Chris Demetriou born in
Paphos
Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos.
The current city of Pap ...
,
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, is a songwriter, musician, and record producer. A cover of a song he co-wrote with John Kongos, ''He's Gonna Step On You Again'' (which later became ''Step On'' by the
alternative dance
Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...
band
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...
), appears in ''
Q Magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...
's'' top hundred singles of all time.
Music career
Demetriou began his professional music career in his teens, playing keyboards for the
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
R&B group, John E Sharpe & the Squires. He appeared on the group's most successful singles, including covers of
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
' ''Stop Your Sobbing'' and
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
's ''I Am A Rock'', as well as their ''Maybelline'' album.
Demetriou left South Africa for London with fellow musician
John Kongos
John Theodore Kongos (born 6 August 1945) is a South African-born singer and songwriter of Greek ancestry, best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", on which Happy Mondays based their hit " Step On". His other big ...
and the pair formed the
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
group ''Floribunda Rose''. However, the band soon changed its name to ''Scrugg'' and recorded a number of singles on the
Pye label, with producer John Schroder and new drummer,
Henry Spinetti
Enrico Antonio Giorgio Spinetti (born 31 March 1951) is a Welsh session drummer whose playing has featured on many prominent rock and pop albums.
Career
Spinetti was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales. His first band, aged about ...
. ''Scrugg'' enjoyed limited success, with their double A-side ''One Way Street'' and ''Linda Loves Linda'' receiving significant airplay but failing to perform well in the charts.
The songwriting partnership of Kongos/Demetriou proved to be more successful than the groups they were in – with two songs reaching the top five in the UK charts and another, sung by Bond girl
Daliah Lavi
Daliah Lavi (born Daliah Lewinbuk or Levenbuch, he, דליה לביא ; 12 October 1942 – 3 May 2017) was an Israeli actress, singer, and model.
Biography
Daliah Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch) was born in Shavei Tzion, British Mandate of Palestine ...
, reaching number one in Germany and Switzerland. Some of their early work, including recordings by ''Floribunda Rose'' and ''Scrugg'', were released on the compilation ''Lavender Popcorn'' in 2001. They also wrote the music for the British cult film ''
A Promise of Bed
''This, That and the Other'', originally released as ''A Promise of Bed'', is a 1969 British sex comedy, featuring a trilogy of stories.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'', Titan Books 2011 p 66-67 The cas ...
'' directed by
Derek Ford
Derek Ford (6 September 1932, Essex – 19 May 1995) was an English film director and writer, most famous for sexploitation films such as ''The Wife Swappers'' (1970), '' Suburban Wives'' (1971), '' Commuter Husbands'' (1972), ''Keep It Up, Ja ...
and starring
John Bird,
Victor Spinetti
Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ' ...
and
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', ''Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of the ...
.
Demetriou's most notable songwriting credit is for ''
He's Gonna Step on You Again
"He's Gonna Step on You Again" (also known as "Step On") is a song originally performed by John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and s ...
'', along with John Kongos. The original version was released by Kongos and made it into the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
for 14 weeks – reaching No. 4 in May 1971. The song was notably covered by the
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...
(retitled as ''
Step On
"He's Gonna Step on You Again" (also known as "Step On") is a song originally performed by John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and sp ...
'') and this version was listed at number 77 in "The Top 100 Greatest Singles of All Time", published in the February 1999 edition of
Q magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...
. Demetriou again collaborated with Kongos on his follow-up single, ''Great White Lady'' but it did not enter the UK top twenty chart.
In 1970 Demetriou started to work with
Tony Defries at Gem Productions and then with MainMan on
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's material.
Demetriou changed direction in 1972 and became a full-time record producer. One of his first recordings was a single with the group
Milkwood. After quitting the
New Seekers
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, Laurie Heath, Chris Barrington and Sally Graham formed Milkwood and they released three singles for
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, two of which Demetriou produced. Barry Krost signed the young record producer to BKN Management and Demetriou started working with
Mike d'Abo
Michael David d'Abo (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of Manfred Mann from 1966 to their dissolution in 1969, and as the composer of the songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and " Build Me Up But ...
, formerly of
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...
, producing ''Down at Rachael's Place'' and ''Little MissUnderstood.'' As a result of being signed to the same management company, Demetriou collaborated with
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...
in the recording of the album ''
Buddha and the Chocolate Box
''Buddha and the Chocolate Box'' is the eighth studio album by Cat Stevens. The title came to Stevens when he was travelling to a gig on a plane with a Buddha in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. He pondered that if he were to die i ...
''. During these early years, Demetriou produced ten albums and over a dozen singles, including five albums for
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
(see Discography).
By the mid-1970s Demetriou had become an A&R manager / record producer for
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
, during which time he signed and recorded Robert Campbell, whose album ''Living in the Shadow'' was put forward by Decca for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination.
Between the years 1984 and 1988, ACTS International (his South African record label, distributed by
MFP), released three top five singles and one top twenty album—all of which were produced by Demetriou. In 2015 Demetriou ventured back into the music business and started a new record label Red Letter Music.
Discography
;Production credits:
* ''The Lady Wants More'' / Hayden Wood (7" Single) NEMS 1969
* ''House Beside the Mine''/ Hayden Wood (7" Single) NEMS 1969
* ''Down At Rachel's Place'' / Mike d'Abo (12" LP) A&M Records 1972
* ''About Your Love'' / Milkwood (7" Single) Warner Bros 1972
* ''I'm a Song (Sing Me)'' / Milkwood (7" Single) Warner Bros June 1972
* ''Lookin' Through'' / Demick & Armstrong (12" LP) A&M Records 1972
* ''Travis'' / Travis (12" LP) A&M Records 1972
* ''Shine On Me'' / Paul Travis (12" LP) A&M Records 1973
* ''Buddha and the Chocolate Box'' / Cat Stevens (12" LP) Island Records 1974
* ''Return Of The Native'' / Paul Travis (12" LP) A&M Records 1975
* ''Higher Than Heaven'' / Buggati & Musker (Demo) Decca 1976
* ''Living In The Shadow'' / Robert Campbell (12" LP) Decca Records 1977
* ''Crawler'' / Crawler / (12" LP) CBS 1977
* ''Straight From The Hip'' / Liar (12"LP) Decca Records 1977
* ''Looking Kinda Rock & Roll'' / Darling (7" Single) Charisma 1978
* ''Ain't No Water'' / Linday Hayes (7" Single) Charisma 1978
* ''I'll Be Your Rock & Roll Slave'' / Lynda Hayes (7" Single) 1978
* ''Fast at Seventeen'' / Lee Fardon (7" Single) Arista 1978
* ''Come Holy Spirit'' / Vinesong (12" LP) WEA 1984
* ''Champions of Love'' / Tom Inglis (7" Single) ACTS 1985
* ''Destined to Win'' / Tom Inglis (7" Single) ACTS 1985
* ''What Have We Done To The World'' (7" Single) ACTS 1985
* ''Jubillee Africa'' / Friends First (12" LP) 1986
* ''Wild World'' /
Pierre de Charmoy
Pierre de Charmoy is a South African singer/songwriter. Born in Durban 1 February 1961, An interest in music began from an early age while attending St Charles College, Pietermaritzburg. He had a number 1 hit on the South African charts with hi ...
(7" Single) EMI 1987
;Artist credits:
* ''Maybelline'', John E Sharpe & the Squires (12" LP) RPM 1965
* ''Stop Your Sobbing'', John E Sharpe & the Squires (7" Single)
* ''I Am A Rock'', John E Sharpe & the Squires (7" Single) RPM Records 1965
* ''I'll Explain'' / ''Yours For The Picking'' / ''Monkey Shine'', Savage Sounds of Africa, Beat Records 1965
* ''One Way Street''/ ''Linda Loves Linda'' – Floribunda Rose (7" Single) Pye Records 1967
* ''Lavender Popcorn'', Scrugg (7" Single) Pye Records 1968
* ''Everyone Can See'', Scrugg (7" Single) Pye Records 1968
* ''I Wish I Was Five'', Scrugg (7" Single) Pye Records 1969
;Songwriting credits:
* ''The House Beside The Mine'' / Hayden Wood (7" Single) NEMS 1969
* ''Deserts Of Mountains Of Men'' (LP) Confusions About A Goldfish / John Kongos / Dawn Records 1969
* ''Seat By The Window'' (LP) Confusions About A Goldfish / John Kongos / Dawn Records 1969
* ''Coming Back To You'' (LP) Confusions About A Goldfish / John Kongos / Dawn Records 1969
* ''He's Gonna Step On You Again'' with John Kongos (12" Single) Fly Records 1971;
* ''Gold'' / Olivia Newton-John (LP track) EMI 1972;
* ''Inside Your Shadow'' / Espanola (Comp) Essex 1972;
* ''Let The Love Grow (In Your Heart)'', Daliah Lavi (Single) Polydor 1973;
* ''Blaze of Glory'' / ''He's Gonna Step on You Again''
Exploding White Mice
Exploding White Mice were an Australian punk-pop band from Adelaide which formed in 1983 with Paul Gilchrist on vocals, Andy MacQueen on bass guitar, Gerry Barrett on guitar, Craig Rodda on drums and Giles Barrow on rhythm guitar. In 1984 Barre ...
(7", Single B-side only)
Greasy Pop Records 1987
* ''He's Gonna Step on You Again'',
Chantoozies (Single and Album) Mushroom Records 1989
* ''Pills 'N Thrills And Bellyaches'' (LP) ''Step On'', London Records 1990
* ''Lavender Popcorn'', with Floribunda Rose & Scrugg (Comp CD) 2001
* ''Kongos'' / John Kongos (Comp CD)
Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) is an Itasca, Illinois, company originally primarily in two businesses, but since 2010 only in the second.
CCM was best known for reissuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact disc
The com ...
2001
* ''(He's Gonna) Step on You'' (Have A Little Faith – CD/Album) John Swan, Liberation Music 2007
References
* Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited, p. 306. .
* Berry, Mark "Bez" (1998). Freaky Dancin', 1st, London: Pan, p. 285. .
*
* https://www.garagehangover.com/floribundarose/
* http://swisscharts.com/showperson.asp?name=Christos+Demetriou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demetriou, Christos
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
British songwriters
British record producers
People from Paphos