Alfa Anderson, Chic singer on 'Le Freak' and 'Good Times,' dies at 78

Alfa Anderson, the disco queen who was an integral member of Nile Rodgers' influential band Chic, died Dec. 16 at 78.

Her publicist, Tonya Hawley, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly and said in a statement that Anderson "leaves behind a remarkable legacy that has touched the lives of countless fans, friends, and loved ones."

Anderson was one of the iconic voices of disco, her vocals featuring prominently on generational hits like "Le Freak," "Good Times," and "I Want Your Love." She was brought to Rodgers' attention by lifelong friend Luther Vandross, featured on the soundtrack for The Wiz, earned two master's degrees, and saw her music preserved by the Library of Congress.

Rodgers, the musician, songwriter, and super-producer, paid tribute to the late Anderson in an Instagram post featuring a slideshow of pictures of Chic overlaid with the text "RIP Alfa Anderson, CHIC Organization, forever loved," and the caption "Thank you for everything."

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Born Sept. 7, 1947, Anderson grew up in a segregated Augusta, Ga., and wrote her first songs as a child. Singing became a more serious pursuit when she joined the choir at Columbia University’s Teachers College while pursuing her first master's degree. Shortly after graduating, she became a teacher at Hunter College, but she never gave up singing. She eventually met Vandross while performing on the local pub circuit.

Vandross would introduce Anderson to Rodgers, who added her to the Chic ensemble as a backing vocalist. Her lead performance on the 1978 single "I Want Your Love," plus the departure of lead vocalist Norma Jean Wright, led to Anderson's promotion to co-lead vocalist of the group, alongside Luci Martin.

Chic dissolved shortly after, but Anderson went on to sing backing vocals on many of the songs Rodgers wrote and produced, including ones by Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Bryan Adams, and Mick Jagger. Anderson continued on as a member of Vandross' touring band from 1982 to 1987, but in the 1990s returned to school to pursue a second master's, in educational leadership, from Bank Street College. She then became the principal at Brooklyn's El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice.

Anderson dabbled in theater as well, appearing in Cannonball Adderley's Big Man, which was staged at Carnegie Hall in 1976, and in the 1974 Lincoln Center production of Children of the Fire.

Chic were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, and in 2018, "Le Freak" was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

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Anderson released her first solo album, Music From My Heart, in 2017. The lead single, "When Luther Sings," was a tribute to Vandross, who died in 2005 of complications from a stroke.

When asked by PopMatters in 2013 what she would tell herself in 1979, Anderson said, "I would tell her that she is okay just the way she is. That she is loved… What I've learned is that where you are in your journey is where you need to be. You have two choices, either like where you are or change it. It's for us to learn that lesson — one of many lessons — while we're here in this skin, in this particular body, at this particular time. This is what I've learned, this is what I know to be true."

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