Where were you when the lights went out in New York City on July 13, 1977?
They called it a BLACKOUT
I was a child growing up in South Florida with relatives living in New York. I remember watching favorite TV shows like "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Baretta" when suddenly there was a "special report" from the network news telling viewers nationwide that the electricity had gone out in the New York area.
During the overnight hours of July 13Th, 1977 and into the next day as people were stuck in elevators and on subways, looting ensued in many areas and there were hundreds of fires. It was chaos for some and in my own family there was a birth. One of my relatives gave birth to a baby girl on what was supposed to be a night of celebration of her mother's birthday. Now grandmother and granddaughter share the same birthday. Today that entire segment of the family lives in Virginia and in the 1990's another child was born on this day.
It's easy for me to remember the day for its infamy and the birthdays in my family. And there is a favorite disco song about that day by one of the legendary Disco groups, The Trammps.
"The Night The Lights Went Out" was released within a couple months of the 1977 Blackout and proved to be a regional hit especially in the disco clubs. But also to the real fans of The Trammps over the years who listen beyond their big hit "Disco Inferno".
The Trammps "Disco Inferno" would become a huge hit into the next year from the massive success of "Saturday Night Fever" which hit movie screens later in 1977.
Local news report as the lights returned to New York City.
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