Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Stool Pigeon 1982

Great quality rare video recorded live from Top Of The Pops 1982, Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era. The Coconuts are a glamorous trio of female backing vocalists whose lineup has changed throughout the years.

Thomas August Darnell Browder was born in The Bronx, New York City, USA on August 12, 1950, his mother was from South Carolina and his father from Savannah, Georgia. As an adult, Thomas Browder began going by his two middle names as August Darnell.

Growing up in the melting pot of the Bronx, Darnell was exposed early on to all kinds of music". Darnell began his musical career in a band named The In-Laws with his brother, Stony Browder Jr, in 1965, which disbanded so Darnell could pursue a career as an English teacher. Darnell obtained a masters degree in English, but in 1974 again formed a band with his brother Stony Browder Jr under the name Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. Their self-titled debut release was a Top 40-charting album which was certified gold and was nominated for a Grammy.

Together, the Browder boys defied convention to invent a new breed of music. Of convoluted and deliberately obfuscated racial heritage, the brothers decided to promote their pan-genetic Creole Creed: a better, brighter reality that ignores gender and colour restrictions.

Darnell began producing for other artists, such as Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band and Gichy Dan's Beachwood No.9, before adopting the name Kid Creole (adapted from the Elvis Presley film King Creole) in 1980. The persona of Kid Creole is described as: Inspired by Cab Calloway and the Hollywood films of the 30s and 40s, the Kid fills out his colorful zoot suits with style and grace, dancing onstage with his inimitable, relentless and self-proclaimed cool.!!
Darnell now lives in London (and occasionally Sweden and Denmark), and still tours with the Coconuts occasionally. He is currently collaborating with writer/producer Peter Schott on a contemporary musical, to be produced by Son Of Kong Productions. The project features vocals/guitar by former Creole band member and rising star Mark Anthony Jones.

In 2008 Kid Creole toured the UK whilst starring in the stage show Oh! What a Night, a disco musical produced by Random Concerts.

Darnell is currently back in the studio, totally re-mixing and re-mastering his favourite Kid Creole songs spanning his whole back catalogue with Master ToKo and Lord highOwl from audio-visual electronica band Picture Book.

He is also writing a new Kid Creole album with Master ToKo and Lord highOwl, due late 2009. Never released recordings are available http://reverbnation.com/augustdarnell

In 2010, the group were due to headline the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival, but were replaced by Boney M at the last minute because of the death of Darnell's mother. Please visit my other Channel. Keep Rockin!.
http://www.youtube.com/user/squizzy104?feature=mhum#p/a/u/2/6MHSf1SP2nM

Category:

Music

Tags:

• kid creole
• the coconuts
• stool pigeon
• top of the pops 1982

[ColumRogers]

@maestro66uk

Thanks! :O

[krakenwave]

I remember this so well - and that my biker stepdad (whose tastes generally were more towards the stuff Tommy Vance played on The Friday Rock Show) really rated this lot.

[maestro66uk]

@ColumRogers That's "JOINTS" - "turning the JOINTS upside down" - not "DRUMS" lol

[ColumRogers]

There's an old ex-con who's going round

Turning the drums upside down

Stool pigeon ha cha cha cha....... :)