Dan-I (born Selmore Ezekiel Lewinson;
July 1951 – 19 May 2006) was a British
disco musician, signed to
Island Records, who had a
Top 30
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in 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 ...
in 1979 with a
single called "
Monkey Chop,” which later climbed to number 11 on “Top of the Pops” in Sweden by March 1980 and in the Top Ten in Milan, Italy and in New Zealand.
He originated from Clarendon,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. Without any further
chart success, Dan-I remains listed as a
one-hit wonder, although he continued to release several albums as a solo artist under independent record labels and as lead singer for various other bands, most notably the L.A.-based gospel reggae band, Unity, in the 1980s.
Career and background
His stage name derived from his interest in
numerology, meaning "number one".
["Nicely, Nicely!", '' Smash Hits'', EMAP National Publications Ltd., November 29 - December 12, 1979, p.10] In the early 1970s he was asked by
George Clinton to join his band
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkade ...
, but he declined, believing he was too young.
During the 1970s he worked with
Cat Stevens,
Andy Fraser
Andrew McIan Fraser (3 July 1952 – 16 March 2015) was a British musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He also founded the rock band Sharks ...
, and Joe Jammer, and led his own club band, D-Dancer.
D-Dancer split up in 1976, after which Dan-I spent a year in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
before embarking on a solo career, signing with
Island Records after being introduced by
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poet and activist. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. His p ...
, and having a major hit with "Monkey Chop", which he described as "music for the new optimism".
The song was produced by
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...
and
Geoff Downes.
He moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
in the mid-1980s, where he
recorded several
demos. During the 1980s, he helped found The Unity Gospel Band. He was also connected with a release by Unity, ''For The Glory Of Jah''. He provided the lead vocals for the release.
[Belize Music World ]
"DAN-I and UNITY" (UP204A)
/ref> He provided backing vocals for Busta Jones
Busta "Cherry" Jones (born Michael Jones, September 26, 1951 – December 6, 1995) was an American musician, songwriter and producer. He is known for his bass work both live and in the studio with Albert King, Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Chris ...
's 1988 single, "My Hands Are Shakin'".[Discogs ]
Busta Jones – My Hands Are Shakin'
/ref>
He then moved to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
before returning to London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
UK discography (unless stated otherwise)
References
External links
Dan I - "Monkey Chop" at discogs.com
*
HIT FM TV - Dan-I - Monkey Chop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dan I
2006 deaths
English people of Jamaican descent
British reggae musicians
British disco musicians
1951 births
Island Records artists