Jeffrey Daniel facts for kids

Jeffrey Glen Daniel, born on August 24, 1955, is an American dancer, singer, songwriter, and choreographer. He is best known as a founding member of the R&B music group Shalamar. In Nigeria, many people know him as a judge from the first three seasons of the TV show Nigerian Idol.

Jeffrey Daniel's Amazing Dance Career

Jeffrey Daniel was born in Los Angeles, California. Throughout his career, he has worked with many famous musicians and dancers. These include Shabba Doo, Popin' Pete, and The Electric Boogaloos.

Daniel was one of the first people to perform a difficult dance move called "the backslide". This move is now famous as the "moonwalk". He first showed this dance on British television. It was during a performance of Shalamar's song "A Night to Remember" on Top of the Pops. This happened in 1982. This was almost a year before Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever TV show. Michael Jackson was a big fan of Soul Train, where Jeffrey Daniel was a back-up dancer. Michael Jackson's sister, La Toya, said that Michael admired Daniel's dancing. Michael Jackson later met Daniel, hired him, and learned from him.

Daniel gives credit to Don Campbell, an original dance 'Locker' and early Soul Train dancer, for inspiring him. He also thanks Cleveland Moses Jr., his partner on Soul Train. Another person he praises is Tyrone Proctor, who taught him the dance style called 'Waacking'. Daniel, along with Geron 'Caszper' Candidate and Derek 'Cooley' Jackson/Jaxson, first performed the moonwalk on U.S. television while doing a routine on Soul Train.

Shalamar: A Hit Music Group

Jeffrey Daniel and his Soul Train dance partner Jody Watley, along with Howard Hewett, formed the soul funk group Shalamar. They had many hit songs, including "A Night to Remember", "The Second Time Around", "I Can Make You Feel Good", "Friends", "Make that Move", "Take That to the Bank", "There It Is", and "I Owe You One". In the 1980s, Daniel was often seen in London clubs with popular groups like Bananarama, Wham!, and Culture Club.

In 1984, after seven years together, Shalamar performed at London's Wembley Arena. After this, the group members went their separate ways for a while. Soon after, Daniel took on a role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new West End musical Starlight Express. He played 'Electra'. This role involved wearing wild costumes and performing complex dances on roller skates. Also in 1984, Daniel appeared in the Paul McCartney movie Give My Regards to Broad Street. He showed off his unique robotic or marionette-like dancing style. He danced with Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney, and members of the band Toto. They were dressed as marionettes for the Wings hit song, "Silly Love Songs".

On April 12, 1985, Daniel hosted 620 Soul Train on the UK's Channel 4. This was a British version of the American Soul Train show. Daniel produced it with Don Cornelius. The show was very important for the UK. It featured invited studio dancers and live guest artists. It also showed clips from the U.S. version and sometimes music videos. Guest DJs like Pete Tong and Tony Blackburn also appeared. The show was a must-watch for fans of soul and dance music. At that time, other UK TV stations mostly focused on pop and rock music. 620 Soul Train was also one of the first TV research jobs for UK media person Jonathan Ross. His own show started on Channel 4 in 1987.

Working with Michael Jackson

By 1987, Daniel was working with Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson had always admired Daniel's dance style since watching him on Soul Train in the 1970s. Daniel was hired as a co-choreographer for the "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" music videos. He also starred in these videos. The main choreographer was Vincent Paterson. Later, Daniel worked as a creative and choreography consultant for Michael Jackson's world tours. He also helped with the video Ghosts. Daniel then became a consultant at the MJJ Productions record label. This label signed groups like Brownstone, 3T, and Men of Vizion.

Jeffrey Daniel's Recent Activities

Today, Jeffrey Daniel works and lives in Lagos, Abuja, London, and Osaka, Japan. He speaks and writes Japanese very well. He also has a good understanding of Cantonese. He continues to perform, choreograph, produce, and compose music with different artists. He has worked with Babyface, LL Cool J, Paul McCartney, Sheena Easton, The Go-Go's, and Vanessa Williams. He joined Nigerian Idol as a judge in 2010 and stayed for three seasons. Since 2002, he has been performing live shows with a reformed Shalamar. The current Shalamar lineup includes Daniel, Howard Hewett, and Carolyn Griffey. They continue to perform as a group and toured the UK in 2017.

Jeffrey Daniel's Personal Life

On June 13, 1980, Jeffrey Daniel married American R&B singer Stephanie Mills. They later divorced in 1983.

Seven days after his 65th birthday, on August 24, 2020, Jeffrey Daniel welcomed a new child with his Nigerian wife. This happy news was announced by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, chairman of Silverbird Group, on Twitter.

Jeffrey Daniel's Music Releases

Jeffrey Daniel has also released his own music.

Albums

• Skinny Boy (1990)

Singles

• "AC/DC" (1984) (Reached #78 in the UK)
• "She's the Girl" (1990)