Man Parrish

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Man Parrish grew up in Brooklyn, New York. At fourteen he left his parental home and became a regular at the nightclub Studio 54 in Manhattan. He got his nickname Man from Andy Warhol, and it first appeared in Warhol's magazine Interview. His early performances in hip-hop clubs in the Bronx were spectacles of light, glitter and fireworks, inspired by the atmosphere of Warhol and by groups such as the Cold Crush Brothers.

Music and breakthrough

His first record was Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop) from 1982. It is electronic dance music with a tight drum machine rhythm and synthesizers: the kind of sound that was called electro in the early 1980s. Parrish said that the record was pulled from the hip-hop scene when it emerged that he was white and gay. His biggest British hit was Male Stripper, made with Man 2 Man, which reached number four.

Influence

After his first success he signed with Elektra and got Tony DeFries as his manager, but in 1984 the label dropped him because it did not want to release his finished album. He then mixed and produced for, among others, Boy George, Michael Jackson and Gloria Gaynor. Together with Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Afrika Bambaataa, he is counted among the makers who shaped electro. In 2018 the Museum of Modern Art in New York added three of his works to its collection, including the video for his debut single.

Listening

• 
  Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop) · Man Parrish, 1982
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1982Man Parrish
• 1985Boogie Down
• 19962
• 1998Dreamtime
• 2019Hot Rod to Hell