Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor was born Gloria Fowles on September 1949 in Newark, New Jersey. Gloria claimed that the continual music in her home was the foundation of her career. She loved Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan recordings. Gloria always wanted to sing and was a member of her school choir, the girls' glee club and the mixed chorus. Gaynor graduated from high school with honors and went on to beauty school. She continued to practice singing and was a member of the Soul Satisfiers in the 1960s.

In 1975 the release of her album Never Can Say Goodbye established Gloria as a disco artist. This album was instrumental in introducing disco to the public. Her song Never Can Say Goodbye became the first song to hit Billboard Magazine's dance chart.

Gloria released Gloria and Park Avenue Sound and in the late 1978 she released her album Love Tracks and her famous song I will Survive. In 1980 I will Survive was awarded the only Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording. Gaynor also recorded Love is Just a Heartbeat Away in 1979 for the vampire movie Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula.

Gaynor's discos singing career went into a tailspin and she did not release an album until 1982. She switched for mid-tempo R&B and Pop style songs and rejected disco. She record a new version of I will Survive that represented her conversion to Christianity. This album was not received well by her fans.

Currently Gloria Gaynor is working on a contemporary Christian album. It should be released late 2012. Gaynor and her husband live in Green Brook Township, New Jersey.