Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Bill Sharpe, Nigel Wright, Roger Odell and Keith Winter. Following an initial white label release, "Steppin", the band's name was derived from a record store in Soho, London Record Shack with the name created by Les McCutcheon, Passion records label owner and Northern Soul DJ Kev Roberts, It was they who first showed interest in the initial single.
"Streets of London" is a song by Ralph McTell, who first recorded it for his 1969 album Spiral Staircase. It was not released in the United Kingdom as a single until 1974. McTell himself noted that there were 212 known recorded versions of the song. The song was re-released, on 4 December 2017, featuring McTell with Annie Lennox as a charity single for CRISIS, the Homelessness Charity. Roger Whittaker also recorded a well received version in 1971.
Daniel Richard Powter is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his self-penned hit song "Bad Day" (2005), which was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
"Another Day in Paradise" is a song written and recorded by English drummer and singer Phil Collins. Produced by Collins along with Hugh Padgham, it was released as the first single from his number-one album ...But Seriously (1989). As with his song for Genesis, "Man on the Corner", the track has as its subject the problem of homelessness and paradise; as such, the song was a substantial departure from the dance-pop music of his previous album, No Jacket Required (1985).
"Fancy" is a song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1969. The country song was a crossover pop music hit for Gentry, reaching the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 30 of the Billboard country chart. It was covered in 1990 by country music artist Reba McEntire on her album Rumor Has It. McEntire's version surpassed the original on the country music charts, reaching the Top Ten on Billboard's Hot Country Hits in 1991.
D'Sound is a Norwegian neo soul band based in Oslo, Norway. The band was formed in 1993 with a line-up composed of lead vocalist Simone Eriksrud, bassist Jonny Sjo and drummer Kim Ofstad. After Eriksrud's initial departure in 2018, the band announced that they would continue as a duo and collaborate with various international artists to provide vocals for future material. Bae Louie band member Mirjam Omdal joined in 2019 as a lead vocalist. Eriksrud returned to the band as a touring member in 2022.
Nigel Wright is a record producer from England. His career as music producer, orchestrator and songwriter has scored five number one singles, 31 Top 20 singles and a string of platinum albums with recording artists as diverse as Madonna, Shakatak, Mezzoforte, Barbra Streisand, Boyzone, Sonia, Take That, Sinitta, José Carreras, Robson & Jerome, Michael Ball, Sarah Brightman, The Texas Tenors, Cliff Richard, Connie Fisher, Paul Potts, Andy Abraham and Ray Quinn.
"Down on the Corner" is a song by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys (1969). The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 December 1969. The flip side, "Fortunate Son", reached No. 14 on the United States charts on 22 November 1969, the week before Billboard changed its methodology on double-sided hits.
Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina Turner and Will Young.
"Down" is a song by British singer Jay Sean featuring American rapper and labelmate Lil Wayne. The song was released in North America as his debut single from his first album there, All or Nothing. In other markets, including the United Kingdom, the song serves as Jay Sean's lead single from his third studio album. Produced by J-Remy and Bobby Bass, "Down" is the seventh-best selling single of 2009 and has been certified Platinum in several countries. The song went on to sell six million copies in the United States.
"It's You" is a digital single by Korean boy band Super Junior. It is the second promotional single for the group's third studio album Sorry, Sorry and was digitally released on May 11, 2009. Three new tracks were added to the single on May 14, 2009, the same day as the physical release of the repackaged version of Sorry, Sorry.
Bill Sharpe is a British musician, who has worked as a member of Shakatak, as a solo artist, and with others, such as Gary Numan and Don Grusin.
"We'll Bring the House Down" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1981 as the lead single from their ninth studio album We'll Bring the House Down. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. The band's first single to reach the UK Top 40 since 1977, the song peaked at No. 10 in the UK, remaining in the chart for nine weeks.
"The Show Goes On" is a song by American recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released on October 26, 2010, as the lead single from his third studio album Lasers. The song was produced by Kane Beatz, and the melody of the song was based on the 2004 song "Float On" by Modest Mouse. The song features backing vocals from JR Get Money. It was released to iTunes on November 9, 2010, and debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually reaching a peak of No. 9. It was released in the UK on February 20, 2011. The song was a major point of contention for the artist and a reason for the lengthy delay of the album, making the title fitting; as Lupe was told unequivocally by record producers: "If you don't do 'The Show Goes On', your album's not coming out." However, XXL named it 14th Best Song of 2011. The song was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.
"Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17, released in 1983 as the fifth and final single from their second studio album The Luxury Gap. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and would be the band's last top 20 hit in the UK until 1992's Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Temptation".
Sharpe & Numan was a British synth-pop duo formed by Shakatak's Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan (vocals).
Jill Saward is a British singer, musician and composer, best known for being the lead voice of the English jazz-funk band, Shakatak.
"Change Your Mind" is a song recorded by synth-pop duo Sharpe & Numan. Written by Shakatak members Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell and featuring lead vocals by Gary Numan.
Down on the Street is the fifth studio album by the London jazz-funk band Shakatak, released in 1984. The album peaked at no. 17 on the UK Albums Chart, and produced the band's second top-ten UK single "Down on the Street", which peaked at no. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. The album produced two other singles: "Watching You" and "Don't Blame It on Love".
Massivo was a short-lived electronic music group who had a top 30 hit single in the UK in 1990.
