The man who outed Diana Ross

Le Freak. We Are Family. Like A Virgin. Let’s Dance. There’s a thread that unites all these classic dance-pop songs other than their undisputed brilliance: all were produced by Nile Rodgers.

Rodgers and his late musical partner Bernard Edwards formed oft-sampled disco group Chic in 1977 and became one of the most prolific production partnerships of the 1980s.

So prolific, in fact, that when we spoke to Rodgers from his home studio in Connecticut, he was sifting through tapes from a 1984 solo project he’d forgotten about.

“I sit up every night listening to these tapes and I’m just blown away. I was making this stuff 30 years ago and it sounds like Lady Gaga or something, it’s hysterical,” he enthused.

Rodgers will make his first visit to Australia this week in a tour that will see him mix Chic classics with versions of some of the hits he’s created for other artists.

“Just the other day, I looked up an Australian chart website and I couldn’t believe I had five or six number one records there, and yet I’ve never been to the country and most people there wouldn’t know who I am.

“But I’ve never chosen to be a star — I chose anonymity, and I always believed the music should be the star. When the pop world changed, and it was all about image and stars, I couldn’t compete.”

Instead, Rodgers spent his time nurturing other stars. He helped push Madonna from being the poor man’s Cyndi Lauper to the queen of pop by producing her make-or-break 1984 sophomore album Like A Virgin.

He said that even as a scrappy 26-year-old with barely a hit to her name, Madge had star power.

“What she’s accomplished is amazing and, believe it or not, it’s what I always expected from her once I got to know her. I thought she would be the last of the great stars that bridged personality and functionality.

“Madonna doesn’t have to make records any more — she could just be a personality, she doesn’t need to be functional. The fact that she does and is competitive is amazing.”

He and Edwards also pulled off one of pop’s most audacious moves — having the reigning queen of Motown, Diana Ross, record an obviously gay anthem in the 1980 hit I’m Coming Out. The idea for the song came after a visit to a drag bar when Rodgers found himself wedged between two Diana Ross lookalikes at the urinals.

The words came easily — the tough part was selling the idea to Ross.

“She confronted us about it after people told her it’d seem like she was gay, and it was the only time in my life I’ve ever lied to an artist,” Rodgers chuckled.

“I looked her right in the eyes and said, ‘Diana! I can’t believe you’d even think that, what are you talking about?’”

INFO: Nile Rodgers tours Australia, March 2 – 11, playing solo shows and Golden Plains, Playground Weekender and WOMADelaide festivals. www.nilerodgers.com