The Groove
Saturday February 17th, 2024 with ELORIOUS CAIN
BLACKS IN EUROPE! part 3 ---- ( a BLACK HISTORY MONTH FOCUS)
We are fully aware of the fact that dozens of African American Jazz, Blues and Rock artists took up residence in Europe in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. We are not including most of them in this show. As THE GROOVE is a DISCO show, we are concentrating on and celebrating SOME of those Black artists that contributed directly to the growth and diversity of the European discotheque industry along with the development and enrichment of EURODISCO music in all of it's various forms and categories like ITALODISCO, NEWFORM, SPACE, the FRENCH SOUND etc.
As EURODISCO became the most influential of DISCO genres. the contribution of Black artists coming from various parts of the world helped make it all the more desirable and powerful. We are focusing on solo artists and groups. Some EURODISCO groups like SILVER CONVENTION, NEW PARADISE, BELLE EPOQUE and TANTRA had black members. We are not including those groups. Also major EURODISCO artists like CERRONE and ALEC R. COSTANDINOS featured black vocalists in some of their productions. We are not featuring them either. We celebrate some of those amazing talents that contributed to the scene in a somewhat chronological order in these 4 shows:
| CLAUDJA BARRY (1975 - 1977)
We are featuring one Black talent from Canada. Jamaican born CLAUDJA BARRY ended up growing up in Scarborough,Ontario! After working in musicals, BARRY ended up in Germany in 1975. She signed to the Hot-Foot label which released the unsuccessful single "Reggae Bump". FRANK FARIAN was impressed with the b side of the single "How Could You Do It Again" and offered her a positon in his BONEY M project. CLAUDJA BARRY left BONEY M in 1976 and was replaced by LIZ MITCHELL. BARRY was even offered a position in SILVER CONVENTION! In 1976, CLAUDJA BARRY would have her first solo success with "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" that was produced by Germany's JORGEN S. KORDULETSCH. Before that year ended CLAUDJA BARRY's first album 'Sweet Dynamite' came out on Philips and Lollipop Records. This was all the beginning of a highly successful period with JORGEN S. KORDULETSCH producing BARRY. The title track "Sweet Dynamite" was a phenomenal screamer; hot in discos throughout Europe and North America. Dozens of dubs and remixes of the song are still being played by dj's in 21st century! (We'll get back to CLAUDJA BARRY later.) |
| HOW COULD YOU DO IT AGAIN CLAUDJA BARRY - 7" - HOT-FOOT 
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| NOBODY LOVES ME LIKE YOU DO DO CLAUDJA BARRY - 7" - PHILIPS
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| SWEET DYNAMITE CLAUDJA BARRY - SWEET DYNAMITE (LP) - LOLLIPOP
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| DANCIN' FEVER CLAUDJA BARRY - 7" - SALSOUL
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| RONNIE JONES (1976 - 1980)
African American R&B and BLUES singer RONNIE JONES was already known in the UK during the 1960s about of his work with the ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED. After appearing in a musical, JONES stayed in Italy serving as a popular "foreign dj", incredible singer and prolific song writer. He wrote unforgettable songs for Italy's BLUES superstar ZUCCHERO. RONNIE JONES started releasing his SOULful EURODISCO in 1974. He did get a reputation as one of those EURODISCO artists that between 1974 and 1976 made cover-versions of other SOUL and DISCO hits, like "I Love To Love (But My Baby Just Loves To Dance)" remade by NAPOLEON JONES Featuring DAVID CHRISTIE. JONES came out with average cover-versions of "Rock Your Baby", "Under My Thumb", and "It's The Same Old Song" and a spectacular cover-version of "Sugar Man" originally recorded by the late RODRIGUEZ! It was a cool PSYCHEDELIC SOUL version that was only available in Brazil. RONNIE JONES really reached tens of millions of young 'disco people' throughout the world with his "Soul Sister" in 1976! It had a refreshing and engaging simplicity. "Soul Sister" had a warm reassuring tone that served as a private place of quiet joy for countless young teenagers in 1976. He has continued recording right up to present days! RONNIE JONES had considerable success with "Groovin"" in 1978 and "Video Games" in 1980. They didn't have the powerful emotional impact of "Soul Sister" although. |
| SOUL SISTER RONNIE JONES - 7" - LOLLIPOP |
| GROOVIN' RONNIE JONES - 12" - LOLLIPOP |
| VIDEO GAMES RONNIE JONES - 12" - LOLLIPOP |
| SWEET BANANAS (1976)
Many amazing Black artists from the Caribbean made their way to Europe in the mid 1970's and made their DISCO that ended up influencing European society. An exotic and energetic band formed in Paris is 1975, SWEET BANANAS included the members - ACHILLE ANGO, CHRISTOPHE ZADIRE, JACOB DESVARIEUX and PHILIPPE DRAI. Most of these artists ended up with the ZOUK supergroup KASSAV later on. Some sources have suggested that this single by SWEET BANANAS called "Bilboa Dance" is the very first ZOUK recording. |
| BILBOA DANCE SWEET BANANAS - 7' - SAUVAGE |
| BONEY M. (1977 - 1979)
EURODISCO producer FRANK FARIAN recorded "Baby, Do You Wanna Bump" - a racy version of the 1967 REGGAE song "Al Capone" by PRINCE BUSTER. Weary of his lackluster solo successes, he used a pseudonym inspired by an Australian TV show called "Boney". He simply added the M. Just like that! The record spread throughout the exploding DISCO market like wild fire. FARIAN knew he had to create a group or collective of singers and performers to represent the conceptual act. That type of marketing was not uncommon in the rapidly growing EURODISCO industry. After different lineups for the group; including artists like CLAUDJA BARRY, FRANK FARIAN eventually hired Jamaican singers LIZ MITCHELL and MARCIA BARRET and the late Aruban dancer and singer BOBBY FARRELL as the 'final lineup of the group'. FARIAN had a deliciously exotic package to represent his concept which enabled his productions to make appearances in discos and on various TV outlets in Europe. This was hardcore EURODISCO "super-marketing" that ended up literally taking the world for a wild ride! All of those members of the group 'lineup' were Black Caribbeans! These dancers and singers ended up being loved all over the planet! What was especially important about BONEY M is that it was one of those DISCO acts that persistently broke into the commercial music and radio industry in a big way with stunning hits like "Daddy Cool" and "Ma Baker". They were adored and eaten all up by millions of young people who had no access to discos whatsoever. "Ma Baker" may have been subtly high tech and clean. The engaging recording had Black vocals. These vocals were heard everywhere! At the celebratory height of the SPACE movement in the late 1970's, FRANK FARIAN offered "Nightflight To Venus" with Black voices zapping into imaginary stratospheres. "Rasputin" was extremely popular throughout Europe. When the group appeared in Moscow, the government of the U.S.S.R. banned them from performing "Rasputin" at their concerts, much to the disgust of local fans! Their 1979 hit "Gotta Go Home" was a cover-version of the single from 1973 by NIGHTTRAIN called "Hallo Bimmelbahn" that was extremely popular in discotheques that still played the SCHLAGER/BUBBLEGUM sound of early EURODISCO. In 2010 a pair of dj/producers that called themselves DUCK SAUCE sampled the BONEY M version in their NUDISCO hit "Barbra Streisand". That is just one example of hundreds of HOUSE MUSIC, NUDISCO, ELECTRO and TECHNO recordings that have sampled BONEY M. BONEY M had a rich variety of other hit singles. One can hear most of them by checking out TEKNOBRAT's amazing 60 minute BONEY M mix on the THE GROOVE episode 'Boney M & Munich Land Disco' from October 21st, 2023. Here is a link to that show: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/131/62446.html |
| MA BAKER BONEY M. - LOVE FOR SALE (LP) - HANSA |
| NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS BONEY M. - NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS (LP) - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| RASPUTIN BONEY M. - NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS (LP) - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| OZILA (1977)
OZILA was an AFRICAN SPACE DISCO band featuring Cameroonian musicians DOUGLAS MBIDA and JIMMY MVONDO MVELE, the very same JACOB DESVARIEUX from the SWEET BANANAS group in 1976, TOM STEVENS, and the Senegalese bass guitarist - JEAN TAMEGNON who was a member of BLACK SOUL. One album was released with considerable international success! The title of that album making a clear allusion to the vanguard film of STANLEY KUBRICK "2001, an odyssey in space." Yes, "Ozila 2001" was an AFRICAN DISCO version of "Also Thus spoke Zarathustra" that was warm, energetic and commanding! |
| OZILA 2001 OZILA - OZILA 2001 (LP) - VOGUE |
| DONNA SUMMER (1977)
We return to the outstanding African American singer, the late DONNA SUMMER. The single most exciting event in the history of ELECTRONIC DISCO occurred in 1977 when the production team of GIORGIO MORODER & PETE BELLOTTE released "I Feel Love" by DONNA SUMMER. It, more than any other recording shows why we have constantly insisted upon calling EURODISCO 'one of the most powerful and influential GENRES OF DISCO of all time'. "I Feel Love" has changed the very nature of popular music forever. Yes a recording of EURODISCO featuring an African American singer had literally changed everything! In fact the actual effects of it are still being felt. Sure, there were plenty of pure electronic recordings that were somewhat popular before it. But they were usually either intellectual studies or superficial and silly musical knickknacks like the various versions of "Pop Corn". "I Feel Love" was instantly outrageously popular. It spread like wild fire around the planet. For the very first time billions were experiencing a tangible emotional reaction to a stunning simple love song that just happened to be completely electronic. Electronic music had never before reached so many people and captured their imaginations or tugged at their heart strings. It enabled thousands of future electronic recordings to matter. After "I Feel Love" electronic music suddenly became acceptable and palatable, even in the most commercial environments. Obviously such an important and iconic song has been remixed dozens of times over the years. Some cover-versions appeared in the late 1980's and 1990's, The most important remix of DONNA SUMMER's "I Feel Love" was an outrageous and crazy remix being circulated out of New York City in 1979 that was available either as a bootleg single sided white label 12" or on 'reel to reel' tapes. It was an astronomical remix which was the work of a young producer called PATRICK COWLEY. The exclusive DISCONET remix service offered that remix in 1980 to a limited audience of subscribers only. In 1982 the remaining Casablanca label in Britain finally publicly released it! What the late PATRICK COWLEY did to the original ground breaking 'circular structure' was to add a complementary barrage of raw ELECTRONIC patterns that was psychedelic and at times blaring and demanding. It is considered by many sources to be the single best remix ever done in the history of disco! We are not featuring that remix in this series. If one wants to hear it here is a link to the Groove episode from September 1st, 2018 "GIORGIO (PART 3)": https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/131/38792.html "I Feel Love" was released on the 1977 album 'I Remember Yesterday'. DONNA SUMMER would have three more albums with GIORGIO MORODER and PETE BELLOTTE. She would have numerous hit singles for years to come. DONNA SUMMER actually recorded albums right into the 21st Century! |
| I FEEL LOVE DONNA SUMMER - 12" - CASABLANCA |
| ERUPTION (1978)
Many amazing Black artists came to record in Europe from the United Kingdom. PRECIOUS WILSON was a young British singer of the award winning yet essentially unemployed FUNK-DISCO band ERUPTION. After an unsuccessful tour of Germany, the band was brought to FRANK FARIAN's studio. ERUPTION ended up doing vocals for the BONEY M, projects. WILSON and the group even toured with BONEY M. Eventually FRANK FARIAN released ERUPTION records including a stunning EURODISCO cover of ANN PEEPLES' 1973 hit "I Can't Stand The Rain" which gave them international success! FRANK FARIAN released several successful ERUPTION records. He also produced very popular PRECIOUS WILSON solo recordings! |
| I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN ERUPTION - I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN (LP) - BARCLAY |
| MARSHA HUNT (1978)
There was another African American ROCK artist that went to Europe to record a EURODISCO record. She was MARSHA HUNT, the singer, novelist, actress and model who had a close association with THE ROLLING STONES. She worked for the British group BLUESOLOGY, was a brief member of THE FERRIS WHEEL and recorded many singles including the somewhat popular BRITISH DISCO track "C'est La Vie" in 1976. She recorded the 1977 album 'Marsha' at Musicland Studios in Munich and it was produced by the very same PETE BELOTTE who worked with GIORGIO MORODER on the DONNA SUMMER and ROBERT KELLY records. The song "The Other Side Of Midnight" did well in discos throughout Europe and even in Canada. Evidently MARSHA HUNT was not terribly impressed with EURODISCO. She left for the Californian coast after recording 'Marsha' and fronted the PUNK band MARSHA & THE VENDETTAS. |
| THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT MARSHA HUNT - MARSHA (LP) - AVES |
| JO BISSO (1978)
It is nine years after JO BISSO left Cameroun in to pursue his musical career. He establishes his own label in France; Jobiss International! Not soon after he releases his fourth and most ambitious album called 'Mademoiselle'! JO BISSO had his own style of AFRICAN DISCO that was getting more sophisticated as it continued. His epic "Play Me" track, was in a classic EURODISCO fashion, actually a 16 minute medley of four songs that continue in the journey. It was slightly tropical EURODISCO in the FRENCH SOUND tradition of groups like VOYAGE. On the very same album is the tribal instrumental "Love Beat" that was often programmed by many dj's in South America in the late 1970's. it is still being played by dj's in the 21st century. We can only play part of "Play Me". If one needs to hear the complete 16 minute track here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96jAIHCJQao JO BISSO was an excellent producer who was responsible of several successful VENISE records, |
| LOVE BEAT JO BISSO - MADEMOISELLE (LP) - JOBISS INTERNATIONAL |
| PLAY ME (DESIRES, I WANNA LOVE, ....) JO BISSO - MADEMOISELLE (LP) - JOBISS INTERNATIONAL |
| JOHN OZILA (1978 and 1979)
JOHN OZILA is the very same Senegalese bass guitarist - JEAN TAMEGNON who was a member of BLACK SOUL and OZILA in 1977. He started using the name JOHN OZILA and he has enjoyed a lengthy career as a solo artist. Two outstanding hits dominated his solo career; "La koumba" in 1978 from his highly successful 'Africa Goes Disco' album, and "Funky Boogie" from his second album 'Boogie Salsa". "La Koumba" was a relaxing tropical pseudo-tribal version of a Senegalese song that dancers found exotic and appealing. It felt like a LATIN dream track. That was no surprise as JOHN OZILA had recorded LATIN DISCO with BLACK SOUL. As a member of the legendary Senegalese group TROPICAL JAZZ DE DAKAR back in the 1960's and early 1970's, he had recorded incredible AFRICAN SALSA tracks like "Kiko Medina"! "Funky Boogie" was a minor hit in 1979 but it's popularity as a cult classic has survived right into the 21st Century! JOHN OZILA became a very popular source of tasteful tropical MEDLEYS in a period during the early 1980's when acts like EURODISCO producer JAAP EGGERMONT's STARS ON 45 dominated much of the conservative European discotheque industry and market. His "Viva Brazil" medley and his "Medley Tropical" were very popular at the time. |
| LA KOUMBA JOHN OZILA - AFRICA GOES DISCO (LP) - VOGUE |
| FUNKY BOOGIE JOHN OZILA - BOOGIE SALSA (LP) - VOGUE |
| CLAUDJA BARRY (1978)
We return to the Canadian singer CLAUDJA BARRY because she put out an ELECTRONIC DISCO song. She is one of many artists in the EURODISCO market that experimented with ELECTRONIC DISCO after the monumental success of DONNA SUMMER with "I Feel Love" in 1977. Released in 1978, with JORGEN S. KORDULETSCH producing BARRY, her song "(Boogie Woogie) Dancin' Shoes" became her most commercially successful effort! CLAUDJA BARRY would end up recording dozens of amazing records right into the 21st Century. There even is a DUBSTEP remix of her singing "Good Time Girl" that was released in 2010! |
| (BOOGIE WOOGIE) DANCIN' SHOES CLAUDJA BARRY - I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU (LP) - LOLLIPOP |
| JOCELYNE BEROARD (1979)
At the height of the popularity of uptempo NEWFORM in the late 1970's in Europe; greatly fueled by the intense popularity of "Born To Be Alive" by PATRICK HERNANDEZ and "Got Got Money (And I Moo)" by FIVE LETTERS, various uptempo tracks with the same ROCK edge starting appearing throughout Europe. It was hailed as "garbage Americana" by some sources that put "Cocaine" by CHI CHI FAVELAS & THE BLACK AND WHITE BAND in the same subcategory with sarcastic MEDLEY records like 'Like To Write A Song" by TORPEDO, "Superman" by C.K.B., and the competing versions of PETER GRIFFIN's hit single "Spider Man" from GERMANY. The other equally popular version was by SHANE GOULD. SHANE GOULD is actually an alias of the Black French Caribbean singer JOCELYNE BEROARD. Hailing from Martinique, JOCELYNE BEROARD had a voice and magnetism comparable to any other major singer in Europe. She is simply an amazing singer. After recording this EURODISCO hit in 1979, she would continue in the ZOUK industry with KASSAV' and a host of other comparable artists and producers. We shall talk more about JOCELYNE BEROARD later. |
| SPIDERMAN SHANE GOLD - 12" - BARET |
| OTTAWAN (1979)
Black French Caribbean singers PATRICK JEAN-BAPTISTE & ANNETTE ETILCE were OTTAWAN. They had an international EURODISCO hit with slightly tropical "D.I.S.C.O."! EURODISCO producer DANIEL VANGARDE, who did so well with the GIBSON BROTHERS, did the same kind of magic for OTTAWAN. We will talk about PATRICK JEAN-BAPTISTE later. ANNETTE ETILCE would end up recording ZOUK in the 1980's and 1990's. She was briefly a member of the ZOUK band K-ONE in the 1990's. |
| D.I.S.C.O. OTTAWAN - 12" - CARRERE |
| SUGAR MAN RONNIE JONES - 7" - FORMULA |
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Morning Elorious.. Looks like Part 3 is going to be another great ride under the glitter ball above that dance floor. Get busy on the first volume of your Disco Encyclepediaseries bud. We will all buy it.
12:10 PM, February 17th, 2024