Interview: Shalamar's Jeffrey Daniel reflects on teaching Michael Jackson the moonwalk and shares memories of the '80s club scene with Boy George
Jeffery Daniel is a founding member of R'n'B group Shalamar who have been having hits since 1980. The star has held a deep love for the UK for over four decades, and he is returning to his happy place this summer to perform the band's hits. He exclusively recalled the many highlights of his career - including teaching Michael Jackson the iconic moonwalk dance - to Contact Music...
They can make you feel good! R'n'B legends Shalamar have been having huge hits since 1980.
The group have given us classic tracks such as 'A Night To Remember', 'I Can Make You Feel Good', 'Take That To The Bank' and many more.
Shalamar continue to wow crowds and will be performing once again in the UK, which has always embraced their music.
Contact Music caught up with founding member Jeffrey Daniel who spoke about how he taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk, his memories of hanging out with Boy George and
Contact Music: What do you most like about performing in the UK? It's always been a bit of a second home to Shalamar...
Jeffrey Daniel: The UK has to be our best audience in the universe.
It's such an ineffable explanation of trying to find the words to describe the UK crowd because they've been so gracious to us from day one - especially since 1982 when I did that performance on 'Top of the Pops' and from that moment on, we've just had this marriage, this relationship. It's great.
The UK has a great affinity for American R'n'B...
I'm not sure if the UK people even understand that the UK has produced more Blue Eyed Soul artists than America - and America is where the music is coming from!
When you look back, you've got The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Paul Young, Rick Astley, Alison Moyet, Adele and Sam Smith.
The list goes on, and on, and on; there are so many.
It's been over 40 years that you guys have been doing this. Is there a favourite song that you love to perform when you're on tour?
Oh, that's a tough one because we have so many songs.
So it's called greatest hits. We're always going, 'OK, which ones do we do? Which ones we don't do,' because we have so many hits - which is a blessing anyway - but we have to just make sure that we get the ones in it that the people love.
Is there ever any appetite for you guys to make a new album or release a new single?
We have the energy for it. In fact, we have the creativity for it. But we're approaching that very cautiously.
We saw Earth, Wind and Fire, come back and make new music; but people still want to hear their hits.
Stevie Wonder can make a new album; people still want to hear his hits.
Kool and the Gang made a new album a couple of years back; people still want to hear their hits, because they really love them.
It has been like the soundtrack to their life, and they just love that music.
We put out a new song about four or five years ago called 'The Real Thing', and people liked that.
It is kind of a lukewarm thing and still has the integrity of the Shalamar sound with a newer twist to it, but people still want to hear 'Friends', they still want to hear 'A Night to Remember'. So, you know, I don't know.
For us to be where we are at this point in our life, I think we put most of our concentration into the hits that the people love.
If we sprinkle something on top, it's just something sprinkled on top.
I think that's how the audience takes it.
Back in the '80s, you worked with artists like Paul McCartney and Sheena Easton, the list goes on. Do you get approached to work with new artists?
Yes. I like to spread the love to newer people and some newer artists and see them blossom with the musical thing that I have inside of me and inside of them.
The newer generation has a newer energy. They have a newer perspective and a newer approach.
A lot of it is auto-tune. A lot of it is repetitious and this and that. But, that's the thing. But, some people in there are still holding on to that integrity of real music and the feel-good music.
Are there any other artists you're listening to that you can share that you feel are carrying on that classic tradition?
Oh, I love the people like Lamar. I love the people like Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak because they really have the integrity of that '70s style, and it's not about repeating what's been done by capturing but just being a real musician.
Be a real vocalist. Be a real singer. Master the art and master the craft, and I think that's what it was supposed to have been about, not just taking a cookie cutter and just like 50 people doing the same thing. It gets a bit monotonous, and it's less inspiring that way.
I'm not trying to look down on anyone or speak ill of anyone, but I mean, truth be told, the human voice; that's the thing that touches your soul, not a machine, you know.
But, there are some people out there, and they're trying to maintain that integrity of being a human being, being your voice, being your instrument and that music, musicality there not just let the machines just cap it out for you.
And then there's a purpose for it. There's a time for these things.
But don't let it be the main thing.
You worked with Michael Jackson and famously taught him the moonwalk. Have you been approached about contributing to the new biopic?
I haven't been approached.
Michael brought me back to America in '96 as no one knew where I was.
I was in Japan, and they were looking for me all over the UK, everywhere, and they finally found me in a suburb.
And he brought me back to America, and I worked with him from '96 to 2000, and then I returned to Japan.
You could offer a lot to that film in terms of getting the dance right and getting the performances right...
Well, I haven't thought about it because if you look back over my career, during and post working with Michael, I never went out to make a big thing about it.
I didn't do anything. I don't make a thing about it. I didn't go out trying to build off of and trying to capitalise off of the work I did with Michael.
I let it stand, and I go off and do my thing. I'm off in Japan. I'm off in Africa. I'm off here somewhere, doing something. I just go on to the next thing I guess, if it's a good or bad thing, I don't know, but it's just the way I'm built.
I saw that Jermaine Jackson's son Jaafar is going to be playing Michael. I'm like, well, it's good to keep it in the family.
If they were to contact me if they wanted me to do something, and if it seemed conducive and attractive, why not?
I just don't try to chase after the things that I've done except Shalamar. That's my baby. Shalamar, 24/7.
How long did it take Michael to master the moonwalk when you showed him? Did it take a bit of practice, or did he just get it straight away?
That I can't answer because I first showed him in 1980. He did it publicly in 1983. Now that doesn't mean to say that it took him three years to learn it. He may have been just waiting for the perfect opportunity to exhibit the dance.
I was at the Motown 25th anniversary, I was in the audience. Here's the funny thing about it; no one knew that was going to happen.
He did 'Billie Jean', he did about three scoots into the spin and landed on his toes.
When the performance was over, I went over to him and said, 'Wow, Michael, you did it.' He said, 'Yeah, but it didn't work out the way I wanted it to.' I said, 'Bro, whatever you did out there, you killed the audience.'
But let me tell you what the funny thing was when Michael did that backslide for the first time on that stage, the audience jumped up.
But the people who I knew looked at me because it was like, 'Michael's doing your thing.'
Do you think if you had called it the moonwalk when you started doing it rather than the backslide you would have got more credit as the inventor?
Music, books, movies, all these things can be patented, but we can't do it with dances.
But you know, I'm just so honoured. Like I said, if I even had a tiny contribution to Michael Jackson's success, I'm still beyond honoured even if I had a minimal contribution because he was such a great artist.
He was such a great person, he was such a great performer, and we're blessed to have been here in our lifetime to share that experience with him because I'm sure I'm never going to see anything like that again.
You have lived all over the world, Nigeria, Japan, England, and you spent a lot of time in London in the '80s and were part of that club scene. What are your memories of that?
I would go to Camden Palace every Thursday night.
And the funny thing about it is they would show 'Top of the Pops'.
The Belle Stars would be there having a drink, Echo and the Bunnymen, Haysi Fantayzee, Steve Strange was hosting it and Boy George would be there with Marilyn. I'm trying to make sure I don't forget any of the people who used to hang out there, but it was amazing.
Then you go to the WAG Club, which is near Chinatown.
The club scene was so amazing back then. I didn't want to be in LA. I just wanted to get back to London so I could hit up the clubs.
We would hang out on King's Road every Saturday, I'd be sitting there having tea with Tom Bailey from Thompson Twins. It was just so magic.
We had this close-knit music community.
We were talking about Shalamar's amazing hits. Surely you guys have got to get the call to play Glastonbury at some point?
That is our bucket list - what is taking them so long?
We're waiting for two places - the Royal, Albert Hall and Glastonbury. After that, I can die a happy man.
Shalamar 2025 UK tour dates:
Saturday, June 7, Maldon, Essex: Promenade Park
Friday, July 11, Margate: Dreamland Margate
