Jeffrey Daniel
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Daniel is an American
dance
r, singer-songwriter
and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar
. In Nigeria
he is best known as an Idol series
judge.
" on British television
, during a performance of Shalamar's "A Night to Remember" on Top of the Pops
. The song was a hit in 1982, almost a year before Michael Jackson
moonwalked on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
television broadcast; he was a big fan of Soul Train
- on which Jeffrey Daniel had been a back-up dancer. According to Jackson's sister La Toya
, Jackson was a fan of Daniel's dancing and sought him out. He soon met, hired and learned from Daniel .
Daniel became a renowned and respected pioneer of the West coast Street dance
movement. He and his peers took a style of dance from the streets and clubs to the mainstream music and media world. The world saw a fusion of Jazz
, Popping
, Locking
, Robotics, Waacking, House
and Hip hop
merged into effortless sequences of remarkable physical complexity .
During his career he has taught, worked and ranked alongside other friends and dance pioneers such as Shabba Doo, Geron Casper Candidate, Cooley Jackson, Poppin Pete and The Electric Boogaloos .
Daniel gives great credit to a man that inspired him, the original dance 'Locker' Don Campbell, one of the earliest Soul Train dancers. He also gives thanks to Cleveland Moses Jr. his partner on Soul Train and to Tyrone Proctor who was the premier 'Waack' dancer who taught Jeffrey the style of dance known as 'Waacking'. It was on Soul Train whilst doing a routine dressed in black that Daniel and Geron 'Casper' Candidate and Derek 'Cooley' Jackson first performed the moonwalk on U.S. television.
Daniel and his Soul Train dance partner Jody Watley
, (whom he had known since she was twelve years old from church) along with Howard Hewett
, became the world famous soul funk group - Shalamar
. They had a string of hits such as "A Night to Remember", "I Can Make You Feel Good", "There It Is", "Friends", and others. Daniel had become something of a style icon with his ever-changing hair styles and unique dress sense. He was often seen on the London club scene with the likes of Bananarama
, Wham and Culture Club
. On June 13, 1980, Daniel married R&B singer Stephanie Mills
, but they shortly divorced.
After seven years, millions of albums sales, and tours around the world, Shalamar performed at London's Wembley Arena
and went their separate ways in 1984. Soon after, Daniel took on the role of 'Electra
' in Andrew Lloyd Webber
's new West End
musical Starlight Express
which involved wild costumes with complex choreography on roller skates.
Also in 1984 Daniel appeared in the Paul McCartney
movie Give My Regards to Broad Street
displaying his signature robotic or marionette-like dancing style (with McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney
and members of the band Toto
made up as marionettes) to the Wings
hit, "Silly Love Songs
".
By 1987, Daniel was working with Michael Jackson
who had always been a fan of Daniel's dance style since watching him on Soul Train in the 1970s. He was hired as co-choreographer on the "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" videos with primary choreographer Travis Payne
in which he also starred with his "dance brothers" Geron "Casper" Candidate and Cooley Jackson .
He was later employed as a creative and choreography consultant on his world tours and the video Ghosts
. Daniel's music and dance expertise was then employed when he became a consultant at the MJJ Productions record label to whom Brownstone, 3T
and Men of Vision were signed. Michael Jackson flew Daniel back to live in the United States from Japan
where Daniel had taken up residence since leaving the United Kingdom.
Today, Daniel works and lives between London
and Osaka
, Japan
. He is a fluent speaker and writer of the Japanese language
with a fair grasp of Cantonese. He continues to perform, choreograph, produce, and compose with some of the biggest names in showbusiness . He has worked with, amongst others, Babyface, LL Cool J
, Paul McCartney
, Sheena Easton
and Vanessa Williams
.
He joined Nigerian Idol
as a judge in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
. In Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
he is best known as an Idol series
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
judge.
Career
Daniel first performed "the backslide", a physically complicated dance technique, now known as the "moonwalkMoonwalk (dance)
The moonwalk or backslide is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward. A popping move, it became most popular around the world after Michael Jackson executed the dance move during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25:...
" on British television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, during a performance of Shalamar's "A Night to Remember" on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. The song was a hit in 1982, almost a year before Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
moonwalked on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence. Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to...
television broadcast; he was a big fan of Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
- on which Jeffrey Daniel had been a back-up dancer. According to Jackson's sister La Toya
La Toya Jackson
La Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family...
, Jackson was a fan of Daniel's dancing and sought him out. He soon met, hired and learned from Daniel .
Daniel became a renowned and respected pioneer of the West coast Street dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
movement. He and his peers took a style of dance from the streets and clubs to the mainstream music and media world. The world saw a fusion of Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Popping
Popping (dance)
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
, Locking
Locking (dance)
Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...
, Robotics, Waacking, House
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
merged into effortless sequences of remarkable physical complexity .
During his career he has taught, worked and ranked alongside other friends and dance pioneers such as Shabba Doo, Geron Casper Candidate, Cooley Jackson, Poppin Pete and The Electric Boogaloos .
Daniel gives great credit to a man that inspired him, the original dance 'Locker' Don Campbell, one of the earliest Soul Train dancers. He also gives thanks to Cleveland Moses Jr. his partner on Soul Train and to Tyrone Proctor who was the premier 'Waack' dancer who taught Jeffrey the style of dance known as 'Waacking'. It was on Soul Train whilst doing a routine dressed in black that Daniel and Geron 'Casper' Candidate and Derek 'Cooley' Jackson first performed the moonwalk on U.S. television.
Daniel and his Soul Train dance partner Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
, (whom he had known since she was twelve years old from church) along with Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
, became the world famous soul funk group - Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
. They had a string of hits such as "A Night to Remember", "I Can Make You Feel Good", "There It Is", "Friends", and others. Daniel had become something of a style icon with his ever-changing hair styles and unique dress sense. He was often seen on the London club scene with the likes of Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, Wham and Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
. On June 13, 1980, Daniel married R&B singer Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
, but they shortly divorced.
After seven years, millions of albums sales, and tours around the world, Shalamar performed at London's Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
and went their separate ways in 1984. Soon after, Daniel took on the role of 'Electra
Electra the Electric Train
Electra the Electric Engine is a fictional character from the rock musical Starlight Express.Electra is the newest train to enter the yard and, therefore, Control's newest toy. He comes with his own line of components that are loyal to him. He's rich, self-centered and sexy. His eyes are set on...
' in Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's new West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
musical Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
which involved wild costumes with complex choreography on roller skates.
Also in 1984 Daniel appeared in the Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
movie Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
displaying his signature robotic or marionette-like dancing style (with McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
and members of the band Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
made up as marionettes) to the Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
hit, "Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. The song appeared on the 1976 album, Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was also released as a single in 1976. The US single was released on 1 April 1976 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The UK single was...
".
By 1987, Daniel was working with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
who had always been a fan of Daniel's dance style since watching him on Soul Train in the 1970s. He was hired as co-choreographer on the "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" videos with primary choreographer Travis Payne
Travis Payne
Travis Payne is an American choreographer, director, and producer. He is best known for working with Michael Jackson as the choreographer for This Is It until Jackson's death. Payne also served as the associate producer for This Is It, and along with the director, Kenny Ortega, was extensively...
in which he also starred with his "dance brothers" Geron "Casper" Candidate and Cooley Jackson .
He was later employed as a creative and choreography consultant on his world tours and the video Ghosts
Ghosts (Michael Jackson film)
Michael Jackson's Ghosts is a short film starring Michael Jackson, co-written by horror novelist Stephen King and directed by film director and special effects guru Stan Winston which could also be classified as a long-form music video. It was filmed and first screened in 1996 and released along...
. Daniel's music and dance expertise was then employed when he became a consultant at the MJJ Productions record label to whom Brownstone, 3T
3T
3T is an American R&B / Pop music group featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adaryll Jackson II , Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joseph Jackson .-Career:3T released their debut album Brotherhood in 1995...
and Men of Vision were signed. Michael Jackson flew Daniel back to live in the United States from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where Daniel had taken up residence since leaving the United Kingdom.
Today, Daniel works and lives between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He is a fluent speaker and writer of the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
with a fair grasp of Cantonese. He continues to perform, choreograph, produce, and compose with some of the biggest names in showbusiness . He has worked with, amongst others, Babyface, LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
and Vanessa Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
.
He joined Nigerian Idol
Nigerian Idol
Nigerian Idol is the local version of the Idol series franchise. It is the second Idol franchise for the country as it was already part of Idols West Africa which was also shot and produced in Nigeria....
as a judge in 2010.
External links
- Official Website
- Archive of Jeffrey Daniel and Shalamar Videos
- YouTube video of Jeffrey Daniel moonwalking on Top of the Pops to Shalamar's "A Night to Remember"
- http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/taught-Jacko-Moonwalk/article-1487193-detail/article.html