Personalities | Carl Douglas | One-Hit Wonders | Rock

‘Kung Fu Fighting’, 1974

Jamaican-born Carl Douglas had his finger on the pulse when he recorded ‘King Fu Fighting’, a mid-1970s novelty disco hit that reflected that era’s fascination with king fu movies and the martial arts. It reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, and is said to have been recorded in just 10 minutes, and to have sold over nine million copies worldwide. Douglas’ follow-up, ‘Dance The Kung Fu’, was a US flop and UK Top 20 hit, making sure he would only be remembered for his novelty songs, despite releasing a couple of albums into the 1980s. He now owns a production company in Hamburg, producing music for films and commercials.

Personalities | Minnie Riperton | One-Hit Wonders | Rock

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley

AUTHORITATIVE

An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...

CURATED

Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.

Rock, A Life Story

Rock, A Life Story

The ultimate story of a life of rock music, from the 1950s to the present day.

David Bowie

David Bowie

Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers his life, music, art and movies, with a sweep of incredible photographs.