded with the Winters Brothers. Soon, the brothers Winter were backing Hartman on his first true solo release, "Images" which introduced elements of Soul and R&B to his rapidly expanding competences.

Keeping his toe in the rock arena, he recorded Muddy Waters LP "I'm Ready" spending most of the time in the producers chair and adding a new sound to the blues legend repertoire. Hartman's songs usually had a steady beat, and in 1978 he released "Instant Replay" of which the title tune went to #1 disco (#29 pop), but contained a wide variety of sounds and beats that set the scene for his "Relight My Fire" LP in 1979.

The centerpiece was "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", which spent 6 energy fueled weeks at #1 disco. It's an amazing song that opens with a fade in to a discordant and swirling piano that signals that something is coming. Back in da day, when the beat dropped in, the dance-floor disappeared, it was so crowded!

The arrangement kept building and building, going up, up and up then exploding into "Relight My Fire" with the rumbling and wailing vocals from his vocal guest, Loleatta Holloway who put us all into disco heaven. Hartman continued as a solo artist and a producer with songs like "I Can Dream About You", James Brown "Living In America" well into the 80's.

Hartman was in the closet for most of his life, and kept his HIV status a secret when he was diagnosed in 1989. He passed away at his home in Westport, Connecticut from an AIDS related brain tumor on March 22, 1994. He never married and never had any children."