Carl Douglas

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

Life

Carl Douglas grew up in California and Jamaica before moving to the UK moved to the College to visit. Originally, he wanted to be like his father Marine - Engineering are. After graduating from high school, he attended several technical colleges in Jamaica, the USA and England and graduated from the London Polytechnic . Douglas worked for some time in what he had learned before he was persuaded by friends to make something of his show talent. He published some songs in England in the 1960s, partly as a solo artist , but also with his band "The Big Stampede", founded in 1964. The best known was the title Crazy Feeling . Two years later he lived in Spain , where he initiated the band "The Explosions". Upon his return to the UK , Douglas became a singer in the group "Gonzales".

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

At first the title was only successful in the discotheques , but was then also played by the radio stations. The song reached number 1 in Germany and Austria as well as in the USA and Great Britain and number 2 in Switzerland. Douglas became the first Jamaican artist to have a number one hit in the United States . In total, the single sold over nine million times worldwide, received an Ivor Novello Award and triggered the kung fu wave, in which sport and dancing were combined.

Quick was laid with Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs of an album on which up-tempo - Soul -Titel were with disco tunes. Although Kung Fu Fighting dominated the Jamaican's entire career, he had two other hits with Dance the Kung Fu (1974) and Run Back (1977). Other well-known recordings were Love Peace and Happiness in 1977 and Keep Pleasing Me in 1978 . In 1995 there was a version of Kung Fu Fighting by the band Brett together with Carl Douglas and in 1998 a version by the formation Bus Stop with the Jamaican, which made it into the English Top 10.

In 2008 Douglas released a collection of new songs called Return of the Fighter . The singer is looked after by the Hamburg company Schacht Musikverlage, which supplies music for films and advertising. He still performs with his repertoire .

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks / months, awardChart placementsChart placementsTemplate: chart table / maintenance / monthly data
(Year, title, rankings, weeks / months, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1975 Kung Fu Fighter DE10 (4 months)
DE 		- - - US37 (17 weeks)
US
First published: 1974
US title: Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More albums

  • 1977: Love Peace and Happiness
  • 1978: Keep Pleasing Me

Compilations

  • 1975: Golden Hour of Carl Douglas
  • 1980: Star Discotheque
  • 1989: PRT Collector
  • 1992: Kung Fu Fighting
  • 1995: The Best of Carl Douglas: Kung Fu Fighting
  • 1998: The Soul of the Kung Fu Fighter
  • 2008: Return of the Fighter

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks / months, awardChart placementsChart placementsTemplate: chart table / maintenance / monthly data
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks / months, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1974 Kung Fu Fighting
Kung Fu Fighter 		DE1 (27 weeks)
DE 		AT1 (7 months)
AT 		CH2 (13 weeks)
CH 		UK1
gold
gold

(13 weeks)UK 		US1
gold
gold

(18 weeks)US
Dance the Kung Fu
Kung Fu Fighter 		DE5 (19 weeks)
DE 		AT19 (1 month)
AT 		- UK35 (5 weeks)
UK 		US48 (7 weeks)
US
1977 Run Back
Keep Pleasing Me 		DE45 (3 weeks)
DE 		- - UK25 (10 weeks)
UK 		-
1998 Kung Fu Fighting
Ticket to Ride 		- - - UK8th
silver
silver

(11 weeks)UK 		-
Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas

More singles

  • 1966: Crazy Feeling / Keep It to Myself (with The Big Stampede)
  • 1966: Sell ​​My Soul to the Devil / Good Hard Worker (with The Big Stampede)
  • 1967: Something for Nothing (with The Big Stampede)
  • 1967: Let the Birds Sing (with The Big Stampede)
  • 1972: Somebody Stop This Madness
  • 1973: Crazy Feeling
  • 1974: Gamblin 'Man / Kung Fu Fighting
  • 1974: Blue Eyed Soul
  • 1974: Love, Peace and Happiness
  • 1974: Ain't No Use
  • 1975: Shanghai'd
  • 1975: Girl You're so Fine
  • 1975: Too Hot to Handle
  • 1975: I Want to Give You Everything
  • 1975: Don't You Mess with Cupid
  • 1975: Kung Fu Fighting (EP)
  • 1976: Shanghai
  • 1978: Keep On Pleasing Me
  • 1979: Choose Between Two Lovers
  • 1984: Stir a Little Sweetness
  • 1986: Kung Fu Fighting (Grasshopper Mix)
  • 1994: Kung Fu Dancing (Fun-Tomas feat. Carl Douglas)
  • 1995: Kung Fu Fighting (Brett feat.Carl Douglas)
  • 1998: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (London Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas feat. Randy Bachman )
  • 2004: Kung Fu Fighting (Remixes 1)
  • 2004: Kung Fu Fighting (Remixes 2)
  • 2004: Kung Fu Fighting (Remixes 3) (Dubblestandart vs. Carl Douglas)
  • 2004: Kung Fu Fighting Remixes (Dub Drenched Soundscapes) ( EP )
  • 2007: Charmer (Promo)
  • 2011: Lies Will Have Blue Eyes (Promo)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.myspace.com/schachtmusikverlage Schacht Musikverlage, Hamburg
  2. ^ Carl Douglas @ MySpace
  3. ↑ a b Chart sources: Singles Albums UK Billboard 200
  4. ↑ US albums: Joel Whitburn : Joel Whitburn presents the Billboard Albums . 6th edition. Billboard Books, New York 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
  5. ↑ Music Sales Awards: US UK
personal data
SURNAME Douglas, Carl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Douglas, Carlton George (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jamaican singer
DATE OF BIRTH May 10, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Jamaica