Yes, it’s true. Guilty as charged! I am what is commonly referred to as a HORDER! I horde things. I collect things. And the lesson I force-feed my children has always been – DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! When the Coronavirus curtailed my freedom of movement, I decided to explore my cellars and lofts. That is where I found thousands of my cassettes that have followed me on every journey I have ever made (and that’s a whole lot of mileage). They were just sitting there, still looking good, just waiting to be cared for again! Since the dreaded pandemic had made me a prisoner in my own home, I decided to use the time to listen to each and every cassette! That became my MISSION IMPOSSIBLY POSSIBLE! Thus was born ONCE UPON A CASSETTE, a collection of ditties and Darnellian witticisms never heard before. I now present you with Volume 1. I hope my attention span allows me to create at least one hundred more! In fact we are attempting to release one volume a month until we’re over and done. And then in time for Christmas, we shall be offering a number of volumes available for purchase in tangible form. Pow to the Nth degree, guys and dolls!
Hey, remember the Wizard who said, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”? Well, here’s my take on that: Always ignore that demand, from Wizards and Fools. Peel back all curtains. Be entertained. Be shocked. Be transformed. Be embarrassed. I dare you. In fact, I double-dare you!
TRACK 9Good Morning Mr. Sunshine Circa 1970 / Lead Vocal: Shep Coppersmith The band was just called ‘Savannah Band’ back then. August Darnell had been an English Teacher in Hempstead Long Island. His students called him Mr. Sunshine. He decided to write a song about that chapter of his life. Voila.
TRACK 13Sooner or Later Circa 1974 / Lead Vocal: Billy Dorsey / Background Vocals: Stony Browder Jr., August Darnell, Cory Daye Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band recorded this track in Manhattan. This song evolved into Call Me the Entertainer. Kid Creole and the Coconuts then covered this track on the album Doppelganger.
Live in Paris CD – Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Recorded at Le Zenith, Paris, September 10th, 1985.
At the zenith of their career, with the complete original line up of Creoleans, Kid Creole & The Coconuts take the stage in Paris to perform and record one of the hot and unforgettable shows that made them famous. The band loved Europe and Europe loved them right back. You can hear it in the applause and the rebounding energy from the stage. In fact, the band is so tight that they never stop playing and we are pretty sure that the audience never stopped dancing (or smiling). The last beat of every song is also the first beat of the next song and this party is a festive and wild ride. Grab a piece of dance floor and hang on!
The line up: August Darnell, Andy “Coati Mundi” Hernandez, Adriana Kaegi, Cheryl Poirier, Janique Svedberg, Carol Colman (Bass), Peter Schott (Keyboards), Dave Span (Drums), “Bongo” Eddie Folk (Percussion), Jimmi Rippetoe (Guitar), Kenny Fradley (Trumpet), Lee Robertson (Trombone), Charlie Lagond (Saxophone).
The track list: Don’t Take My Coconuts My Male Curiosity
Table Manners
Mr. SoftieAnnie, I’m Not Your Daddy I’m a Wonderful Thing, Baby No Fish Today
Dear Addy
Stool Pigeon
Say Hey
The Lifeboat Party
Endicott
Indiscreet
Caroline Was A Dropout
Live in Paris CD – Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Recorded at Le Zenith, Paris, September 10th, 1985.
At the zenith of their career, with the complete original line up of Creoleans, Kid Creole & The Coconuts take the stage in Paris to perform and record one of the hot and unforgettable shows that made them famous. The band loved Europe and Europe loved them right back. You can hear it in the applause and the rebounding energy from the stage. In fact, the band is so tight that they never stop playing and we are pretty sure that the audience never stopped dancing (or smiling). The last beat of every song is also the first beat of the next song and this party is a festive and wild ride. Grab a piece of dance floor and hang on!
The line up: August Darnell, Andy “Coati Mundi” Hernandez, Adriana Kaegi, Cheryl Poirier, Janique Svedberg, Carol Colman (Bass), Peter Schott (Keyboards), Dave Span (Drums), “Bongo” Eddie Folk (Percussion), Jimmi Rippetoe (Guitar), Kenny Fradley (Trumpet), Lee Robertson (Trombone), Charlie Lagond (Saxophone).
The track list: Don’t Take My Coconuts My Male Curiosity
Table Manners
Mr. SoftieAnnie, I’m Not Your Daddy I’m a Wonderful Thing, Baby No Fish Today
Dear Addy
Stool Pigeon
Say Hey
The Lifeboat Party
Endicott
Indiscreet
Caroline Was A Dropout
Kid Creole and the Coconuts will be headlining at Jazz in Marciac festival on August 11th in Gers, South West France.
Click here for more information and for tickets: Jazz in Marciac
Tickets start at €20 and go up to €70. The band will be gracing the stage for a full live show at 23.00.
The lineup:
August Darnell - the Kid
Sarah McGrath - Coconut
Roos Van 'Awesome' Rossum - Coconut
Charlotte De Graaf - Coconut
Barnaby Dickinson - trombone
George Hogg - trumpet
Tim Vine - keyboards
Jamie McCredie - guitar
Oroh Angiama - bass
Dave Imby - drums
Unclassifiable, this is how we can talk about the kind of music of Kid Creole & the Coconuts. The composition of this group of the 80s has changed dramatically over the years, we will mainly remember its leader August Darnell. Thomas August Darnell Browder, or simply August Darnell was born inthe Bronx where he grew up, New York bathing in the multiplicity of cultures and getting acquainted with many kinds of music. At the end of the 70s, Andy Hernandez and August Darnell together set up the group Kid Creole and the Coconuts accompanied by many musicians. The group is not long to talk about it with the release of their first single "Maladie d'amour" in 1980. The first album, "Off the coast of me" arrives the same year with thirteen titles. A year later, they return with "Fresh fruit in foreign places" a kind of musical travel diary with twelve titles. Follows then "Tropical gangsters" who arrives at the 3rd place of the UK Albums Chart. In 1983, Kid Creole & the Coconuts released "Doppelganger" with titles such as "The lifeboat party" or "Broadway rhythm". With Kid Creole And The Coconuts, the cocktail of soul-calypso-rock and self-deprecating rhythmsfinds its happiest expression, with the luscious presence of the delightful Coconuts.
40 summers young this summer
What are forty birthday candles compared with the fireworks that light up Marciac every summer? If you drew the equation with the true length of the festival over four decades of thrills, then you would have 600 nights at the least, plus as many days of jubilation and, for good measure, almost 6,000 raised curtains, enough to wear out more than one national theatre… By way of a ruby anniversary marking its fidelity to a genre in music that recognizes how much it owes to the Gers village, Jazz in Marciac is rewriting its pastoral symphony in rhythm this year. Everyone — Mayor, godfathers, maids of honour, best men, bridesmaids and witnesses — will be raining confetti over the finest parade ever held. First in line, in terms of protocol, are those that we listen to come rain or come shine: Norah Jones, the priestess with the voice of a healer, returns to jazz; George Benson is synonymous with scat and guitar in unison; Herbie Hancock is a keyboard geek and the vehicle for 60 years of jazz, all trends combined… In the seats reserved for the faithful we have: Roy Hargrove, the worthy narrator of forms inherited from bebop; Stanley Clarke, at the summit of his virtuoso double bass (and his brazen slap electric instrument); Biréli Lagrène, the expert climber roping down from every peak of inspiration that takes his fancy… And Joshua Redman, whose civilized manners hide a sense of freedom and purpose that his father would certainly have endorsed. And then we naturally come to our close family, gathered together under the protective wings of Wynton Marsalis, every one of whose contributions to Marciac has been duly notarized as authentic. The Latin cousins are coming too, bringing their dances and that Afro-Cuban legitimacy without which the festival would have to relinquish its exotic, heterogeneous and xenophile share in culture: Chucho Valdès and Roberto Fonseca feel at home there. Turbulent youngsters rightfully have their seats too: Emile Parisien (who has improvised a second birthplace for himself right here in Marciac on the benches of a school); Vincent Peirani, an accordionist whose intriguing ubiquity speaks volumes for him; Electro Deluxe and Panam Panic, retro and modern at the same time, they are seekers and finders of groove. Finally, all anniversaries have surprises: what statements are the Labèque Sisters going to make from behind a piano peppered with Basque percussion? Or Henri Texier, a totem of the double bass, lyrical and libertarian, giving Manu Katché the keys of the metronome? Today more than ever, the festival has taken up its summer quarters in every corner of the village: in Town Hall square to set the jazz tempo for the day; at the Astrada, the cosy concourse where established artists (and promises already kept) will be showing the most intimate aspects of their talents. And here and there, in the back of a bar, jazz will be spreading its ephemeral eternity. Forty candles. And the flame is still there. Forty young summers making this particular summer worth the wait for everyone…
Whoever came up with the idea of putting ABC and KID CREOLE on the same stage is a genius.
The ABC tour was a great success.
Returning to Manchester was a blast, since I used to live there 1000 years ago. And the same for Sheffield. I used to live there, too. And London … hey I used to live there, as well. Yes, I’m a New Yorker who has spent a lot of time in England. Hey, in the United Kingdom, to be sure.
The tour: Manchester, Liverpool, London, Birmingham, Bristol, York, Sheffield, Gateshead and Nottingham; All cities that Kid Creole has, at one time or another in a long and varied career, performed in before. But so very nice to revisit.
I’ve known Martin Fry since the glorious 80’s. A true gentleman and a true survivor, much like myself. And he still sounds as wonderful as he did in the beginning. ABC still rocks.
My longevity? Much of it is due to the guys and dolls who surround me on that stage.
This time around, for the ABC tour, we had Barnaby Dickinson on Trombone (he’s been with me for over 16 years), George Hogg on Trumpet (off and on for 5 years), Dave Imby on Drums (a 9 year veteran), Oroh Angiama on Bass (over 8 years), Lorne Ashley on Guitar (my son, who has just joined the band this year), Mike Gorman on Keys ( over 8 years), and …. the fabulous COCONUTS, of course.
The COCONUTS = Sarah McGrath (who we met in Bosnia in 1998), Roos Van Awesome (over 3 years) and Charlotte De Graaf (the newcomer, who joined the band last year). Charlotte replaced the longest standing Coconut in the history of the band, Eva Tudor-Jones (who took a leave of absence to have a Coconut baby). We all miss Eva’s presence on stage. But she is still very involved in the business end of things.
Trivia: Charlotte celebrated her 27th birthday while on the road, in York. Who said “youth is wasted on the young”? I disagree, vehemently.
I mention these names because the KCC SHOW would not be as magnificent as it is without these talented musicians and singers and dancers. Every true bandleader knows that the secret to greatness depends on the simple act of assembling the correct players. I have been constantly blessed with the correct players.
stone images rocks
One should also note, that besides the players on stage there are a whole lot of other people involved in a tour. My sincere gratitude goes out to the ABC staff, who made the whole thing enjoyable from start to finish. Their monitor man made each show a breeze for me. I could hear every instrument and every voice, including my own. That’s no joke. Every lead singer will tell you that the greatest danger on tour is the possibility of straining your voice. But from the first show I knew I was in good hands. You see, I am still old-school. I use stage monitors, not the in-ear gadgets that shut out the universe. And that means I need a sound man who knows what he is doing at the helm. I got that.
My 2 KCC guys who travelled with us were perfect also: Andy and Eric. Andy, our backline tech guy, made sure the stage was always ready for the groove. And Eric, our house engineer, made sure that what the audience heard was what I wanted them to hear – the goodness!
Our set was only 45 minutes in length but those 45 minutes were filled with magical grooves and banter and joyful appreciation from fans, old and new. We played CAROLINE WAS A DROP-OUT, DON’T TAKE MY COCONUTS, STOOL PIGEON, NO FISH TODAY and ANNIE, I’M NOT YOUR DADDY which, on some nights, got audience members up and dancing the conga. I consider this a major feat, because the venues were all sit-down affairs.
All in all, we had a funky good time.
Another great memory is born in the eternal legend of Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
August Darnell
Here’s a link to a wonderful write up from Graham Clark for the Yorkshire Times
Flashback to New York’s Downtown scene of the 1980s, as Kid Creole & the Coconuts and Arto Lindsay recapture the bubbling, frenetic energy of the era.
Over two sets, they represent the frenzied creativity that defined the scene. First, there’s Arto Lindsay and band, at turns warm and sultry, and at other times prowling and deranged. Playful, weird and sometimes scary, his guitar and vocals move from washes of total noise to soft, tropicalia-indebted balladeering, exhibiting a willingness to embrace every influence taken from 80s New York’s cocktail of cultures.
So, too, do Kid Creole & the Coconuts, blending calypso, funk, disco and much more to create the ultimate party music. Backed by his big band, Kid Creole is a man out of time, the zoot-suited embodiment of cool, singing and dancing through hits including ‘Annie I’m not your Daddy’, ‘Stool Pigeon’ and ‘I’m a Wonderful thing, Baby’.
It’s an experience captured in Downtown 81 as Jean-Michel Basquiat – the subject of Boom for Real in our Art Gallery – wanders the streets of New York, witnessing the birth of no wave, rap and Downtown Disco amid the cheap warehouse lofts of Lower Manhattan. It’s here he encounters Arto Lindsay (then with his influential no wave band, DNA), Kid Creole, and their brilliantly bizarre music – music that’s performed tonight, as these two artists revisit the chaotic excitement that defined the Downtown scene.
Additionally, DJ Justin Strauss joins the party – a former resident of the infamous Mudd Club – further evoking the era, having soundtracked nights when Basquiat, Kid Creole and Arto Linsday took to the dancefloor.
On sale to Barbican Members 10am Thursday 1 June
On general sale 10am Friday 2 June
► Kid Creole and the Coconuts (part 1: Will Barber) @ Scène Carnot
► Official Carcassonne Festival 2017
► Thursday 20 July from 20h30
► Music
KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS – 22:15
A group, a sound, an image.
From New York club 54 to the Palace of Paris, August Darnell aka Kid Creole, a great admirer of Cab Calloway since the late 70s, dared a clever mix of funk, rock and Latin sounds. A new merger was born.
Prince was the first of his fans, then the whole world would capsize under the class of Kid, the charm of the Coconuts and the musical madness of the Group.
This explosive cocktail has not taken a turn, and Kid Creole & The Coconuts continue to travel the world for the happiness of all.
WILL BARBER – 20:30
Will was born in Narbonne to a family printing house and regional writers. He finds his balance in football and music, With the attention of his father, he learns the guitar and falls under the charm of the guitar Weissenborn in particular, played today by Ben Harper. He made his original instruments mixing his passion for music and wood. With his old school style inspired by Led Zep, BBKing, Motown, he wants to cross the continents to share his music with the world.
Following an incredible 12 months including a critically acclaimed new album and nationwide sell out shows, ABC have announced a brand new UK tour for November performing all their greatest hits. This new full band show will also see them being joined by non-other than Kid Creole and The Coconuts.
Of the new tour Martin Fry said: “ Here’s an opportunity to open up the ABC songbook and journey through all the hits. Lexicon to Lexicon. ABC to XYZ. See you there. ”
ABC were formed in Sheffield in the 1980’s when they decided they wanted fuse the world of disco funk with their own unique post punk vision. ABC’s debut album ‘The Lexicon Of Love’ (‘82) went to No 1 and sold over a million records. To date ABC have released 8 studio albums: ‘The Lexicon Of Love’ (’82), ‘Beauty Stab’ (’83), ‘How To Be A Zillionaire’ (’85), ‘Alphabet City’ (’87), ‘Up’ (’89), ‘Abracadabra’ (’91), ‘Skyscraping’ (’97) and ‘Traffic’ (’08). A mere 34 years since the release of their landmark debut album ABC returned with their resounding triumph “The Lexicon Of Love II’ which immediately entered into the top 5.
Joining the tour as special guests Kid Creole and The Coconuts who for over 35 years has been entertaining music lovers around the world. Kid Creole And The Coconuts was born out of the burning embers of the brilliant and trailblazing Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
Born in the Bronx (New York), August Darnell (the Kid) is a man of multiple cultures, inclinations and personalities. His love of the big band tradition is evident: he travels with 10 musicians who all share his love of the ultimate musical tapestry. Their live shows have become the stuff of legend. ‘Annie I’m not your Daddy’, ‘Stool Pigeon’, ‘I’m a Wonderful thing, Baby’, ‘Endicott’, ‘My Male Curiosity’ and many more memorable tunes are guaranteed to make you shake your body. On joining the tour Kid Creole said:
“When I listen to the music of ABC, I am reminded of good times and delicious poison arrows. It is an honor to share the stage with Martin Fry. Music lovers, get ready for a funky good time! Hachachacha!”
Tour announcement!!!! We are very excited to announce that Kid Creole and the Coconuts will be appearing as Special Guests on ABC’s XYZ tour this coming November.
Martin Fry, August Darnell and their bands will be coming to a venue near you as they travel up and down the U.K. playing some fabulous venues.
Tickets go on sale this coming Friday when the link will be active http://gigst.rs/ABC
ABC are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Martin Fry, keyboardist and guitarist Mark White, saxophonist Stephen Singleton and drummer David Palmer.
ABC developed from an earlier band, Vice Versa, and established themselves as part of the New Romantic movement, with Fry being famed for his gold lamé suit. Their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love, was a UK number-one and they achieved ten UK and five US Top 40 hit singles between 1981 and 1990. The band, now essentially singer Fry solo, continue to tour and released their ninth studio album, The Lexicon of Love II, in 2016.
A few words from the Kid about the upcoming tour…..
“When I listen to the music of ABC, the look of love comes upon my face. I am reminded of good times and delicious poison arrows. It is an honor to share the stage with Martin Fry and the lads. The New Wave will always be New. Music lovers, get ready for a funky good time! Hachachacha!”
Guys and dolls of all ages and persuasions, this is it.
Finally, the legendary KID CREOLE has launched his first official LIVE ALBUM.
Hallelujah! Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the Music!
The Banana Boat is filled with jubilation and satisfaction.
The name of the album? It’s KID CREOLE LIVE AT THE B-SPOT.
Why? KID CREOLE and his merry band of COCONUTS played 2 hot-to-trot concerts at a club called the B-SPOT on the French Riviera in 2014.
When THE MAN with the permanent tan and the tilted fedora and the two-toned shoes heard the recordings, he exclaimed “Damn, that shit is funky!”
Hear then, oh music lovers, the true documentation of a powerful live band at the height of their exalted reign. Long live the King.
LIVE AT THE B-SPOT is a double CD: almost 2 hours of in-your-face rhythm and blues and funk and calypso and soca and reggae and salsa and pop and good old rock and roll.
Plus, we have added a bonus track: a surprisingly honest remix of STOOL PIGEON, done by that cunning new upstart who calls himself YOUNGR.
Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, if you are a CREOLIAN FAN, or just a person who appreciates real music played by real people, this album is a must-have in your collection.
The release date is December 14th, 2016. And it’s a limited edition, so hurry up!
The double CD will be available for purchase at Wembley Arena, London on Wednesday December 14th where the band will be supporting Culture Club’s only UK tour date.
