’70s Music Legend Dead at 78: RIP to Chic’s Alfa Anderson

Alfa Anderson, lead singer of the legendary 1970s disco band Chic who sang on hits including “Good Times” and “Le Freak,” has died. Niles Rodgers, founder of the group, confirmed the news on Instagram on Dec. 17, writing, “RIP Alfa Anderson. CHIC Organization. Forever loved.” Rodgers did not disclose Anderson’s cause of death. She was 78.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, on September 7, 1946, Anderson began her professional singing career alongside some of the industry’s most talented vocalists and musicians. She made her professional debut in in jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley’s Big Man, which debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1976, according to her biography. She went on to record background vocals for Nat Adderley, Ray Barretto, Odyssey, Major Harris, Roy Buchanan, and more, and starred in the Lincoln Center’s production of Children of the Fire, scored by legendary trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe.

Anderson also featured on the Quincy Jones–produced 1978 soundtrack for The Wiz, and while recording the film’s soundtrack in 1977, she met Luther Vandross, who introduced her to Rodgers. Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards co-founded Chic five years earlier and at the time were in the process of were recording their debut self-titled album. The band also included Tony Thompson on drums and Norma Jean Wright on vocals. Anderson wound up singing backing vocals on “Everybody Dance,” one of the group’s first singles for Atlantic Records, and also performed on “Dance Dance Dance” from the band’s debut album. After joining Chic on tour, she was promoted to lead vocalist, a role she shared with Luci Martin from the late ’70s through the early ’80s.

Anderson went on to sing on some of the group’s biggest tracks, including “Good Times,” “My Forbidden Lover,” “At Last I Am Free,” “I Want Your Love,” and “Le Freak,” which was the “biggest-selling single in Atlantic Records history” for more than 30 years. The single was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.

After Chic dissolved in 1983, Anderson continued on as a member of Vandross’ touring band from 1982 to 1987, and sang backing vocals for the likes of Bryan Adams, Gregory Hines, Mick Jagger, Teddy Pendergrass, Jennifer Holliday, Billy Squier, Sheena Easton, Jody Watley, Bryan Ferry, and Jonathan Butler. She was also a frequent guest on Soul Train and Top of the Pops.

Anderson, who was also an educator with a master’s degree from Columbia University, eventually returned to her love of teaching and earned a second master’s degree in school leadership from Bank Street College in New York City. She became a principal of El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice High School in Brooklyn.

She continued to release music intermittently, including “Former First Lady of Chic,” and her 2017 first full-length solo album, Music from My Heart. In 2015, she reunited with Chic to serve as one of the lead vocalists on “I’ll Be There.”

Remembering Anderson, her publicist, Tonya Hawley, told Entertainment Weekly that Anderson “leaves behind a remarkable legacy that has touched the lives of countless fans, friends, and loved ones.”