Carl Douglas
| Carl Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Carlton George Douglas |
| Born |
May 10, 1942 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Website | carl-douglas.com |
Carl Douglas (born 10 May 1942) is a Jamaican singer, best known for his song "Kung Fu Fighting".
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Douglas was based in the United Kingdom and his song "Kung Fu Fighting" hit number one in both the U.K. Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. It was awarded gold status by the RIAA on 27 November 1974, and won a Grammy Award for Best Selling Single in that year's event.[1] It eventually went on to sell 11 million records worldwide,[2][3] making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The song, which is an homage to martial arts films, has overshadowed the rest of Douglas' career, resulting in his appearance on cover versions of the song. Douglas is considered a one-hit wonder in the US, however in the UK he had two other top 40 hits: "Dance the Kung Fu" (which peaked at 35 later in 1974) and "Run Back" (a number 25 hit in 1977).
He was at one time managed by Eric Woolfson,[4] later the primary songwriter behind The Alan Parsons Project.
In 1998, a re-recording of "Kung Fu Fighting", billed as 'Bus Stop featuring Carl Douglas', reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart.[5]
"Dance The Kung Fu" was later sampled by DJ Premier on his 2007 remix of Nike's 25th Air Force One anniversary single "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)", featuring Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One and Rakim.
He is represented by music publisher Schacht Musikverlage (SMV) in Hamburg, Germany.[6][7]
See also
- Biddu
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
References
- ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 344. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ↑ James Ellis. "Biddu". Metro. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ↑ Malika Browne (20 August 2004). "It's a big step from disco to Sanskrit chants, but Biddu has made it". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ↑ Eric Woolfson Obituary, The Independent
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 167. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Schacht Musikverlage on Myspace
- ↑ "SMV | Schacht Musikverlage". Smv.de. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
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