Queens of Disco by Annie Zaleski

From leading vocalists such as Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer and The Pointer Sisters, who helped popularize disco music in the late seventies, to modern-day disco divas including Madonna and Kylie Minogue, Queens of Disco is an electrifying must-read for dance music enthusiasts.

This joyful book explores disco’s emergence in the underground club scene and unpicks its influence on DJ culture and legacy in defining electronic dance music such as hip-hop, house and new-wave. Featuring complementary playlists alongside detailed profiles of ten female trailblazers and fully illustrated throughout.

Queens of… series
Packed with iconic images, cultural history and playlists, The Queens of… series is a celebration of influential music genres and the female pioneers that defined them.

A joyful, vibrant look at the evolution of disco music – told through the stories of ten female pioneers

About the Author: Annie Zaleski is an award-winning journalist and author based in Cleveland, Ohio. She has contributed to publications such as Rolling Stone, NPRMusic, the Guardian, The A.V. Club, Salon, Billboard and Classic Pop. She’s the author of Taylor Swift – The Stories Behind the Songs, a detailed lookat the superstar’s catalogue; a book on Duran Duran’s Rio in the prestigious 33 1/3 book series; the illustrated biographies Lady Gaga: Applause, Pink: Raise Your Glass, and Harry Styles: A Sign of the Times; and the music history book This is Christmas, Song by Song. Zaleski has also contributed essays to multiple books, including the NPR-based How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History, along with liner notes to the 2016 reissue of R.E.M.’s Out of Time and the 2023 deluxe edition of Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. She was commissioned by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to write induction essays for Duran Duran and George Michael.

13 Nov 2025
 

Queens of Disco by Annie Zaleski ISBN 9781786751904