It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. My parents decided that I should spend some time with my cousins in Brooklyn. They were cool, typical guido types, and they loved their disco. 98.7 KISS WRKS was the #1 radio station in N.Y.C. that summer. So I said to my cousins "take me to Brooklyn, I'm going to KISS and they're going to give me records."
They thought I was crazy but sort of drove me into Manhattan on a dare. I got the address out of the phone book. Just barely a teen I went right into the building and up to the floor where the radio station was. I explained to the receptionist that I had a public access t.v. show in Connecticut about music called Music Corner. And that it was always handy for me to have promo records to write about and feature on the program. She smiled at me and went to talk to someone. I think it was the program director. He took me into another room and walked me up to a metal cabinet. He opened it and pointed to a huge pile and said "take those."
They were all new disco promo records and on the top of the pile was this l.p. by a new singer I'd never heard of called Pamala Stanley. My copy, like this one had the hole punch going through it. Later in the week when I got back to Danbury I put this l.p. on my stereo and instantly loved it. From the first notes of This is Hot to the hypnotic beat of Hey Mr. Magic. It eventually became a minor hit peaking at #16 on the Billboard Disco charts. I remember hearing it a few times on WBLS.
Someone put Pamala's This is Hot into a video of one of the dance scenes from Prom Night. It wasn't actually in the film but it works really well in the video. Fun movie if you enjoy slasher films, and has a great rare disco soundtrack.
A few years later Pamala reinvented herself as a HI NRG diva. By then I was down in Washington, D.C. a Freshman at The American University and a new disco memory was formed. Coming out of Hiding though it only made it to #4 on the Billboard Dance Charts was one of those songs you couldn't get away from. It was massive. I'd have to guess because the song was so embraced by the gay community. It was like an anthem about coming out and just being yourself.
She only had a few more minor HI NRG hits after that. But in any case Pamala Stanley remains a disco diva that holds memories for me.
A LITTLE PAMALA ZIP
