August Darnell

Last updated
August Darnell
Kid Creole51.JPG
Darnell in 1987
Background information
Birth nameThomas August Darnell Browder
Also known asKid Creole
Born (1950-08-12) August 12, 1950 (age 73)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, bandleader, record producer
Instrument(s) Bass
Years active1965–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1978;div. 1991)​

Eva Tudor-Jones
​
(m. 2019)​

Thomas August Darnell Browder (born August 12, 1950), [1] known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently formed and led Kid Creole and the Coconuts.

Contents

Early life and career

Darnell was born in The Bronx in 1950. His mother was from South Carolina with Caribbean and Italian parents and his father from Savannah, Georgia. As an adult, Thom Browder began going by his two middle names, August Darnell. Claims from some sources that he was born in Montréal in Canada, are erroneous; according to Darnell they stem from the fictitious back-story behind the Kid Creole character. [2]

Growing up in the multicultural area of the Bronx, Darnell was exposed early on to all kinds of music. [3] Darnell began his musical career in a band named The In-Laws with his half-brother, Stony Browder Jr., in 1965. The band disbanded so Darnell could pursue a career as an English teacher. He taught at Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School in Hempstead, New York after studying English and drama at Hofstra University. He later claimed that he established a musical career because he was a "frustrated actor". [4]

In 1974, again with Stony Browder, he formed Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, becoming its lyricist and bass player. [5] The band combined swing and Latin music with disco rhythms and had its biggest hit in 1976 with "Cherchez La Femme". [2] Their self-titled debut release was a Top 40-charting album which was certified gold and was nominated for a Grammy.

Kid Creole

In 1979, Darnell left Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. He joined the band Machine, and co-wrote their best known song "There But for the Grace of God Go I". [6] [7] He also began producing for other artists, such as Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band and Gichy Dan's Beachwood No.9, [3] before adopting the name Kid Creole (adapted from the Elvis Presley film King Creole ) in 1980. Darnell described the persona of Kid Creole as "a flamboyant, devil-may-care bon vivant". [8]

With his band and backing singers (including Darnell's then-wife, Adriana Kaegi), collectively known as Kid Creole and the Coconuts, he established an exuberant musical style drawing on such influences as big bands, notably that of Cab Calloway, salsa, jazz, pop music and disco. Darnell wrote the lyrics, which "satirised the high life at a time when America was ravaged by recession". [8] The group released three albums, Off the Coast of Me (1980), Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places (1981) and Tropical Gangsters (1982), that became especially popular and successful in Europe. Darnell also worked as a producer with acts on ZE Records. [2] However, the band was much less successful in the U.S., and was eventually dropped by Sony. [5]

In 1983, Darnell formed a new swing big band, Elbow Bones and the Racketeers, and gained the hit "A Night in New York". [9]

Later life

Darnell moved to England in the 1980s, and later lived in Denmark, Sweden, and Maui, [4] [8] and occasionally tours Kid Creole and the Coconuts with his European band. Darnell's daughter Savanna appeared as a contestant on the 2018 series of Love Island , while his son Dario 'Youngr' Darnell appeared as the opening act on the second episode of Simon Cowell's new music competition for ITV called Walk the Line (13 December 2021). [10] [11] [12] In 2019 Darnell married his girlfriend of 10 years, Eva Tudor-Jones in Maui. Eva has been a big part of the band's empire for 23 years, starting off as Mama Coconut in 1997 to now managing the band. Darnell and Eva share a daughter, born in Maui.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid Creole and the Coconuts</span> American musical group

Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean, and Calloway styles conceptually inspired by the big band era. The Coconuts are a trio of female backing vocalists/dancers, founded and originally choreographed and costumed by Kaegi.

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band that was formed in the Bronx, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit "Cherchez La Femme/C'est si bon", from its self-titled debut album.

<i>Tropical Gangsters</i> 1982 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Tropical Gangsters is the third album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released on May 10, 1982. Originally conceived as a solo album by band leader August Darnell and titled Wise Guy, his label ZE Records pressured him to change it to a Kid Creole and the Coconuts record and to make it more commercial sounding in order to relieve the label's financial problems. Despite the tensions this caused within the band and Darnell's complaint that the subsequent record was a "cop-out", the more dance-pop oriented sound helped it reached number 145 on the Billboard 200 album chart, representing the group's commercial breakthrough in their home country. However, to the surprise of Darnell and his record company Tropical Gangsters was a huge success in Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and in particular the UK, where the album peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart and yielded three top ten singles. Tropical Gangsters made Darnell a worldwide star, and the album remains both his and the ZE label's most successful record by far.

<i>Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band is the debut studio album by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. It was released in 1976 by RCA. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 31 on the Top R&B Albums chart.

Andy Hernandez, better known by his stage name Coati Mundi, is an American musician, percussionist, notably playing the vibraphone, and a member of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, then of Kid Creole and the Coconuts. He scored the Top 40 UK hit "Me No Pop I" in 1981, just before the release of Tropical Gangsters. He produced and arranged an album by "Don Armando Second Avenue Rhumba Band", which spurred the disco hit song "Deputy of Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherchez La Femme</span>

"Cherchez La Femme" is a song that was written and performed by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band with lead vocals by Cory Daye in 1976. The music was written by band-leader and pianist Stony Browder Jr. and John Schonberger, Richard Coburn, and Vincent Rose; with lyrics by Browder Jr.'s brother and bassist August Darnell. The song's full title is "Whispering"/"Cherchez La Femme"/"Se Si Bon" [sic]. "Cherchez La Femme" became the group's biggest hit.

<i>Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places</i> 1981 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places is the second album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1981.

<i>Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett</i> 1978 studio album by Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett is the second studio album by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. It was released in 1978 by RCA Records. It peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 23 on the Top R&B Albums chart.

<i>Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington</i> 1979 studio album by Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington is the third studio album by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. It was the last album recorded by the original line-up. The album was a commercial failure, not making the top 100 on either the Pop or the R&B chart.

<i>Doppelganger</i> (Kid Creole and the Coconuts album) 1983 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Doppelganger is the fourth studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1983. The album was a relative commercial and critical disappointment following the group's most popular album Tropical Gangsters/Wise Guy. The album was released on LP and cassette in September 1983 and peaked at #21 in the UK, and to moderate success throughout Europe but did not chart in the US. The album includes the singles "There's Something Wrong in Paradise", "The Lifeboat Party", and in the US "If You Wanna Be Happy". It was reissued by Universal Island Records with bonus tracks added to album in 2002.

<i>Off the Coast of Me</i> 1980 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Off the Coast of Me is the debut album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1980. The album was reissued in 2003 with additional bonus tracks by Universal Island Records.

Elbow Bones and the Racketeers was an American big band-era styled male/female vocal group, created by August Darnell, and best known for their hit single "A Night in New York", written by Ron Rogers and Deborah Clarkin, and released on the EMI label. It was sung by Stephanie Fuller. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 14 January 1984. It remained in there for nine weeks, reaching #33.

Adriana Kaegi is a Swiss-born American actress, producer and former singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Rogers</span>

Ronald Bruce Rogers , better known as Ron Rogers or Ronnie Rogers, is a songwriter, composer, recording artist and record producer from New York City. His career spanned from the late 1970s until the 1990s.

The discography of American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts created and led by August Darnell includes fourteen studio albums, one live album, seven compilations, one extended play and twenty-seven singles. The small discography of The Coconuts – Kid Creole's backing singers – consisting of two studio albums and three singles is included on this page.

<i>In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes</i> 1985 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes is the fifth studio album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1985 and includes the singles "Endicott" and "Caroline Was a Drop-Out". The album and its lead single "Caroline Was a Drop-Out" did not chart in any territory, but the second single "Endicott" became one of the group's better known songs in the US, where it peaked at #21 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single also reached the top 30 in France and the Netherlands.

<i>I, Too, Have Seen the Woods</i> 1987 studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

I, Too, Have Seen the Woods is the sixth studio album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1987 and includes the single "Dancing at the Bain Douches".

<i>Private Waters in the Great Divide</i> Album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Private Waters in the Great Divide is the seventh studio album by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1990. It includes the singles "The Sex of It" and "I Love Girls".

<i>Cre~Olé: The Best of Kid Creole & the Coconuts</i> 1984 compilation album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Cre~Olé: The Best of Kid Creole & the Coconuts is the first compilation album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released on LP and Cassette in 1984 and reached number twenty-one on the UK Albums Chart. A CD edition was released in 1990. The compilation was the group's last record released by Island Records in the UK. The group's following two album's were released by Sire Records in the UK and the US. It includes the single "Don't Take My Coconuts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngr</span> British musician (born 1989)

Youngr is a British singer, songwriter, producer and musician. The son of August Darnell, he was born in Urmston, near Manchester, England, on 27 February 1989. He began his music career in 2012, forming Liverpool-based act Picture Book with his brother Lorne Ashley Brigham-Bowes. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist under the name Youngr since 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Kid Creole & the Coconuts - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". Rovi Corp. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Anderson, Jason (July 29, 2008). "The man behind the Kid". CBC News . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Liner notes from "Kid Creole and the Coconuts Redux" Sire Records (1992). Sire Records. 1992.
  4. 1 2 Pareles, Jon (May 19, 2016). "Dapper as Ever, Kid Creole Dresses Up His Songs for a New Musical". The New York Times . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Cornwell, Jane (April 22, 2010). "Kid Creole: back on the road less travelled". The Telegraph . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Baines, Josh (6 August 2015). "10 Literally Perfect Dance Records". vice.com . Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "There But for the Grace of God Go I - Machine". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Lester, Paul (7 September 2011). "Kid Creole: 'I'm not a party man any more'". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Elbow Bones and the Racketeers retrieved 13 August 2021
  10. ↑ "One to watch: Youngr premieres vertical Drive video". www.officialcharts.com.
  11. ↑ "MUSIC REVIEW: TranSLatION please?". June 10, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Weekly Interview Series 1/25/18: Dario Darnell (Youngr) - Pedal of the Day". www.pedal-of-the-day.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.