Ottawan biography
thumb
Ottawan is a French eurodisco duo, led by Jean Patrick.
Career
They were fronted by lead singer Jean Patrick (Baptiste) (born 6 April 1954, Martinique) and Annette (born 1 November 1958), with Daniel Vangarde and Jean Kluger the main songwriters. They are best known for their two hit singles "D.I.S.C.O." and "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)". They also performed "Hello Rio", a song produced and written by Bobby Orlando, also known as Bobby O. He is more famous for founding The Fast (later to be known as Man 2 Man), Divine and The Flirts, and producing some early recordings with the Pet Shop Boys.
The band was originally founded by Kluger and Vangarde, the main producers of the Ottawan songs. In the United Kingdom they had two Top 10 UK Singles Chart hits. "D.I.S.C.O.", the act's debut single, reached number two in September 1980; "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" peaked at number three nearly a year later. "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" reached #1 in the New Zealand record chart during 1982, staying there for eight weeks.
In France, their single "You're OK" (French title "T'es OK") is one of the Top 50 best-selling singles of all time.
Patrick Baptiste started a solo career as Otman Jones; in the meantime Esther de Bijl continued Ottawan with Robert Walker as a replacement for Baptiste. On 7 October 2010, a remix version of "D.I.S.C.O." was released under de Bijl's artist name E-Starr.
Legacy
"D.I.S.C.O.", "You're OK!" and "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" were also recorded in French, under the titles "D.I.S.C.O.", "T'es OK!" and "Haut les mains (donne-moi ton cœur)".
"You're OK" was copied in the 1982 Bollywood film Disco Dancer as "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja Aaja".
"Hands Up" was parodied on Israeli sketch show Ha-Comedy Store.
The chorus from "Hands Up" was used in a Canadian television commercial in the 1990s.
"Hands Up" is regularly played in Club Med resorts worldwide during the nightly entertainment show with guests encouraged to join the staff in singing along to the song while performing the Club Med "Crazy Signs".
Significant singles
- "D.I.S.C.O." - UK #2
- "You're OK" - UK #56
- "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" - UK #3
- "Help, Get Me Some Help!" - UK #49
References
Biography from 
, the free encyclopedia.
It may not have been reviewed by a professional editor, and recent changes may not show up straight away. See the latest version of this article. Used under licence. Subject to disclaimers.