Taana Gardner (born September 3, 1960) – When You Touch Me (1979)

This Larry Levan-mixed disco masterpiece was Gardner's second single on West End Records, written and produced by Kenton Nix.

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Taana Gardner is a singer best known for her 1981 club classic “Heartbeat,” which became West End Records’ all-time biggest selling record.

Born and raised in Newark, NJ, she was named for the Tana River in Kenya. Her grandmother was a professional opera singer, and began giving her voice lessons when she was five. At age eleven Gardner joined the Harlem Children’s Theater Group. Soon afterward she co-wrote and starred in a musical called “Land of the Egyptian” which premiered at Lincoln Center. She later acted with the Dance Theater of Harlem and the National Black Theater.

Gardner became a disco diva by accident. In the fall of 1978, songwriter and producer Kenton Nix came up with an instrumental disco track called “Work That Body,” which the influential DJ Larry Levan of the Paradise Garage heard and liked. He introduced Nix to West End Records owner Mel Cheren, and a recording session was arranged for Thanksgiving Day.

But the singer who was supposed to record the vocals was sick and couldn’t make it. Nix’s brother worked with Gardner’s father, and he called and invited her to fill in. She did, wowing the studio with her voice. During the session she was overheard by musical genius August Darnell of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, who invited her to sing on another track being recorded that same day, “Spooks In Space” (1979) by his spin-off group the Aural Exciters.

Mixed by Levan, “Work That Body” was a dancefloor hit, first at the Garage and then nationwide when released on West End Records. It climbed to #10 on disco charts in 1979.

For her follow up single, Nix produced and wrote and Levan mixed an even more epic jam. “When You Touch Me” (1979) was a ten minute masterpiece that started off slow and haunting but quickly built to a funky disco journey.

Like “Work That Body,” it also peaked at #10 on the national club charts. Both tracks were included on her self-titled 1979 debut album on West End.

Despite the brilliance of her first two singles, many would argue Gardner’s greatest song dropped two years later, in 1981.

Another single written and produced by Nix and remixed by Levan for its nine minute-plus Club version, “Heartbeat” was a massive hit despite its slow tempo which cleared the floor the first few times Levan played the record. But he kept playing it, sometimes several times a night, and within weeks it filled the dancefloor. The track soon went to #6 on dance charts and #10 R&B. With over 800,000 copies eventually sold, it became West End Records' best-selling release of all time.

The same year, Gardner’s final classic West End single was released, the stellar workout “No Frills” (1981). It underperformed her other dancefloor anthems, only making it to #52 on the club charts, but remains a favorite today. “No Frills” was memorably sampled by producer Prince Paul for De La Soul’s “Bitties in the BK Lounge” off their 1991 sophomore album De La Soul Is Dead.

#soul #funk #disco #TaanaGardner