Gwen McCrae is best known as the Queen of Rare Groove for her much-sampled repertoire of funk and soul. And her accidental role in launching disco.

She also sang the first recorded version of Always On My Mind – before Elvis, before Willie, even before Brenda Lee – a country-and-western affair drenched in pedal steel guitar. 

A couple of years before that, in 1970, after a moderately successful career as a duo with her husband George, Gwen signed a solo deal and had a minor hit with her version of Bobby Bland’s Lead Me On.

She went on to enjoy a big hit with the disco tune Rockin’ Chair, a thinly disguised copy of her husband George’s breakthrough tune Rock Your Baby, which was originally earmarked for Gwen to sing. 

In 1974 she was booked in at a Miami studio to record a new song written by a pair of Florida funksters who would go on one day to become the core of KC & The Sunshine Band.

But Gwen turned up late for her session and George, who was also her manager, was already at the studio as time ticked by and the songwriters, who were also producing and playing the music, became increasingly impatient.

Knowing that he used to be a singer himself, they persuaded Geroge, who was at the time making plans to quit music and become a cop, to have a crack at the song himself.

The result was, of course, Rock Your Baby – widely regarded as the first disco hit – and went on to sell a staggering 11 million copies – and launch an entire cultural movement, as well as reviving Gwen’s career – although not their marriage, which did not survive their competing musical careers.