Carl Douglas

Carl Douglas ( Carlton George Douglas, born May 10, 1942) is a Jamaican singer who had his biggest hit in 1974 with Kung Fu Fighting.

Life

Carl Douglas grew up in California and Jamaica, before he moved to the UK to attend college. Originally, he wanted to be like his father a marine engineer be. After finishing school he attended several technical universities in Jamaica, in the U.S. and England and earned a degree at the London Polytechnic. Douglas worked for some time in his learned profession, before he was persuaded by friends to make something of his talent show. He published already in the 1960s, some songs in England, partly as a solo artist, but also with his band formed in 1964, "The Big Stampede ". The best known was the title Crazy Feeling. Two years later he was living in Spain, where he initiated the band "The Explosion ". After his return to the United Kingdom was Douglas singer of the group " Gonzales ".

In 1972 he collaborated with Biddu, a known producer of the disco era, the soundtrack of the Richard Roundtree film Clueless (AKA: Embassy ). Two years later, Biddu was looking for a singer for the Larry Weiss composition I Want to Give You My Everything and won Douglas. Because short a B-side was still needed, Biddu composed fast a tune to some lyrics that Douglas, inspired by the general enthusiasm for Chinese martial arts mid-1970s based on Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon and David Carradine's TV series Kung Fu had written. In just ten minutes Kung Fu Fighting was completed and was then, contrary to the original intention, at the insistence of the record company even to the A side.

First, the title was successful only in the discos, but was also played by the radio stations. The song reached # 1 in both Germany and Austria as well as in the U.S. and in the UK and number 2 in Switzerland. Douglas was the first Jamaican artist to have a number 1 hit in the United States. Overall, the single sold over nine million times, received an Ivor Novello Award and triggered the kung fu wave in which the sports and dancing were interconnected.

You quickly put Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs by an album on the uptempo Soul titles were with disco tunes. Although Kung Fu Fighting dominates the entire career of Jamaican, he had with Dance the Kung Fu (1974) and Run Back ( 1977) two additional hits. Other known recordings were in 1977 and 1978 Love Peace and Happiness Keep Pleasing Me From Kung Fu Fighting 1995, there was a version of the band board along with Carl Douglas and 1998, a version of the Formation bus stop with the Jamaicans, who came to the UK Top 10.

2008 Douglas published a collection of new songs under the title Return of the Fighter. The singer is from the Hamburg firm shaft publishers care, provides the music for films and commercials. He will remain in his repertoire.

Discography

Singles

More singles (unsorted )

• Captain Lee
• My Simple Heart / Love Insurance

Albums

More albums (unsorted )

• Carl Douglas disco Star