KLASSIC KUTS: Hidden Disco Gem You Sleep On!
You ever hear a record that takes you straight to the roller rink floor — lights flashing, sweat shining, and everybody moving like the weekend just clocked in? That’s Suzy Q’s “Get On Up and Do It Again.” It’s that feel-good, funk-disco hybrid that defined the early ‘80s — a time when soul grooves were sliding out of the disco era and into something smoother, sharper, and built for the dance floor.
Now, let’s get this straight — Suzy Q wasn’t a real person. It was a studio project born in Montréal under producer Jerry Cucuzzella. Like many disco collectives of that time, the lineup was fluid — the vocals shifted, the faces changed — but the groove stayed tight. The original “Get On Up and Do It Again” dropped in 1981, written by Cucuzzella along with Giovanni D’Orazio and Sergio Panzera. It climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Dance chart and No. 65 on the Black Singles chart. If it had made it before the Disco is Dead fiasco, it might’ve been bigger.
But here’s where the story gets juicy — there’s been debate for decades about who really sang the song. Nigerian-born powerhouse Carol Jiani — best known for her club classic “Hit ’N Run Lover” — has long claimed that she was the uncredited voice on the original 1981 version. She said her vocals carried the track that made all that noise in the clubs. Meanwhile, Michelle Mills, who was also part of the disco group Mizz — the vocalist officially tied to Suzy Q at the time — was the one featured on the 12-inch single covers, performing the song live and fronting the project publicly.
Whoever it was, that voice brought fire. It had that balance of soul and sparkle — the kind that could cut through the smoke and laser beams of any club in 1981. And the music? Straight roller jam energy. That bassline dared you to sit down, the synths shimmered, and the hook was pure motivation: “Get on up and do it again.”
See, that’s why I started Klassic Kuts — to pull out joints like this that didn’t always get the love they deserved but shaped the culture anyway. Suzy Q’s “Get On Up and Do It Again” wasn’t just a club record — it was a call to keep moving, keep grinding, and keep dancing through whatever life threw at you.
That’s timeless music right there.
Check out my Super Throwback Party every Sunday on Majic 102.1 from 6pm – 8pm where I bless you with some of these gems.
I introduce to you a Klassic Kut – Suzy Q – Get On Up and Do It Again. Check it out below. You’re Welcome.
Klassic Love,
Madd Hatta
