Credit: Dangerous Minds / Video Still

At a time when most forms of mainstream music were almost proudly gatekept, disco was for everyone.

The mid-1970s were the time when the dinosaurs of classic rock ruled the earth. Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin weren’t just the biggest names in rock music; they were the biggest names in music, period, selling records in a way that would make any chart pop act jealous. However, just like there was a barrier of entry to making the music that was about to be blown open by punk rock, there was a similar barrier of entry to enjoying the music, too.

Ask any fan of these classic rock giants who had the temerity to not be a white man, and they will tell you that their experience of being a fan wasn’t exactly a smooth one. It’s a distressingly similar story to the same one told by generations of non-white, non-male rock fans going forward. They couldn’t just go to their shows, love their records or wear their merch, because all those activities were viewed as challenges by territorial rock fans.

So, when disco came along, the most refreshing part of the music was arguably how open and welcoming its seen was. Any photo of Studio 54’s dancefloor will prove this, as you can see a wide range of humanity represented there. All colours, creeds and sexualities were represented, as were people making an absolute mockery of the gender binary. One could easily assume that the first generation of dance music would also be a young person’s game, but no, people of any age were welcomed too.

Just look at ‘Disco Sally’ Lippman, who didn’t step foot inside a club until she was 77 years young.

Who was Disco Sally Lippman?

Born October 19th, 1900, Sally Lippman spent her life as a lawyer, a wife and a mother.

A vivacious, witty and incredibly intelligent woman admitted to the New York City Bar Association when she was all of 20 years old, she lived an incredible life long before she achieved notoriety in her twilight years. She was also happily married for that time until her husband passed away suddenly in the mid-1970s. Now, there’s no correct way to grieve, but Lippman had a way of processing the loss of her husband that we could all learn from.

She wanted to use the time she had left, having the time of her life, throwing herself into the nascent disco scene and becoming one of the unlikely stars of Studio 54, its celebrity guests like Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman waiting entire evenings to be her dance partner. However, Lippman’s partnerships went far beyond dancing, as Lippman actually met her second husband on the Studio 54 floor, marrying 28-year-old Johnny Touzos in 1980 like an absolute hero. She seemed invincible as the 1980s dawned, new beau in tow, a new club opening up named after her, but eventually, death comes for us all.

Sally Lippman passed away in 1982. Despite her requesting several times, her surviving family did not play disco at her funeral. Something of a travesty, but let’s be real here, few other people have lived as hard and as well in their last couple of years as Sally Lippman did. Thus, I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded her playlist choices not being respected at her funeral. Turns out, not everyone is as respectful and as open-minded as the disco scene of the late 1970s.

Something we can learn from today, I think.