Kid Creole & the Coconuts

The alter ego of August Darnell, Kid Creole is not unlike a post-Disco reincarnation of Cab Calloway. Dressed like a dandy in a zoot suit or an elegant tuxedo with two-tone Cuban shoes, he struts the stage, posing and flirting while scantily clad background singers coo and moan. Although his lyrics are comical and an air of parody surrounds his persona, musically he delivers an ever-danceable mix of Swing, Funk and Caribbean music. His Latin, Caribbean and French background is quintessentially Creole, but he was raised in the Bronx and became an English teacher. In the '70s he had a Disco hit with a Latin-tinged band called Dr. Buzzard's Original "Savannah" Band before launching his Coconuts in the '80s. Clever songs with compelling rhythms and big horn arrangements ultimately gave him a hit in "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby." The band continue to draw audiences to their charismatic live performances, but Kid Creole's career has seen more success in film and theater than on the pop charts.