Freddie perren y dino fekaris biography

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songwriterrecord producermusic publisher

Dino George Fekaris, songwriter, record producer, music publisher.

In 1975, he dabbled in film again, this time contributing the song, “It’sSo Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, to the soundtrack of Cooley High.

He produced a string of successful singles in 1975 and 1976:  “Boogie Fever”, “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel”, “High School Dance”, “Hot Line”, and “Love Machine (Part I)”.  In 1978, Freddie inked a deal with his friend, Herb Fame, and Linda “Peaches” Greene, and co-produced their first album, 2 Hot, on Polydor Records.

West Coast Songwriter's advisory since 1984, director West Coast Songwriter's workshop, 1982), Mr. and Mistress Club of Los Angeles (co-president 1989). The song became one of the biggest hits of the disco era and won the first and only Grammy award for Best Disco Recording in 1980. Instructor University of California at Los Angeles, 1988.

Achievements

• Dino George Fekaris has been listed as a notable songwriter, record producer, music publisher by Marquis Who's Who.

Works

• book

  • I Just Want To Celebrate

    ( Digital Sheet Music of I Just Want To Celebrate Compos...)

Membership

Member American Society of Composers (Top Song awards 1971, 79, 80.

He was only 61. The album featured the iconic single "I Will Survive," which Fekaris co-wrote and produced, becoming a defining disco anthem that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks and earned a Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980.^[33][34] Other tracks on Love Tracks, such as "Substitute" and "Anybody Wanna Party," showcased Fekaris's ability to craft empowering, dance-oriented material that propelled the album to Platinum certification and a peak position of No.

4 on the Billboard 200.^[34])That same year, Fekaris and Perren produced Peaches & Herb's 2 Hot!, a Polydor release that revitalized the duo's career amid the disco boom. A notable example is "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart," co-written with Zesses for a duet by The Supremes and The Four Tops, released as a single in 1970 from their album The Return of the Magnificent Seven.

DJs weren’t biting on the A side, but they flipped the record over and soon “I Will Survive” was getting so much airplay that Polydor did the same thing and re-issued the single with “I Will Survive” in its rightful place. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, he won the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording for his production of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," co-produced with Freddie Perren, marking the first and only year this category was awarded.^[3]Throughout his career, Fekaris earned five Grammy nominations in total, primarily in the late 1970s for songwriting and production work.

“I Will Survive” was also lip-synched by a chicken, namely Chicken Little, and a pooch, Frank the Pug, in Men in Black II. The album included hits like "Reunited," which held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and drove 2 Hot! to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No.

1 on the R&B Albums chart, ultimately achieving platinum status with over one million units sold.^[35][36] "Shake Your Groove Thing," another standout track from the album, reached No. 5 on the Hot 100, highlighting Fekaris's production style of blending smooth vocals with infectious rhythms.^[35]In 1976, Fekaris and Perren co-wrote and produced "Boogie Fever" for The Sylvers, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and earned Gold certification.In 1979, Fekaris contributed to David Naughton's self-titled debut album Makin' It on RSO Records, co-writing and supporting production on the title track tied to Naughton's starring role in the ABC-TV series of the same name.

His songwriting credits also extend to other notable tracks like "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart" and contributions to soundtracks for films such as Men in Black II (2002) and Repo Men (2010).^[6][7] Fekaris's work, particularly through the Perren-Fekaris partnership, played a pivotal role in bridging Motown's soul influences with the disco era, earning enduring recognition for fostering themes of survival and romance in popular music.^[8]

Early life

Birth and heritage

Dino George Fekaris was born on January 24, 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.^[9][1]He is the son of George N.

Fekaris and Irene A. (Madias) Fekaris, both of Greek descent, with his father having immigrated from Greece, where he was born in 1893.^[9][10] This Greek immigrant background contributed to Fekaris's Greek-American heritage.^[9][1]The family's relocation from Pittsburgh to the Detroit area during his adolescence further shaped his early cultural influences, setting the stage for his later educational pursuits.^[11]

Education

Fekaris attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1968.^[9]During his university years, he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity, which offered social and networking opportunities among students.^[12]

Career

Motown years

Dino Fekaris joined Motown Records in the late 1960s as a staff songwriter and producer, shortly after completing his studies at Wayne State University, where he had honed his musical interests.^[13] His entry into the label marked the beginning of a prolific period focused on crafting soul and rock-infused tracks for a diverse roster of artists.

He wrote some hits for The Miracles, including “Do It Baby” and “Don’t Cha Love It”, both of which went to #4 on the R&B chart. The single "Makin' It" peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, capturing the era's upbeat disco energy and benefiting from Naughton's rising fame from Dr Pepper commercials.^[22][37]Throughout the 1970s, Fekaris's productions extended to other disco-era artists, often in partnership with Perren after their Motown tenure, shaping the genre's sound through polished arrangements and chart-topping accessibility on labels like Polydor.^[1]

Recognition

Awards

Dino Fekaris received significant recognition for his contributions to music, particularly through Grammy Awards.

The summer of the same year saw Naughty By Nature sampling “ABC” for their double-platinum single, “O.P.P.”

In 1993, Freddie had a stroke. It was here they hooked up with Deke Richards, who already had Motown Records on his resume. The album went platinum, and yielded two mega-hits, “Reunited” and “Shake Your Groove Thing”.

Freddie’s partner-in-crime was Dino Fekaris, who had built a similar resume as a producer, and the two of them became a formidable songwriting team.

Interests

Connections

Married Barbara Leanna Chase, June 28, 1980.