Photo: The Voice (San Francisco) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Patrick Cowley is a name more people should know. Dead at just 32 in 1982, he packed a pioneering vision into a short career, shaping disco and hi-NRG and earning a place alongside Giorgio Moroder as a founder of electronic dance music. His work with Sylvester is the famous calling card, but what moves me is how futuristic his synth language felt for its era. You can trace a line from his records straight into today's club music. I find his early death genuinely poignant, and I think he deserves to be remembered as a true innovator, not a footnote.
Overview
Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 – November 12, 1982) was an American disco and hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist, best known for his collaborations with disco singer Sylvester. Along with Giorgio Moroder, he has been credited as a pioneer of electronic dance music.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Patrick Cowley
- Name (Japanese)
- パトリック・カウリー
- Reading
- ぱとりっく・かうりー
- Born
- October 19, 1950 – November 12, 1982
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Tiger
- Origin
- Buffalo, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- record producer / composer / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- City College of San Francisco
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Record producer — see all → · Composer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.