Died September 2006 Name Dan I | Albums Blessed Are the Poor | |
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Dan I (born Selmore Ezekiel Lewinson - born 1 July 1956, died 19 May 2006) was a British disco musician, signed to Island Records, who had a Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1979 with a single called "Monkey Chop". He originated from Jamaica, and Trevor Horn was the uncredited record producer of "Monkey Chop". Without any further chart success, Dan I remains listed as a one-hit wonder.
Career and background
His stage name derived from his interest in numerology, meaning "number one". In the early 1970s he was asked by George Clinton to join his band Funkadelic, but he declined, believing he was too young. During the 1970s he worked with Cat Stevens, Andy Fraser, and Joe Jammer, and led his own club band, D-Dancer. D-Dancer split up in 1976, after which Dan-I spent a year in Nigeria before embarking on a solo career, signing with Island Records after being introduced by Linton Kwesi Johnson, and having a major hit with "Monkey Chop", which he described as "music for the new optimism". He moved to Los Angeles, California in the mid-1980s, where he recorded several demos. During the 1980s, he helped found The Unity Gospel Band. He was also connected with a release by Unity, For The Glory Of Jah. He provided the lead vocals for the release. He provided backing vocals for Busta Jones's 1988 single, "My Hands Are Shakin'".
He then moved to South Africa before returning to London. He was murdered in May 2006.