Biography
Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Bill Sharpe, Nigel Wright, Roger Odell and Keith Winter. An initial white label release, “Steppin”, caught attention by Passion records label owner Les McCutcheon and Northern Soul DJ Kev Roberts. The band's name was created by them and derived from the name of a record store in Soho, London called “Record Shack”.
Shakatak scored a number of chart entries, including two Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart, “Night Birds” (1982) and “Down on the Street” (1984), plus a further 12 entries in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. The group is still active and popular throughout the world, particularly in Japan and the Far East, and generally produce a new album every two years on JVC Records.
It was the release of the 1981 single “Easier Said Than Done” that gave the band the radio exposure needed for their first top-twenty hit. This record introduced their instrumental-unison vocal sound to a much wider audience, and the track stayed in the UK Singles Chart for seventeen… weeks. The follow-up, “Night Birds” (1982), was their first single to reach the top ten and it also peaked in Australia at number 92. The album of the same name gave Shakatak their first gold album, entering at number four and remaining in the charts for twenty-eight weeks. Jill Saward (formerly of Fusion Orchestra, Brandy and Citizen Gang) became their sole lead singer to make Shakatak's fifth album, Down on the Street (1984).
The band gained a huge popularity in Japan, where they released a series of largely instrumental albums such as Da Makani (1988) exclusively for the Japanese market. Manic & Cool, featuring the night club and chart hit “Mr Manic & Sister Cool” was released internationally in 1988.
In the 1990s, the band achieved success in the US when their 1992 album Open Your Eyes went to No 1 in the contemporary jazz charts. The 1997 album Full Circle expanded their sound with hip hop-beats.
Still active, the band has released a number of albums in the 2000s and celebrated their thirtieth anniversary year in 2010, marking the occasion with the release of the album Across the World the following year.
Guitarist Alan Wormald died in 2023, and was replaced by returning original guitarist Keith Winter.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA licence)
Current members
Former members
3Discography
| Artist | Title | Year | Format | Classification | Gem, favourite, must-listen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Shakatak | Drivin' Hard | © & ℗1981 | Vinyl LP, Album | Progressive Rock / Krautrock / Psychedelic | |
 | Shakatak | Night Birds | © & ℗1982 | Vinyl LP, Album | Progressive Rock / Krautrock / Psychedelic | |
 | Shakatak | One Day At A Time | © & ℗1993 | CD Maxi-Single | Progressive Rock / Krautrock / Psychedelic |
22Songs
| Song | Year | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Bitch To The Boys | 1982 |
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| Brazilian Dawn | 1981 |
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| Calm Before The Storm | 1993 |
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| Covina | 1981 |
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| Down On The Street | 1997 |
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| Easier Said Than Done | 1981 |
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| Fly The Wind | 1982 |
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| Into The Night | 1981 |
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| Late Night Flight | 1981 |
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| Light On My Life | 1982 |
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| Livin' In The U.K. | 1981 |
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| Lumière | 1981 |
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| Night Birds | 1982 |
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| One Day At A Time | 1993 |
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| Rio Nights | 1982 |
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| Steppin' (Live) | 1981 |
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| Streetwalkin' | 1982 |
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| Takin' Off | 1982 |
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| The Night Ain't Over Yet | 1993 |
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| Toot The Shoot | 1981 |
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| Waves | 1981 |
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| You Never Know | 1981 |
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