Claudja Barry

Biography

Claudja Barry (born in 1952) is a Jamaican-born Canadian singer. Her successful songs were "Down and Counting×Down and Counting1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADown and Counting (extended mix)9:07BDown and Counting (Emulator dub)6:14", "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" (which peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 9 June 1979), "Dancing Fever", and others. As an actress, she is known for appearing in the European versions of stage musicals AC/DC and Catch My Soul.

Early career

At the age of six, Barry and her family emigrated from Jamaica to Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. After graduation from high school, Barry left for London where she eventually landed a role in the musical AC/DC by Heathcote Williams and after that in a German production of Catch My Soul. The play toured Europe where she eventually wound up in West Germany in the spring of 1975. That same year she signed with Hot Foot label and released a single called "Reggae Bump". While not a commercial success, it got Barry noticed by German producer Frank Farian who was casting members for his new project Boney M. Barry starred alongside Maizie Williams, Sheyla Bonnick and another named Mike, the latter two eventually being replaced by Marcia Barrett and Bobby Farrell. Seeing no future lip-sync'ing for the group, Barry left Boney M. early 1976 and was replaced by Liz Mitchell. Teaming up with her husband-to-be Jürgen Korduletsch, Barry released her first single on the Lollipop label, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" in the spring. She was offered to join Silver Convention, taking Linda G. Thompson's place, but declined.
With her first album, Sweet Dynamite×Sweet Dynamite1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Sweet Dynamite4:06A2Why Must a Girl Like Me4:07A3Dance, Dance, Dance5:34A4Live a Little Bit3:51A5This Taste of Love4:26B1Love for the Sake of Love5:16B2Ride on My Fire4:07B3Do It Again8:28B4Nobody Loves Me Like You Do Do2:56 released in November 1976, she enjoyed her first Billboard Disco Top 10-hit of a total of six with the title track, followed by "Dancin' Fever" the following year. Her biggest hit came early 1979 with "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" which hit No. 7 in Canada and Billboard's Disco Chart and also went Top 20 in Sweden and Belgium. Also in 1979, she won a Juno Award for being the Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year. She did not achieve any chart hits in Germany where she recorded her albums.

The 1980s

Barry entered the 1980s with the album Feel the Fire×Feel the Fire1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracksA1You Can Make Me Feel The Fire5:44A2Get Your Mind Made Up - One Night Queen - It's So Nice10:16A3Everybody Needs Love3:28B1Wake Up And Make Love With Me5:45B2Stop He's A Lover6:46B3Love Seemed So Easy Without You6:05 which did not yield a significant hit-single for her. In 1981, she made a foray into new wave/Hi-NRG music with the album Made in Hong Kong×Made in Hong Kong1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Radio Action6:47A2Made in Hong Kong3:47A3Don't Talk to the Wind4:30A4Take Me to the River4:53B1Take Me Back4:05B2Love Control4:30B3What' Cha Doin' to Me4:10B4Sweet Inspiration3:39B5Girl Crazy3:17. It featured the lead single "Radio Action", which became a moderate club hit peaking at No. 57. A follow-up album If I Do It to You was due for a release on Atlantic Records sublabel, Mirage, but remains unreleased.
Relocating to New York, she enjoyed another Top 20 Dance Hit with a Hi-NRG cover version of Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him", followed by an equally successful cover of The Yardbirds's "For Your Love".
In 1985, she appeared in the movie, Rappin', starring Mario Van Peebles. The year 1985 also saw the release of the single, "Born to Love". This single was produced by Jürgen Korduletsch with New York City based Hi-NRG producer, singer, and songwriter, Bobby Orlando. "Born to Love" peaked at No. 14 on Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Signing to Epic Records in 1986, she enjoyed another big dance hit with "Down and Counting×Down and Counting1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADown and Counting (extended mix)9:07BDown and Counting (Emulator dub)6:14", which spent a week at No. 1 in 1986. Barry had further successes on that chart with the singles "Can't You Feel My Heartbeat" (No. 33 R&B) and "Secret Affair" (No. 60 R&B), taken from her 6th studio album, released 1987, I, Claudja×I, Claudja1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Down And Counting4:40A2Can't You Feel My Heart Beat4:18A3Dance For Your Life4:50A4Give Me A Sign3:48A5Hot To The Touch4:01B1Dead Or Alive (I Don't Know If You Are)4:35B2Secret Affair3:56B3You've Got Me Jumpin'4:11B4Change Of Heart4:00B5Show Me Another Way5:08, her only full-length record for Epic.

The 1990s

After her run at Epic did not result in another album, she mainly released techno/Eurodance singles, including the singles "Love Is An Island×Love Is An Island1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracksA1Love Is An Island (Club Transcendental)6:03A2Love Is An Island (Pleasure Dub)7:34A3Love Is An Island (Acapella)1:58B1Love Is An Island (Raymond's Radio Frequency)4:34B2Love Is An Island (Scotish Dub)6:43B3Love Is An Island (Nico's Brainkiller Mix)5:56" (1991) and "Summer of Love" (1992).
She covered a Prince song called "When 2 R in Love" in 1992 for Korduletsch's Radikal Records.
In late 1993, the German Eurodance project General Base featured Barry as lead singer for their single "Poison", peaking at No'3 in Israel and No'41 in Germany.
Miami-based Hot Productions released her 5 Lollipop albums on CD in 1993/94, including the 1980 compilation Disco Mixes×Disco Mixes1980 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracksA1Johnny Johnny Please Come Home6:25A2You Make Me Feel The Fire7:40A3Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes7:18B1Dancin' Fever4:25B2Boogie Tonight6:52B3Sweet Dynamite7:34 featuring the extended versions. A Christmas/Holiday Dance album titled, Disco 'round The Christmas Tree×Disco 'Round The Christmas Tree7 November 1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Jingle Bells3:462Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer3:443White Christmas4:154O Tannenbaum3:525Feliz Navidad4:306Deck the Halls / Come All Ye Faithful / Silent Night5:347Joy to the World4:008Let It Snow / Frosty the Snowman4:249O Little Town of Bethlehem3:1610Santa Claus Is Coming to Town3:4911The Twelve Days of Christmas4:4512Winter Wonderland3:3613O Christmas Tree2:46 was released on Radikal Records in 1995.
Before the decade ended, she recorded another song called, "Reach Out For Me" on Tony Green Organization Records in 1997.
She divorced Korduletsch in 1998 but still had him produce the album Love Him Forever that received a limited release in 1999.

1999 to present

In 1999, R&B artist Montell Jordan sampled the rhythm track from Barry's single "Love For the Sake of Love," for the hit titled, "Get It On Tonite" (No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100). In the year 2000, Da Brat also released a song with the same sample featuring Tyrese called "What'chu like" which reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In May 2006, Barry returned to the Billboard chart with "I Will Stand" released on Donna Jean Records. By July the song had reached the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, peaking at No. 4 before the end of the summer. It received moderate dance radio format airplay. In 2015, Barry's eighth album titled Come On Standup was released as a digital download only album release through CDBaby.

Albums

Sweet Dynamite (Lollipop, 1976)
The Girl Most Likely a.k.a. Claudja (Lollipop, 1978)
I Wanna Be Loved by You (Lollipop, 1978)
Feel the Fire (Lollipop, 1979)
Made in Hong Kong (Lollipop, 1981)
I, Claudja (Epic, 1987)
Come On Standup (CD Baby / Paradax Records, 2015) – digital download only

Compilation albums

The Best of Claudja Barry (Hot Productions, 1991)