Carol Jiani (born Uchenna Carol Ikejiani) is a Nigerian-born singer based in the United Kingdom, best known for her 1981 hit "Hit 'N Run Lover".
Career
Uchenna Carol Ikejiani was born in Nigeria to an
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
family. She moved to Canada as a college student in the mid-1970s.
In autumn 1978, she auditioned to appear on Joe La Greca's album ''Montreal''. In early 1978, Jiani recorded two tracks for the project, "If You Believe in Me" and "Higher and Higher". These were released on an EP, with her credited under her birth name. Glenn LaRusso of
Salsoul Records
Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre (the Cayre brothers). Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/post-disco 12-inch releases, ...
convinced her to shorten her name from Uchenna Ikejiani to Carol Jiani Carol her middle name to make it easier for North Americans to pronounce.
In 1980, Carol Jiani recorded two Sandy Wilbur-written pieces with La Greca, "Hit 'N Run Lover" and "All The People of the World". "Hit 'N Run Lover" was remixed by San Francisco-based Moby Dick Records for their Gold Standard imprint and would become Jiani's
signature song, peaking at number 4 on the US
''Billboard'' Club Play Singles chart in 1981.
On the heels of "Hit N Run Lover"'s success, Matra Records commissioned a complete album, also titled ''Hit 'N Run Lover''. "The Woman in Me" was the album's second single but its
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, the uptempo "Mercy", written by
Pete Bellotte
Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Index ...
and
Sylvester Levay
Sylvester Levay (originally Lévay Szilveszter, Serbian language, Serbian: Силвестер Леваи, ''Silvester Levai'') is a Hungarian people, Hungarian recording artist and composer, born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
Life and career
Levay ...
which exceeded the A-side in popularity among DJs becoming another hit for Jiani. "Mercy", the only track on the album not composed by Sandy Wilbur, was recorded earlier by
Judy Cheeks
Judy Cheeks (born February 13, 1954) is an American singer and actress. In the 1970s and 1980s, she recorded as a soul and R&B singer, before releasing more dance-oriented music in the 1990s. Cheeks performed with Ike & Tina Turner as an Ikette ...
.
A follow-up album, ''Ask Me'' was released the next year generating the singles "Ask Me", "X-Rated" and "You're Gonna Lose My Love". In 1982, Jiani recorded vocals for "Get Up and Do It Again". The song was a hit, as was the second version recorded by Mizz lead singer, Michelle Mills.
At the end of 1983, she released her last Joe LaGreca production, "Touch And Go Lover" for the Canadian label Telescope. The song was also remixed by Step Pettibone and for the US by John Robie. A total of 7 songs was recorded but the album was not released. Two more singles were released, "Dancing In The Rain" and a cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way". Eventually all songs were released in 1984 on a 12" in the UK by the label Streetwave.
In 1984, Jiani moved to England and soon signed with Record Shack to record "Vanity" with producer
Ian Levine
Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...
.
Barbara Pennington had previously recorded the track but declined to release it to focus exclusively on
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
.
Jiani's "Vanity", released in 1985, was a hit reaching number 1 on the UK
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
Club chart. Levine secured her a deal with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
, and she released "Such A Joy Honey". According to Levine, "Turning My Back And Walking Away" was to have been her second single for MCA until she was dropped from the label. MCA gave the recording to Levine and the single was quickly released by his
Nightmare Records
Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal music singer and songwriter specializing in melodic progressive power metal. He has sung with many groups over the last 35 years and started the record label Nightmare in 1990 to ...
label in 1987.
Levine and Jiani went on to produce a full album for Hot Records, ''The Best of Carol Jiani'', featuring a re-recording of "Hit 'N Run Lover", as well as brand new material.
Jiani returned to Canada to again work with Joe La Greca on her 1996 album, ''Superstar''. It produced two singles, "
Come and Get Your Love
"Come and Get Your Love" is a song by American rock band Redbone. The song was originally released as a promo track under the name "Hail" and was later featured on their fifth album, ''Wovoka'' (1973), under its current name. The song was rel ...
" and "Superstar".
After ''Superstar'', Jiani maintained a low-profile and released few recordings until the late 2000s, when she made another comeback by working with contemporary dance music producers like Laurent Pautrat and Mondo. Jiani also reunited with Ian Levine to provide vocals on the track "Work My Fingers to the Bone" for his album ''
Northern Soul 2007
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
''. Levine and Jiani also recorded a cover of
France Joli
France Joli () (born February 2, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known for the disco classics " Come to Me" and "Gonna Get Over You".
Teen stardom
Born France Joly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Joli grew up in Dorion. Her father was a hardwa ...
's "
Come To Me".
Early 2008 saw Carol Jiani recording new material with producers Chris Richards & Peter Wilson. One of the first songs to emerge, "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love", featured on the Klone Records compilation, ''Mad About The Boy 16''.
In May 2010, "Broken", Jiani's collaboration with
Jimmy D Robinson
Jimmy D Robinson is a poet, lyricist, music producer, and art broker from West Palm Beach, Florida. "A Tiny Shoe," a single from his debut album ''Mind Juice'' reached number 6 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart in 2009. Robinson-prod ...
, peaked at No. 9 on ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
s UK Upfront Club chart.
12 June 2015, Carol Jiani on vocals in Jason Parker Meets Naxwell feat. Carol Jiani "Hold That Sucker Down" 2018: "Deeper Love" Phoenix Lord Feat Carol Jiani.2018 "No More" Carol Jiani Feat Edge.
Discography
Albums
EP's
*''Montreal, Featuring Uchenna Ikejiani'', Salsoul Records SA 8519 (1978)
Singles
* 1981: "Hit 'N Run Lover"
* 1981: "The Woman in Me" / "Mercy"
* 1982: "Ask Me"
* 1982 "You're Gonna Lose My Love"
* 1982: "X-Rated"
* 1984: "Dancing in the Rain"
* 1984: "Touch and Go Lover"
* 1984: "Love Now Pay Later"
* 1985: "
Don't Leave Me This Way
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia Internat ...
"
* 1985: "Vanity"
* 1987: "Such A Joy Honey"
* 1987: "Turning My Back and Walking Away"
* 1988: "Hit 'N Run Lover '88"
* 1988: "Funkin' For The UK" with 3 Man Island
* 1989: "
Car Wash
A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...
" with 3 Man Island
* 1990: "It Should Have Been Me"
* 1990: "No Matter Where"
* 1994: "I Didn't Know"
* 1995: "
Come and Get Your Love
"Come and Get Your Love" is a song by American rock band Redbone. The song was originally released as a promo track under the name "Hail" and was later featured on their fifth album, ''Wovoka'' (1973), under its current name. The song was rel ...
"
* 1995: "Superstar"
* 1996: "
Kiss You All Over
"Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by American group Exile, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's third album, ''Mixed Emotions'' (1978), and featured lead vocalist Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Penni ...
"
* 2000: "Hit 'N Run Lover 2000"
* 2000: "The Queen"
* 2005: "
It's Raining Men
"It's Raining Men" is a song by the American musical duo the Weather Girls from their third studio album, ''Success'' (1983). It was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 1982, through Columbia Records and CBS Records Internatio ...
"
* 2006: "Hit'n Run Lover 2006"
* 2007: "Somebody Else's Guy"
* 2007: "Stop the Music" with Laurent Pautrat
* 2007: "You've Changed" with Tommaso da Prato
* 2007: "First Time I Saw You" with Jazz Voice
* 2007: "Ask Me" with Mauzio Verbeni
* 2007: "Keep On" with House Bros
* 2008: "Never Knew Love" with Frank Savannah
* 2008: "
Fascinated" with Mondo
* 2008: "Set Me Free" feat. DJ N Joy
* 2008: "Hit 'N Run Lover" with Didier Vanelli
* 2008: "No More Chances" with Mad'ness & Yuri Presents My Lover
* 2008: "You Are the One" with Stan Courtois
* 2008: "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love"
* 2008: "Are You Man Enough?" (duet with
Evelyn Thomas
Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (born August 22, 1953) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the Hi-NRG dance hits " High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot".
Thomas has an ...
)
* 2009: "
I Am What I Am"
* 2009: "Fighting Fire With Fire"
* 2009: "Radio Active Love" (with Paul James)
* 2009: "Let Me Show You" (with Viken Mardikian)
* 2010: "Broken" (written and produced by
Jimmy D. Robinson)
* 2011: "No More"
* 2015: "Hold That Sucker Down"
* 2018: "A Deeper Love" Phoenix Lord Feat Carol Jiani
* 2018: "No More" Carol Jiani Feat Edge Produced and Mixed by Seanzbeatz
* 2019: "Who's The Diva" Sanny X feat Carol Jiani with remixes from Paul Sawyer and The Cloudshapers
* 2021: "Fascinated" Phoenix Lord Feat. Carol Jiani
References
External links
– Carol Jiani's Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jiani, Carol
British Hi-NRG musicians
Igbo musicians
Living people
20th-century Nigerian women singers
Women in electronic music
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Nigerian women singers