Charles Shaw (singer)

Charles Shaw (born July 4, 1960) is an American rapper and singer who, in 1988, performed on recordings credited to Milli Vanilli.

Controversy

Shaw, a US Army veteran, was reportedly paid $6,000 to perform the rap on Milli Vanilli's hit single "Girl You Know It’s True". According to another vocalist who performed on Milli Vanilli songs, Jodie Rocco, Shaw was fired by Frank Farian shortly after the release of the song because he threatened to tell the public about his involvement with the record despite Farian's demand to "keep everything quiet".[1] In December 1989, Shaw disclosed to New York Newsday writer John Leland that he was one of three singers on Milli Vanilli's hit debut album, and that Milli Vanilli frontmen Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan were impostors. Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian reportedly paid Shaw $150,000 to retract his statements.[2]

Morvan and Pilatus went on to win the 1989 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, but rumors about Shaw's involvement persisted. Eventually the true story of the band was exposed in November 1990 when Farian broke the story himself, and the duo's Grammy Award was subsequently withdrawn.

Farian re-launched the group in 1991 as The Real Milli Vanilli, using Shaw with Brad Howell and John Davis, the singers from the original studio sessions. This group lasted for one album, The Moment of Truth. A revised version of this album was later released in the United States with the group renamed Try N B.

In August 1998, Shaw was arrested in Cologne, Germany as part of an embezzlement investigation. Shaw had been sought for allegedly pocketing money that was meant to be invested in a 1996 Real Milli Vanilli tour of Hungary.[3]

New recordings

In 1994, Shaw released the single "I'm Feeling" featuring vocals of Sandra Chambers[4] and in 1995 the single "Gotta Fever".[5] In 2000 he released an updated version of the Milli Vanilli song "Girl You Know It's True". In 2006, he issued an album under the name Charles Shaw's Iris. The disc featured a song called "Does Your Mother Know", which included the famous beat from "Girl You Know It's True", and other Milli Vanilli references.

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References
  1. The Real Milli Vanilli - Facebook
  2. Goodman, Fred; Trakin, Roy (1990-11-30). "Artificial Vanilli". ew.com. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  3. Staff report. (August 14, 1998). Jail songbird. Hollywood Reporter.
  4. "Charles Shaw – I'm Feeling at Discogs".
  5. "Charles Shaw – Gotta Fever at Discogs".
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