Johnny Wakelin (born 1939) is an English recording artist best known for songs like "Black Superman" and "In Zaire", both celebrating boxer Muhammad Ali.

Career

Wakelin had his first outings in clubs in his hometown but without big success. Discovered by Pye record producer Robin Blanchflower, the man who launched Carl Douglas to the top of the UK Singles Chart with "Kung Fu Fighting", and working with Steve Elson and Keith Rossiter in addition to Blanchflower, Wakelin set about writing songs that would, he hoped, "catch people's eye" and Australia.

By October of the same year, it had reached number one in Canada on the RPM Singles Chart. It also spent six months in the US Billboard Hot 100 in more than one chart run in 1975, eventually peaking at No. 21 in September of that year.

Later songs

1975 brought a further single, "Cream Puff," backed by "Gotta Keep on Going"; it flopped, but both songs would be incorporated into Wakelin's March 1976 album, Reggae, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll.

!<small>AUS</small><br/>

!<small>AUT</small><br/>

!<small>BE (FLA)</small><br/>

!<small>CAN</small><br/>

!<small>IRE</small><br/>

!<small>NL</small><br/>

!<small>NZ</small><br/>

!<small>US</small><br/>

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|1974

| align="left" |"Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" <small>(as Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band)</small>

|7

|7

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|1

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|9

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|21

|21

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| rowspan="2" |1975

| align="left" |"Tennessee Hero (Elvis)"

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|50

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| align="left" |"Cream Puff"

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| rowspan="3" |1976

| align="left" |"Reggae – Soul – And Rock 'n' Roll"

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| align="left" |"In Zaire"

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|25

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|10

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| align="left" |"Africa Man"

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|24

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|10

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|1977

| align="left" |"Doctor Frankenstein's Disco Party"

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|1978

| align="left" |"Afro Afrique"

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| rowspan="2" |1979

| align="left" |"Lay Down and Rock Me"

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| align="left" |"Grand Theft"

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|1983

| align="left" |"Where Seagulls Fly"

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|1986

| align="left" |"Bruno"

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|1988

| align="left" |"Get Off the Street" <small>(Germany-only release)</small>

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|1989

| align="left" |"One Million to One" <small>(Germany-only release)</small>

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| colspan="12" style="font-size:8pt" |"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

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See also

  • List of performers on Top of the Pops
  • List of people from Brighton and Hove
  • List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

  • Discography & Info
  • Music video at TopPop