12" SINGLES

JOHNNY JOHNNY (1977)	TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (1977)	TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (1977) (Germany only)	DOWN BY THE WATER (1978)
Johnny Johnny Dancin' Fever	Take Me In Your Arms I Wanna Win Your Love Again	Take Me In Your Arms I Wanna Win Your Love Again	Down By The Water Forget About You

STOP! HE'S A LOVER (1980) (Germany only)	BANANA BOAT (1980) (Germany only)	WORK ME OVER (1982) (Germany only)	DOWN AND COUNTING (1987)
Stop! He's A Lover Sweet Sensation	Banana Boat (Day-O) Girl Crazy	Work Me Over I Will Follow Him	Down and Counting (mix 1) Down and Counting (mix 2)

LOVE IS AN ISLAND (1991)	I WILL STAND (2006)
Love Is An Island	I Will Stand

Claudja Barry with the cast of "Hair" (fourth from the left)

BIOGRAPHY

Jamaican-born Claudja Barry moved to Toronto with her family as a child. She began taking vocal lessons at age 15. Her gift of mixing dance rhythms into an intoxicating visual image landed her spots on various local tv shows while still in school, which in turn led to headlining various shows as well.

After graduation, she left for New York, and moved to Europe where she eventually got a role in the hit musical "Hair," and then "Catch My Soul." In the spring of 1975 she lived in Geramany and had several jobs as a session vocalist where she met Frank Farian, who'd just had a European hit with "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" under the name "Boney M," the hero of an Australian TV series.

Because of the success of the record, there was a demand for live appearances so Claudja Barry, along with 3 other girls and 1 guy were hired. This line-up did only dancing, lip synching and press appearances. Claudja, however, quickly left when an opportunity to record as a solo artist came along. She signed with an independent German label Hotfoot in 1975. The song was entitled "Reggae Bump" and was backed by the title "How Could You Do It Again." The cover featured a biography of 23-year-old Claudja but does not mention her brief role in Boney M. While on a brief European tour she met another young record producer named Jürgen Korduletsch. Claudja Barry began working on her debut as a solo performer with Korduletsch, who was setting up Lollipop Records. Her first record was the single "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" backed with the track "Disco Love." The single was followed by "Sweet Dynamite" and "Love For The Sake Of Love" which soon became underground German club hits.

She returned part-time to Canada and subsequently set up a distribution deal with Salsoul Records. The five tracks were remixed and added to five new tracks. "SWEET DYNAMITE" was released in the spring of 1977. A major hit in the European dance clubs, the album also showcased her range with the soulfully haunting song "Love For The Sake Of Love." "Why Must A Girl Like Me" and the gr"Sweet Dynamite" were a Euro-disco mix of soul and funk. The record also contained the instrumental "Live A Little Bit," a sort of pseudo-African beat with a reggae twinge. Thanks to 12" singles, the title track, "Sweet Dynamite" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" were top ten club smashes and made the album an international hit. She was also featured on label-mate Ronnie Jones' debut that year, doing a cover of the classic Marvin Gaye / Kim Weston duet "It Takes Two."

Returning to Munich, Germany's Arco Studios, Barry and Korduletsch decided to broaden her appeal. The result was the 1977 album "The Girl Most Likely". In Canada and in the USA, the songs were remixed by Tom Moulton and was issued, simply entitled "Claudja". Somewhat confusing to those who viewed her as strictly a disco-diva, it showcased her versatility, with such tracks as her remake of the Gladys Knight & the Pips classic "Every Beat Of My Heart" and the raucous Motown classic remade three years earlier by the Doobie Brothers "Take Me In Your Arms" which was also issued on single, backed with the non-LP cut "Wanna Win Your Love Back". But it was the success of the club mixes of "Dancin' Fever" and "Johnny, Johnny Please Come Home" that ensured Claudja her second gold record. "Johnny, Johnny" was recorded after recording sessions had first been concluded and replaced the song "I'll Be Dancing No More". Claudja also succeeded in getting a record deal in the UK where a selection of the best songs from her two albums were released on the LP "Claudja Barry".

Korduletsch now decided to release the next record on his own Lollipop label with a Canadian distribution deal, the end result being "CLAUDJA BARRY" later the same year. It containted what would turn out to be her most commercially successful record, the 12" version of "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" that would set the dance floor on fire, fast becoming an import hit when Chrysalis Records snatched up the U.S. rights, just in time to see it become an instantgold smash. The original also contained a short version of "I Just Wanna Be Loved By You", the infamous Marilyn Monroe hit, the full version of which was only available on the B-side of the "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" 12" single. However when Chrysalis bought the rights they decided against including "I Wanna Be Loved By You", "Down By The Water" (a German single which was very reminiscent of Boney M.'s mega-hit "Rivers Of Babylon") or "Love Of The Hurtin' Kind." Retitled BOOGIE WOOGIE DANCIN' SHOES, they did include another track from those sessions not on the original album, "Forget About You." Straying from her 'hard-core disco image', both versions also included a rendition of the Staple Singers' "Heavy Makes You Happy". 1978 also saw Claudja in the running for two Juno Awards, but lost most promising female vocalist to Lisa Dalbello, and was runner up for female vocalist, won by Patsy Gallant.

Next up was FEEL THE FIRE, hitting the shelves a year later. Disappointment rang throughout the offices at Chrysalis, as aside from the track "You Make Me Feel The Fire", nothing charted and nothing seemed to catch the attention of a now-changing dance club scene. Partly due to the interference and tampering of the big label, the album seemed to lack the spunk of some of her earlier works. "Stop, He's A Lover" and "One Night Queen" kept her Euro-disco sound alive, but things seemed to be becoming more mechanical, although "Love Seemed So Easy Without You" is a pleasant R&B/pop ballad, showing the range she was capable of.The sessions also yielded a cover version of "Sweet Sensation" which was issued as the B-side of "Stop He's A Lover". Polygram also released a greatest hits package that year (add: with 12" versions of , You Make Me Feel The Fire, Boogie Woogie Dancing Shoes, Johnny Johnny, Dancing Fever, Boogie Tonight, and Sweet Dynamite, all segued together for a non-stop medley). Again Claudja found her way to the ballot at that year's Junos, winning this time for most promising female vocalist.

An interesting German compilation LP was issued, entitled "Profile". It wasn't a typical "Greatest Hits" compilation since it only contained four singles "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes", "Why Must A Girl Like Me", "Down By The Water" and "Dancin' Fever" but it included several non-album tracks, some previously unreleased, and some previously only released on single B-sides: "Who Gave Me Love", "American Hearts", and cover versions of "Ti Amo" (a huge Italian hit by Umberto Tozzi), and "Without You" plus the singles B-sides: "Summertime" (the B-side of some pressings of "Dancing Fever"), "Sweet Sensation" (B-side of "Stop He's A Lover"), "Sunshine Love" (B-side of "Boogie Tonight"), and the full-length version of "I Wanna Be Loved By You" (B-side of "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" 12" single).

By 1981 disco was on it's last leg and Claudja Barry was caught in the middle of the musical crossroads, having a tough time getting North American distribution. She released the 12" single of "Radio Action" that year on the Canadian arm of the Polydor label, scoring a hit on the gay club circuit. MADE IN HONG KONG produced the title track hit as well as the more moderately tempoed "Love Control." However the lack of American distribution impeded it's potential success and it remained a hit in underground circles only. That year she was again featured doing a duet with Lollipop-mate Ronnie Jones, "The Two Of Us", from his 1980 album "Video Games". The European releases featured another duet "United We Stand", adding to the lengthy list of Claudja Barry B-sides. When Handshake released "The Two Of Us" stateside the following year (including a 8:24 remix), it was backed with a Ronnie Jones B-side "Southside Philly" instead.

1982 saw much of the same - Claudja Barry trying to shed the nearly-taboo by this time 'disco queen' image while not straying far from the sound that brought her to the dance. A dance version of the Harry Belafonte classic "Banana Boat (Day-O)" on a 12" and Atlantic Records released "If I Do It To You", then "Up All Night". TSR Records stepped in that summer and and released "Work Me Over" backed with the remake of "I Will Follow Him", Peggy March's 1963 hit. Oddly though, a full album didn't follow. 1983 saw her form a short term alliance with Personal Records, releasing interesting remakes of The Yardbirds' "For Your Love", and The Cerrones' "Trippin' On The Moon" a year later, which featured a censored version of her German Playboy cover from '79. Two different 12" singles of "Born To Love" also from 1984 were released, as was the 5-track mini-album NO LA DE DA - Part 2 which also featured Aldo Nova.

After appearing on Bobby 0's "Whisper To A Scream" in '85, she landed a small role in the Mario Van Peebles movie "Rappin'" that same year. 1987 saw Barry ink a deal with Epic Records, releasing a 12" with two versions of "Down and Counting", a smash hit in the clubs. This made its way to the I, CLAUDJA album later that year. 3 other singles were cut, but "Secret Affair", "Hot To The Touch" and "Can You Feel My Heart Beat" failed to pack the same punch. "Dead Or Alive", spurred on by the pop group of the same name was also featured on the record.

1990 saw Miami-based Hot Productions convince Claudja to collaborate with one of their signees, electronica-group S.I.N. in 1990 for "Good Time". A 1991 deal with RCA saw the release of "Love Is An Island", yet another 12" club hit, while Hot Productions issued Claudja's first CD-release, "The Best Of Claudja Barry", covering all her greatest hits from 1976 - 1987. Two more independent singles "Summer Of Love" and "Can We Dance" made their way to vinyl in 1992, and in 1993 Hot Productions issued Claudja's three first albums on CD with the title and track selection as they were originally released in Germany: "Sweet Dynamite", "The Girl Most Likely" and "I Wanna Be Loved By You". "Feel The Fire" and "Made In Hongkong" followed in 1994, and in 1995 the 1979 "Greatest Hits" album with the medley of extended mixes was also released on CD under the new title "Disco Mixes".

In 1994 she lent her talents to German rave artists General Base for "Poison". 1995 saw Claudja demonstrate her range at the utmost, releasing a Christmas album entitled DISCO ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE shortly after Lollipop and Hot Productions issued another 'best of' package called DISCO MIXES. She signed a deal with Critique Records the following year, releasing a 12" single "Ain't Gonna Miss You". Korduletsch meanwhile was beginning to work with other artists as well, producing CALL ON GOD by gospel group The Brower Brothers in '97, of which Claudja was part of the choir.

In May 2006, Claudja returned to the Billboard charts with "I Will Stand" released on Donna Jean Records. By July the single had reached the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, peaking at #4 before the end of the summer. An album is due to be released soon.

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