Karen Young (American singer)
Encyclopedia
Karen Young was an American
disco
-era singer best known for her hit
, "Hot Shot
".
rowhouse. Before becoming an international recording star
with "Hot Shot," she recorded jingle
s and background vocals
for the Philadelphia based production companies. In the early 1970s Young performed with the group Sandd, featuring Frank Gilckin (lead guitar
), George Emertz (rhythm guitar
), Frank Ferraro (bass guitar
) and Dennis Westman (drum
s).
The song "Hot Shot" peaked at #67 on Billboard
s Hot 100
in 1978, after enjoying two weeks at #1 on that magazine's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
, thus qualifying Young as a one-hit wonder
. "Hot Shot" was written
, produced
and arranged
by Philadelphians Andy Kahn
and Kurt Borusiewicz, with Walter "Kandor" Kahn
as executive producer. An album
, also entitled Hot Shot, followed, both released by West End Records
of New York
. "Hot Shot" was featured in the 1990 film
, Reversal of Fortune
. The song was later used as a sample
in Daft Punk's
song "Indo Silver Club" on their album Homework. Various "Hot Shot" remix
es were released in 2007. One such, entitled "Hot Shot - The Karen Young Reheat," held the #7 position for two weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, achieving five weeks on that chart's Top 10.
"Rendezvous With Me," a song written by Kahn in 1979 was intended as her follow-up to "Hot Shot," but was never finished. Discovered in Kahn's tape vault, "Rendezvous With Me" was released by MaxRoxx Music for the first time in March 2009.
Young died of a bleeding ulcer
in January 1991, at age 39.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-era singer best known for her hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Hot Shot
Hot Shot (Karen Young song)
Hot Shot was the name of a popular disco single recorded by American singer Karen Young. The single, which is also the name of her 1978 album, reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart the week of August 5, 1978 and spent two weeks there....
".
Biography
Young grew up in a Northeast Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
rowhouse. Before becoming an international recording star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
with "Hot Shot," she recorded jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s and background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for the Philadelphia based production companies. In the early 1970s Young performed with the group Sandd, featuring Frank Gilckin (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), George Emertz (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Frank Ferraro (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Dennis Westman (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s).
The song "Hot Shot" peaked at #67 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1978, after enjoying two weeks at #1 on that magazine's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, thus qualifying Young as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
. "Hot Shot" was written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Philadelphians Andy Kahn
Andrew Kahn
Andrew Kahn , frequently credited as Andy Kahn, is a music composer, arranger and producer who was most active in the dance and disco scene in the late 1970s. In 1978, he wrote and produced Karen Young's song, "Hot Shot", for West End Records...
and Kurt Borusiewicz, with Walter "Kandor" Kahn
Walter "Kandor" Kahn
Walter "Kandor" Kahn began his music career as a Top 40 radio DJ/announcer and recording engineer. His early music productions include "Loves Me Like A Rock", written by Paul Simon, performed by The Dixie Hummingbirds, and released on ABC Records. In 1974, he was awarded a Grammy for producing...
as executive producer. An album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, also entitled Hot Shot, followed, both released by West End Records
West End Records
West End Records is a record label, which is known as one of the most prominent labels in dance music’s history along with Prelude Records, Salsoul Records and Casablanca Records.-History:...
of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. "Hot Shot" was featured in the 1990 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Reversal of Fortune
Reversal of Fortune
Reversal of Fortune is a 1990 film adapted from the 1985 book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case, written by law professor Alan Dershowitz...
. The song was later used as a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
in Daft Punk's
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
song "Indo Silver Club" on their album Homework. Various "Hot Shot" remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es were released in 2007. One such, entitled "Hot Shot - The Karen Young Reheat," held the #7 position for two weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, achieving five weeks on that chart's Top 10.
"Rendezvous With Me," a song written by Kahn in 1979 was intended as her follow-up to "Hot Shot," but was never finished. Discovered in Kahn's tape vault, "Rendezvous With Me" was released by MaxRoxx Music for the first time in March 2009.
Young died of a bleeding ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
in January 1991, at age 39.
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart