Den Harrow is the pseudonym of a famous artist who gained his fame in the late 1980s in the Italo disco genre. In fact, Dan did not sing the songs that were attributed to him.
All of his performances and video clips were based on the fact that he put dance numbers to songs performed by other performers and opened his mouth, imitating singing. However, this fact became known much later. In the 1980s, the artist and producers presented all the songs on behalf of Harrow.
Biography, Early Years Den Harrow
Stefano Zandri (real name of the musician) was born on June 4, 1962 in Boston (USA). It was not the birthplace of the family (Zandri is of Italian origin), but a temporary place of residence, since the father of the future star got a job at a Boston construction site as an architect.
The boy had big problems with communication - he practically did not know English, so he had no friends. Due to the difficulties of communication, the boy plunged into music. He learned to play the guitar, was fond of studying the piano. So the first 5 years of the life of the future artist passed. In 1967 the family returned to Italy and chose Milan as their new city.
This city was then one of the most developed in the world in terms of sound recording. At school, the boy had a difficult choice - to play music or devote himself to sports. The young man was very fond of both of these activities. He went in for wrestling, listened to a lot of music, studied instruments and was involved in the popular breakdancing.
In the end, he was never destined to make his own choice. Very soon, the attractive appearance of the young man was noticed, and he was offered to become a fashion model. So the future artist worked for a long time on the set. However, the dream of becoming a musician never left him.
The young man actively attended various parties and discos, until one of them met a local DJ Roberto Turatti.
Hearing that Stefano dreams of making music, Turatti decided to become his manager. At this time, the pseudonym of the artist appeared. Dan began to study vocals. There is a very big problem with this issue.
Zandri was the owner of a very low voice, absolutely not suitable for the disco style. He did, however, record two singles, Tome et Me and A Taste of Love in 1983. Both songs were very popular in Europe. Circumstances developed in the best possible way to release the debut disc. However, there was a small problem.
The heyday of artist Den Harrow
No matter how much Dan studied vocals, his voice still remained very weak for recording world hits. Then, together with Turatti, he decided to find an artist who would sing on the album instead of Dan. The first such performer was Silver Pozzoli, who sang Mad Desire.
However, after some time, Turatti decided to replace him with Tom Hooker, whose producer he was also then. This choice was successful commercially. However, it was the close relationship between the producer and the performer that eventually exposed Dan.
The album Overpower was released in 1985 and became a hit. Europe listened to singles from this disc. Every disco put these songs on top. Active concerts began. The main hit in Dan's career was the song Don't Break My Heart, released in 1987. It was the time of popularity of the Italo-disco genre.
Harrow was invited to all major European parties as a special guest. It turned out a special tandem. Turatti produced the project, Tom Hooker masterfully performed the compositions. And Dan was actively working on concert movements and his image in general.
So that at concerts the audience would not find out about the deception, the singer continued to actively engage in vocals. His voice became smoother and more resonant, so Dan could yell incendiary to the crowd to increase interest.
Peak of popularity
Popular music, attractive appearance, stylish outfits - Dan had all the prerequisites to become a real star. In 1987, a new peak was conquered - the single Don't Break My Heart became one of the most listened to in Europe. This is Dan's best-known song to date.
The second album, Day by Day, sold thousands of copies. It also took Hooker's voice as the basis. However, this year rumors began to appear that the musician did not perform his songs himself. Many have already begun to suspect that the album uses the voice of the popular Hooker. The fact that both musicians had a common producer only added fuel to the fire.
Dan's live tour took place in 1987. The audience was perplexed. The situation was aggravated by the release of the album Lies in 1989. Englishman Anthony James was hired as the vocalist this time. After the release of the release, the tabloids wrote that Dan was a liar and that all the songs were performed by someone else. Severe criticism and constant attacks from the press began.
In the early 1990s, Zandri moved to the UK to start a full-time solo career. Here he wrote the songs himself, without using fake vocalists. The album All I Want Is You became very popular and sold almost 1 million copies.
During the 1990s, the artist released three more albums, which were very popular. All discs are different. The fact is that for each album, Dan chose a new producer. Therefore, the sound was different, and the approach itself, which was used during the recording.
At the beginning of his career, the producers decided to hide Dan's nationality. Thanks to the American name, they decided to imitate the American origin of the singer. This was argued by the fact that the Italian stars at that time were unpopular. Therefore, the first few years of the musician's career were positioned as a Native American.
Artist Dan Harrow was last seen in the mid-2000s. He performed at parties and concerts dedicated to disco and music of the 1980s.
