Carl Douglas

Carl Douglas (born May 10, 1942) is a Jamaican born singer, most famous for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which reached number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in 1974. Douglas was also the first Jamaican born artist to score a number one single in the United States. Douglas was born in Jamaica and educated in America and the UK. He went to the UK to study audio engineering, then got into singing and worked as a semi... more

Carl Douglas (born May 10, 1942) is a Jamaican born singer, most famous for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which reached number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in 1974. Douglas was also the first Jamaican born artist to score a number one single in the United States. Douglas was born in Jamaica and educated in America and the UK. He went to the UK to study audio engineering, then got into singing and worked as a semi-pro entertainer until 1964. That year he formed a group called the Big Stampede, which released a couple of UK singles; two years later, he formed the Explosions while living in Spain. Upon returning to the UK, Douglas teamed up with a band called Gonzales, which quickly led to his becoming a session vocalist for Pye Records. He had some early success as a songwriter when he penned the music for the Richard Roundtree 1972 film, Embassy. The idea for the disc stemmed from Douglas' evening out with his record producer, Biddu, when they saw a... less