In 1984, disco briefly returned thanks to the American Evelyn Thomas and her unforgettable track High Energy. Today, the disco star has left the Nold (never old) generation orphaned. Evelyn Thomas, namesake of a famous French TV host, has left a lasting mark on the history of dance floors. Hi-NRG, a new disco sound from the 1980s born in the gay clubs of San Francisco, was popularized by this young Black woman from Chicago, born in 1953.
Evelyn Thomas, who passed away at 70 on Sunday, July 21, grew up in a family where gospel music reigned. Very young, she joined the group The Move Mixers. In 1975, she was discovered by the Englishman Ian Levine, who would become her producer and announced her death on X.
Evelyn Thomas’s first single, Weak Spot, took her to London in 1976 on the show Top of the Pops. But it was in 1984 that High Energy became a true hit, propelling her to the rank of genre star. Co-written by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench, the track entered the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Unfortunately, none of her subsequent titles reached such fame. Nevertheless, Evelyn Thomas continued a much quieter musical career in the United States. After breaking up with Ian Levine in 2009, the artist, gravely ill, reconnected with him a few months before her death. She asked the co-authors of High Energy to write her one last song. Inspirational was created, but the singer, too weakened, could not perform it. In tribute to her mother, her daughter Kimberly – Yaya Diamond on stage – decided to record it. Ian Levine recalled that Kimberly had appeared as a child in the High Energy video, adding: “It is difficult for me to accept that my lifelong protégé has left us. Her music will outlive us all.”
On Sunday, July 21, Kimberly paid tribute to her mother on Facebook. She thanked Evelyn Thomas for everything she had given her: “I already miss Evelyn Thomas. RIP mom.”