Gnarls Barkley Biography
The pseudonym used by former Goodie Mob rapper/singer Cee-Lo Green aka Cee-Lo (Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, 30 May 1974, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) and producer Danger Mouse (b. Brian Burton, 29 July 1977, White Plains, New York, USA) for one of 2006's most inventive and witty musical outings, St. Elsewhere. The latter's profile was riding high thanks to the success of his collaboration with Damon Albarn on the second Gorillaz album, Demon Days, the previous year. Danger Mouse had first met Cee-Lo in 1998 at a talent contest in Georgia, USA, at a time when he was still struggling to make an impact beyond the confines of the underground DJ circuit and Goodie Mob were at the height of their popularity. The duo reunited in 2003 when Cee-Lo guested on Danger Mouse's collaboration with rapper Jemini, Ghetto Pop Life, and pledged to record an album together.
Gnarls Barkley was born (the duo have remained evasive about the origins of the name), and with Danger Mouse providing the music and Cee-Lo the lyrics and melody, an album was steadily pieced together in a studio in Georgia. The first single from the sessions, "Crazy", a hypnotically addictive neo-soul track about mental illness boasting a pitch perfect vocal from Cee-Lo, made UK music history at the start of April 2006 when it became the first number 1 single based on download sales only (although a 12-inch vinyl release was made available at the same time). The CD single release followed on April 3 and then the song refused to be budged from the top of the charts, racking up nine consecutive weeks by the end of the following month. The attendant St. Elsewhere was a joy from start to finish, an album positively bursting apart at the seams with musical and lyrical ideas. Tagged "industrial euro-soul" by Cee-Lo, the album's brief running time managed to take in proto-gospel ("Go-Go Gadget Gospel"), modern soul ("Crazy"), 60s horror pop ("The Boogie Monster"), and indie rock (a cover version of Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone"). The album duly topped the UK charts and was a major success in Europe, before belatedly reaching the upper regions of the chart in the duo's homeland. The duo also received two Grammy Awards, for Best Urban/Alternative Performance ("Crazy") and Best Alternative Music Album (St. Elsewhere). Choosing to strike while the iron was still hot, Burton and Callaway quickly recorded a follow-up album. Released in March 2008, The Odd Couple may have lacked a track as instantly recognisable as "Crazy" but reprised the debut album's giddying mélange of styles. The downbeat nature of the lyrics also indicated that Cee-Lo was not exactly courting the huge mainstream audience that had been attracted to the band by St. Elsewhere.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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