Dan-I
Dan I (born Selmore Ezekiel Lewinson[1] - born 1 July 1956, died 19 May 2006[2]) was a British disco musician, signed to Island Records, who had a Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1979 with a single called "Monkey Chop".[1] He originated from Jamaica, and Trevor Horn was the uncredited record producer of "Monkey Chop". Without any further chart success, Dan I remains listed as a one-hit wonder.
His stage name derived from his interest in numerology, meaning "number one".[3] In the early 1970s he was asked by George Clinton to join his band Funkadelic, but he declined, believing he was too young.[3] During the 1970s he worked with Cat Stevens, Andy Fraser, and Joe Jammer, and led his own club band, D-Dancer.[3] D-Dancer split up in 1976, after which Dan-I spent a year in Nigeria before embarking on a solo career, signing with Island Records after being introduced by Linton Kwesi Johnson, and having a major hit with "Monkey Chop", which he described as "music for the new optimism".[3] He moved to Los Angeles, California in the mid-1980s, where he recorded several demos. He then moved to South Africa before returning to London. He was murdered in May 2006.[4]
Discography
Albums
- Nicely Nicely (1979), Island
Singles
- "Monkey Chop" (1979), Island
References
- 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 139. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Billiongraves.com
- 1 2 3 4 "Nicely, Nicely!", Smash Hits, EMAP National Publications Ltd., November 29 - December 12, 1979, p.10
- ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/oct/05/murder-london-list