Claudja Barry facts for kids

Claudja Barry, born in 1952, is a talented singer from Jamaica who later moved to Canada. She is famous for her catchy disco and dance songs. Some of her most well-known hits include "Down and Counting" and "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes." This song even reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979. Besides singing, Claudja Barry has also acted in stage musicals like AC/DC and Catch My Soul.

Claudja Barry's Music Journey

Starting Out in Music

When Claudja was six years old, her family moved from Jamaica to Scarborough, Canada. After finishing high school, she moved to London, England. There, she got a role in a musical called AC/DC. Later, she joined a German production of Catch My Soul. This play toured around Europe, and Claudja ended up in West Germany in 1975.

In 1975, she signed with a music label called Hot Foot. She released a song called "Reggae Bump." This song helped her get noticed by a German music producer named Frank Farian. He was looking for members for his new music group, Boney M.. Claudja joined the group, but she soon left in early 1976. She wanted to sing her own songs, not just lip-sync.

After leaving Boney M., Claudja teamed up with Jürgen Korduletsch. She released her first song with the Lollipop label, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do." She was also asked to join another famous group, Silver Convention, but she decided to focus on her solo career.

First Big Hits

Claudja's first album, Sweet Dynamite, came out in November 1976. The title song became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Disco chart. She had another hit with "Dancin' Fever" the next year.

Her biggest song was "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes," released in early 1979. It reached number 7 in Canada and on the Billboard Disco Chart. It also became a top 20 hit in Sweden and Belgium. In 1979, Claudja won a Juno Award for being the Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year. This was a big award in Canada!

Music in the 1980s

Claudja started the 1980s with an album called Feel the Fire. In 1981, she tried a new style of music called new wave and Hi-NRG with her album Made in Hong Kong. The main song from this album, "Radio Action," became a popular club hit.

Later, she moved to New York. There, she had more success with dance music. She released a Hi-NRG cover of Little Peggy March's song "I Will Follow Him." She also covered The Yardbirds's song "For Your Love."

In 1985, Claudja appeared in a movie called Rappin'. That same year, she released the song "Born to Love." This song was produced with Bobby Orlando, a famous Hi-NRG producer. "Born to Love" reached number 14 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

In 1986, she signed with Epic Records. She had another huge dance hit with "Down and Counting," which reached number 1 on the dance charts. She also had success with "Can't You Feel My Heartbeat" and "Secret Affair." These songs were from her album I, Claudja, released in 1987.

Music in the 1990s

In the 1990s, Claudja released many techno and Eurodance songs. These included "Love Is An Island" (1991) and "Summer of Love" (1992). She also covered a song by Prince called "When 2 R in Love" in 1992.

In 1993, she was the lead singer for the German Eurodance group General Base on their song "Poison." This song was very popular in Israel and Germany. Later, in 1995, she released a Christmas dance album called Disco 'round The Christmas Tree. Before the 1990s ended, she recorded another song called "Reach Out For Me" in 1997. She also released an album called Love Him Forever in 1999.

From 1999 to Today

In 1999, the rhythm and blues artist Montell Jordan used a part of Claudja Barry's song "Love For the Sake of Love" in his hit song "Get It On Tonite." This song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, another artist named Da Brat also used the same sample in her song "What'chu like."

In May 2006, Claudja Barry returned to the Billboard charts with her song "I Will Stand." By July, it reached the top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, peaking at number 4. In 2015, Claudja released her eighth album, Come On Standup. It was available only as a digital download.

Claudja Barry's Albums and Songs

Albums

• Sweet Dynamite (1976)
• The Girl Most Likely (1978)
• I Wanna Be Loved by You (1978)
• Feel the Fire (1979)
• Made in Hong Kong (1981)
• I, Claudja (1987)
• Come On Standup (2015) – digital download only

Compilation Albums

• The Best of Claudja Barry (1991)

Singles

Claudja Barry has released many singles throughout her career. Here are some of her most popular songs and where they ranked on music charts:

More About Claudja Barry

• List of number-one dance singles of 1986 (U.S.)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• Bobby Orlando