Gloria Gaynor is a disco singer best known for her 1979 uplifting disco anthem “I Will Survive.” The song ultimately defined her career—becoming the name of her autobiography. It’s one of 25 songs to be part of the Library Of Congress' national recording registry.

Prior to Gaynor’s major success “I Will Survive,” her 1975 album Never Can Say Goodbye was an important moment for the blossoming disco genre. Thanks to DJ Tom Moulton’s beat-matching technique, she became an important voice within the disco genre. Though disco gave her the definitive track of her career, the genre experienced a wave of backlash in the late ‘70s and early '80s and her follow-up disco records didn’t come close to matching her former successes.

Gaynor was raised in Newwark, NJ. She began her career singing jazz and soul songs as part of The Soul Satisfiers.