Chas Jankel
Biography
Chas Jankel was a keyboardist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, acting as a co-writer with Dury on most of the bands best known songs during the British funk/new wave bands commercial peak (the late 70s). Jankel was responsible for much of the funk influences in the Blockheads music, and that love for rhythmic music was a large part of his solo career.
He released several solo albums in the early 80s, including Chasanova, Questionnaire, Chazablanca, and Looking At You. He hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1982 with "Glad To Know You," "3,000,000 Synths," and "Ai No Corrida."
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First hooking up with Dury as part of the pub group the Kilburn and the High Roads in the early part of the 70s, Jankel was asked by Dury to join his new outfit, and appeared on such Blockheads releases as 1977s New Boots and Panties!! (which spawned Durys best-known hit, "Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll") and 1979s Do It Yourself, before leaving the group.
But in 1981, Jankel teamed up once more with Dury (sans the Blockheads), for the release Lord Upminster, which spawned the U.S. Top 40 dance hit "Spasticus Autisticus." But by this time, Jankel had become more interested in pursuing a solo career and he issued several releases for A and M from the early to mid-80s: 1980s self-titled debut, 1981s Chasanova and Questionaire (the latter of which contained the U.S. dance hit "Glad to Know You," a collaboration with Dury), 1983s Chazablanca, and 1985s Looking at You.
But after the flurry of recording activity, little was heard from Jankel again.
Quincy Jones had a UK chart hit with his version of "Ai No Corrida" which reached #14 in April 1981.
Jankel returned to the Blockheads after his solo career, and worked with Ian Dury on his final album with the group. After Durys death, Jankel continued to perform with the Blockheads.
Jankel has several composer credits for films, including D.O.A. and K2. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.