Carol Douglas
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Carol Douglas (b. April 7, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York) is an actress and singer who is best known for her Disco hits Doctor's Orders (1975) and "Midnight Love Affair" (1976). Carol comes from a musical family background, her mother being blues and jazz singer Minnie Newsome and her cousin, soul legend, Sam Cooke.
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[edit] Early Life
At the age of 10 she was a contestant and winner on the game show Name That Tune. Carol started her professional show business career as an actress in the 60's, doing TV commercials and small film and TV roles, before venturing into theatre work. She served as an understudy for actress Jonelle Allen in the off-Broadway production of The Life of Mary McCloud Bethune. She then co-starred with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson in the play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.
[edit] Music Career
After a few years as an actress Carol decided to concentrate on her music career and in the early 1970's she landed the role of lead singer for the reformed soul group The Chantels. She toured the US with the group for a while before receiving a record contract with Midland International Records as a solo act. The first single released under the label, 1974 Doctor's Orders, became a huge hit, reaching #2 on Billboard's Disco chart, #9 R&B and #11 on the Pop charts. The follow up single A Hurricane Is Coming Tonite became a minor hit, reaching #81 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1976 she hit #1 on the Disco chart with Midnight Love Affair / Crime Don't Pay, both from her 2nd album Midnight Love Affair. The single also reached the #96 spot on Cashbox's top 100 chart. Even though Carol went on to chart over 1/2 dozen other hits on the Disco chart, none of them would reach the success of Doctor's Orders.
Although not internationally famous, in 1978 she release a cover version of the Bee Gees #1 hit, Night Fever, which became a minor hit for Carol in the UK, reaching #66 on the chart. By the early 80's, with the Disco backlash in full bloom, Carol decided to lay low for a while, only releasing sporadic 12" singles throughout the 1980's.
[edit] Recent Times
However by the early-to-mid 90's anything and everything retro Disco was in high demand and Carol found herself back on the road touring and making personal appearances at a number of special events including Martin Luther King Concert Series, Beatstock '97, Saturday Night Fever 20th Anniversary Reunion and the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony.
Douglas made an appearance on The People's Court (with Judge Marilyn Milian) in 2003 as the plaintiff in a case involving her and fellow disco diva Sharon Brown (I Specialize In Love). In addition to awarding Douglas some (not all) of the money she was requesting, Milian had Douglas sing a brief snippet of Doctor's Orders.
Douglas is not to be confused with (and is no relation to) Carl Douglas, a fellow pop one-hit wonder whose famous single Kung Fu Fighting was in the Billboard Hot 100 at about the same time as Carol Douglas's Doctor's Orders.
[edit] Singles
- 1974: Doctor's Orders (#2 Disco, #9 R&B, #11 Pop)
- 1975: Headline News (#5 Club Play Singles, #15 Disco)
- 1975: A Hurricane Is Coming Tonite (#14 Disco, #81 Pop)
- 1976: Midnight Love Affair b/w Crime Don't Pay (#1 Club Play Singles, #15 Disco, #102 Pop)
- 1977: Dancing Queen (#35 Disco, #110 Pop)
- 1977: I Want To Stay With You b/w Light My Fire (#28 Club Play Singles)
- 1978: We Do It (#108 Pop)
- 1978: Night Fever (#15 Disco)
- 1978: Fell In Love for The First Time Today
- 1978: Burnin' (#11 Club Play Singles) - Considered Carol's best effort, nominated for a Grammy in 1978
- 1979: Night Fever (#15 Club Play Singles
- 1979: I Got The Answer b/w Love Sick (#51 Club Play Singles)
- 1981: My Simple Heart (#45 Club Play Singles, #42 Disco)
- 1981: You're Not So Hot (#62 Club Play Singles)
[edit] Albums
- 1975: The Carol Douglas Album RCA Records The Billboard 200 #177, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #37,
- 1976: Midnight Love Affair RCA Records The Billboard 200 #188
- 1978: Full Bloom Grunt Records The Billboard 200 #139
- 1979: Burin' Unidisc
- 1979:Come Into My Life Midsong Records
- 1981: Love Zone
[edit] External Links
- Carol Douglas vs. Sharon Brown on The People's Court (YouTube)
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
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