Shanks & Bigfoot
Encyclopedia
Shanks & Bigfoot were a British
duo of dance music
/UK garage
producers Steven Meade and Danny Langsman, best known for their hit single "Sweet Like Chocolate
". They were originally known as Doolally, recording the pirate anthem "Straight from the Heart" under this name in 1998. It was the first 2-step garage
record to break the UK Singles Chart
, peaking at No. 20. It was subsequently re-released in 2000 on the back of their chart success with "Sweet Like Chocolate", and reached No. 9.
" was a success even before commercial release, receiving months of club play before debuting at No. 1 and remaining there for two weeks. Much to the surprise of the duo, the song became one of the most popular singles of the late 1990s. The single was the eighth-biggest seller of 1999 in the UK.
"We think it must have captured people's imaginations somehow", said Shanks in an interview. "I don't think you ever think 'this is a big record' when you make one... it was something that just happened." Vocals on the track were sung by Sharon Woolf, who also sung "Straight from the Heart" for them the year before.
The video for "Sweet Like Chocolate" was computer-animated and popular at the time. It featured a girl walking along in an area where almost everything is made of chocolate
. The video was created by Visualisation Services Ltd (Darren Lee)http://www.vsl3d.com and was nominated for a BRIT
and a MOBO in 1999, but failed to win on either occasion.
, Armand van Helden
and Phats & Small
. Additionally, they were nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards
and two BRITs. A bidding war for Shanks & Bigfoot soon resulted, with the duo eventually signing to Zomba Records. They were also in hot demand as songwriters, with Britney Spears
asking them to write for her, as well as Beyoncé
and Destiny's Child
reporting in the now-defunct Ministry magazine, that they loved the record and had taken copies of "Sweet Like Chocolate" back to the US where it was never released.
In 2000 they released their debut and only album Swings and Roundabouts along with the follow-up single to "Sweet Like Chocolate", "Sing-a-Long", which failed to match the commercial success of "Sweet Like Chocolate", peaking at No. 12. UK soul singer Terri Walker
, an unknown at the time, provided vocals for all of the album except for "Sweet Like Chocolate". That year they also remixed Jamiroquai
's "Canned Heat" as a B-side for their "King for a Day" single, and mixed a Ministry of Sound
compilation entitled Ayia Napa – The Album.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
duo of dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
/UK garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
producers Steven Meade and Danny Langsman, best known for their hit single "Sweet Like Chocolate
Sweet Like Chocolate
"Sweet Like Chocolate" is a number 1 hit single by the musical duo Shanks & Bigfoot with vocalist Sharon Woolf. The track was later added to the duo's album Swings and Roundabouts....
". They were originally known as Doolally, recording the pirate anthem "Straight from the Heart" under this name in 1998. It was the first 2-step garage
2-step garage
2-step garage, or simply 2-step, is a typically English style of modern electronic dance music, and a relatively popular subgenre of UK garage.A transcription of this article is available as a PDF file.-Characteristics:...
record to break the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, peaking at No. 20. It was subsequently re-released in 2000 on the back of their chart success with "Sweet Like Chocolate", and reached No. 9.
Success
The single "Sweet Like ChocolateSweet Like Chocolate
"Sweet Like Chocolate" is a number 1 hit single by the musical duo Shanks & Bigfoot with vocalist Sharon Woolf. The track was later added to the duo's album Swings and Roundabouts....
" was a success even before commercial release, receiving months of club play before debuting at No. 1 and remaining there for two weeks. Much to the surprise of the duo, the song became one of the most popular singles of the late 1990s. The single was the eighth-biggest seller of 1999 in the UK.
"We think it must have captured people's imaginations somehow", said Shanks in an interview. "I don't think you ever think 'this is a big record' when you make one... it was something that just happened." Vocals on the track were sung by Sharon Woolf, who also sung "Straight from the Heart" for them the year before.
The video for "Sweet Like Chocolate" was computer-animated and popular at the time. It featured a girl walking along in an area where almost everything is made of chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
. The video was created by Visualisation Services Ltd (Darren Lee)http://www.vsl3d.com and was nominated for a BRIT
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
and a MOBO in 1999, but failed to win on either occasion.
Aftermath
At the annual MOBO Awards in 1999, Shanks & Bigfoot received three nominations and won one, for Best British Dance Act, beating out Fatboy SlimFatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
, Armand van Helden
Armand Van Helden
Armand Van Helden is a record producer, DJ and remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" , which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1997, and his own track "U Don't Know Me ", which went to number 1...
and Phats & Small
Phats & Small
Phats & Small are a dance music duo from the UK. The duo consists of Jason "Phats" Hayward and Russell Small, they are best known for their 1998 hit "Turn Around"-Career:...
. Additionally, they were nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
and two BRITs. A bidding war for Shanks & Bigfoot soon resulted, with the duo eventually signing to Zomba Records. They were also in hot demand as songwriters, with Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
asking them to write for her, as well as Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
and Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
reporting in the now-defunct Ministry magazine, that they loved the record and had taken copies of "Sweet Like Chocolate" back to the US where it was never released.
In 2000 they released their debut and only album Swings and Roundabouts along with the follow-up single to "Sweet Like Chocolate", "Sing-a-Long", which failed to match the commercial success of "Sweet Like Chocolate", peaking at No. 12. UK soul singer Terri Walker
Terri Walker
Terri Walker is an English R&B and soul singer–songwriter. Walker has released three albums in the United Kingdom, Untitled, L.O.V.E, and I Am. She also provided the majority of the vocals for Shanks & Bigfoot's debut album Swings & Roundabouts...
, an unknown at the time, provided vocals for all of the album except for "Sweet Like Chocolate". That year they also remixed Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
's "Canned Heat" as a B-side for their "King for a Day" single, and mixed a Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
compilation entitled Ayia Napa – The Album.
Singles
- "Straight from the Heart" (as Doolally) (1998, re-released 1999) No. 20 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; No. 9 UK (re-release) - "Sweet Like ChocolateSweet Like Chocolate"Sweet Like Chocolate" is a number 1 hit single by the musical duo Shanks & Bigfoot with vocalist Sharon Woolf. The track was later added to the duo's album Swings and Roundabouts....
" (1999) No. 1 UK (2 weeks); No. 6 Australia - "Sing-a-Long" (2000) No. 12 UK
Remixes
- "R.U. Ready" (Shanks & Bigfoot Mix) – Sharon Woolf (1999)
- released on 12" as a promo
- "Will You Wait for Me" (Doolally Vocal Mix + Shanks & Bigfoot Dub) – KavanaKavanaKavana is a British singer and actor.-Career:He released two albums Kavana and Instinct and enjoyed a number of chart singles including "Crazy Chance"...
(1999) - "Boost Dem" (Doolally Mix) – Kitachi (1999)
- "Canned Heat" (Shanks & Bigfoot Extended Master Mix) – JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
(2000)- released on "King for a Day" single
External links
- Shanks & Bigfoot discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
. - Sharon Woolf official website
- Terri Walker official website