“You can’t spend your life singing songs like ‘Knock on Wood.”‘ The following year, however, Amii’s “Knock on Wood” was remixed and recharting in England. with “Friends.” ‘The track is totally different from anything I’ve ever done, thank God,” Stewart told Record Mirror. A year later, Amii dueted with JOHNNY BRISTOL on a reworking of Mary Wells/the Temptations'”My Guy/My Girl” (#63 R&B: #76, 1980), which was a moderate success. An altered, appended, and equally discofied remake of the Doors’ classic “Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven” (#69 R&B: #36, 1979) followed, and sold fairly well. The disk was a knockout with both pop (#1) and R & B (#6) audiences worldwide. “Pete went in and did the track,” Stewart told Blues & Soul, “and when I heard it, I just flipped out! In fact, I asked him what I was supposed to sing since the track sounded so good just as it was.” Disco or not, Stewart initially seemed to like the idea.

Peter Meisel, Hansa’s part-owner and controller, suggested that Amii remake one of his ’60s favorites, Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” for her next single. “You Really Touched My Heart” was released, and sold fairly well in Europe. The demo turned out so well that Leng and May walked the tape into the offices of Hansa Productions. Sitting in the audience one night was songwriter/producer Barry Leng, who was looking for a female to cut a demo on a tune that he and his associate Simon May had written. The part offered Amii the opportunity to show off her vocal abilities on “I Got It Bad” and the title tune. Stewart’s big break–that is, music break–came in 1977, when one of her old dance instructors, bringing Bubbling Brown Sugar to London, picked Amii to not only join him as assistant director but also play one of the lead roles. Amii also appeared in The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), King Kong (1976), and the Muhammad Ali story, The Greatest (1977). In 1975, she joined the Miami cast of Bubbling Brown Sugar and, soon after, the Broadway cast. Repertory Dance Company, where she studied ballet and modern dance. She attended Howard University, but left to work with the D.C. As a child, she was given music and dance lessons. Amy Stewart was born in 1956 in Washington, DC, the daughter of a top-secret Pentagon man. ” A peculiar comment indeed, considering that Amii’s “Knock on Wood,” her one and only international chart-topper, was one of the hottest disco disks of 1979. When I go home and close the door, I don’t want my brains to be blown out. “I’ve never bought a disco record in my life,” Amii Stewart told Record Mirror’s Paul Sexton. Eric Clapton Įric Clapton covered this song in his album Behind the Sun in 1985.PLACE_LINK_HERE?wmode=transparent” width=”” height=”350″ >ĪMII STEWART KNOCK ON WOOD (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) Ariola 7736 No. In 1984, a version by Razzy Bailey made number 29 on Hot Country Songs. Steve Cropper played on and produced this track with many of the original members of the Stax House Band including Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Lester Snell, Steve Potts. In August 2007, Australian soul singer Guy Sebastian recorded a tribute version of 'Knock on Wood' at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee for his album of soul classics The Memphis Album. Larry Carlton covered this song for his album, Discovery in 1986. Chart positions Chart (1979)Ĭhart (1985) Knock on Wood/Light my Fire (Remix) Stewart's version was also featured in the 1998 film The Last Days of Disco. It also reached the Top 10 twice in the UK, first in 1979 (#6) and a remixed version reached #7 in 1985. charts in April 1979, as well as charting on the soul singles and disco charts, becoming the best-known version of the song. It was Stewart's debut single and reached number one in the U.S. The most successful version of 'Knock On Wood' was recorded by Amii Stewart who made a disco version of the song in 1979. Pablo Rosario, Gui Andrisano, Warren Peace - backing vocals.David Sanborn, Richard Grando - saxophone.'Knock on Wood' ( Floyd, Cropper) - 3:03.David Bowie's 1974 single is taken from the live album David Live.

Amii stewart knock on wood