Patrick Joseph Cowley was born on October 19, 1950, and passed away on November 12, 1982. He was an American composer and recording artist who created music in the disco and high-energy dance genres. He is most famous for working with the disco singer Sylvester. He also partnered with Giorgio Moroder and is known as one of the first people to help create electronic dance music.

Early life

Cowley was born on October 19, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, to Ellen and Kenneth Cowley. His family came from Horseheads and Corning in New York and lived in Rochester. During his teenage years, Cowley became a successful drummer with local music groups. He later attended Niagara University and the University at Buffalo to study English. In 1971, at the age of 21, Cowley moved to San Francisco to study at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). There, he studied music, especially how to use synthesizers, under the guidance of Gerald Mueller.

Musical career

In 1978, Cowley met Sylvester, a musician based in San Francisco. Sylvester invited Cowley to join his studio band after listening to Cowley's early synthesizer recordings. Cowley played the synthesizer on Sylvester's 1978 album Step II, which included the songs "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)." He also wrote two songs, "Stars" and "I Need Somebody to Love Tonight," for Sylvester's 1979 album Stars. Cowley joined Sylvester's live band and participated in several world tours with him.

Cowley had his own successful songs, including "Menergy" in 1981, which openly celebrated the gay club scene. Another hit was "Megatron Man," which reached No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1981. That same year, Cowley was honored at Menergy parties held at The EndUp in San Francisco. He recorded an album at The Stud in San Francisco. Cowley also wrote and produced the dance song "Right on Target" for San Francisco artist Paul Parker, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard dance chart in 1982. A song called "Do Ya Wanna Funk," created with Sylvester, reached No. 4 on the Billboard dance chart in 1982. Cowley made a long remix of Donna Summer's song "I Feel Love," which is now considered a valuable collector's item. His final album, Mind Warp, was created as he experienced the growing effects of HIV infection. The songs on this album show his increasing separation from normal life as the disease progressed.

Death

In late 1981, during a world tour with Sylvester, Cowley said he was feeling worse. After returning to the United States, he saw a doctor who told him he had food poisoning. Weeks later, his health continued to get worse, but doctors could not find the cause of his illness. At that time, the HIV/AIDS virus was still called "gay-related immune deficiency" (GRID) by American doctors. Because doctors often made the wrong diagnosis, Cowley, who was gay, was sent home from the hospital in 1982 after doctors could not help him further. Cowley died at his home in the Castro District neighborhood of San Francisco on November 12, 1982. He was 32 years old and one of the first people to die from AIDS.

Legacy

Cowley is known as a pioneer in early electronic music and the creator of hi-NRG, a fast-paced style of disco. Artists from the 1980s, such as Pet Shop Boys and New Order, have said he influenced them as a producer. He has been described as "a musical pioneer whose achievements had a lasting impact on queer culture and the broader disco scene."

Since the 2010s, more people have recognized Cowley’s work as interest in how disco connected with the gay rights movement grew. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, articles in publications like Gawker helped increase attention to his music. In 2009, an album called Catholic, which includes songs made with writer/singer Jorge Socarras between 1976 and 1979, was released.

Discography

Cowley helped create and produce songs for several musicians from San Francisco, including friends Paul Parker and Frank Loverde. He also worked with other musicians such as Kat Mandu, Maurice Tani, and Linda Imperial.

• "Right on Target" by Paul Parker (1982)
• "Die Hard Lover" by Frank Loverde (1982)
• "Do You Wanna Funk" by Sylvester (1982)