Johnny Wakelin

Johnny Wakelin (born 1939, Brighton, Sussex, England) is a British Pye Records recording artist.

He had his first outings in clubs in his hometown but without big success.Then he got the idea of writing a homage to the boxing champion Muhammad Ali who fought on 30 October 1974 in Kinshasa against George Foreman gaining victory in the eighth round. In January 1975 Wakelin's "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" reached the charts. It has been rumored that the American success of Wakelin's song inspired DC Comics to publish the 1978 comic "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali".

A bigger success was "In Zaire" (also about Muhammad Ali) in 1976, which reached the charts in many parts of Europe. After few further hits ("Africa Man", "You Turn Me On", "Dr. Frankenstein's Disco Party") his success cooled down. He re-recorded his hit "In Zaire" in different versions which had a little success. Furthermore he stayed active as a songwriter.

Discography

*"Black Superman" (1975)
*"Reggae, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll" (1976)
*"In Zaire" (1976)
*"African Man" (1976)
*"Double Trouble" (1978)
*"Gems from the Pen" (1984)
*"Rock 'n' Country Blues" (1996)
*"From Ali to the Naz" (1997)
*"Sway with Me" (2005)
*"In Africa" (2005)
*"Right Before My Eyes" (2006)
*"No Smoking " (2007)

External links

* [http://www.johnnywakelin.co.uk Official website]
* [http://www.south-coast-records.eu/ Discography & Info]