Kid Creole and The Coconuts

Inspired by the zoot suits and glamour of the old time big bands, Kid Creole became a Cab Calloway-type figure for the 1980s, mixing Caribbean and Latin swing rhythms with the funk and disco of the day. Raised in The Bronx, New York City, August Darnell worked as a teacher before playing bass with Dr Buzzard's Savannah Band and taking the stage name Kid Creole after the Elvis Presley film. Forming the band with Coati Mundi in 1980, they enjoyed major success in the UK when second album Tropical Gangsters (1982) reached Number 2 and produced the Top 10 hits I'm A Wonderful Thing, Baby, Stool Pigeon and their big anthem Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy. They continued to earn acclaim as a cult act in New York, but later albums Doppelganger (1983), Private Waters In The Great Divide (1990) and Kiss Me Before The Light Changes (1995) struggled to achieve the same impact as earlier releases; although they did have a small hit with the Prince-penned single The Sex Of It in 1990. Still performing and recording, Kid Creole was last seen starring in the London musical Oh! What A Night in 2008.