Dave Lee drops Joey Negro stage name

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  • The English producer will no longer use his most famous alias, he announced in a Facebook post today.
  • Dave Lee drops Joey Negro stage name image
  • Dave Lee will no longer use his Joey Negro alias. The English producer addressed the name change in a Facebook post today, in which he also explained how he came up with his most popular alias in 1990 and why he continued using it for three decades. "In truth I've not felt comfortable with the name Joey Negro for a while, especially as I've got older," Lee wrote. "I've stopped using it a few times but establishing a new name as an artist isn't easy and I've ended up going back to it. I understand now though that it's not appropriate for me to carry on using the name. I've recently received emails, tweets, etc. saying that it is unacceptable and people find it out of place in 2020—and I agree." Lee described creating the stage name for his 1990 single Do It, Believe It on Nu Groove Records, when the label owners asked for an artist name. "I had a pile of records next to my desk at work, amongst them was Pal Joey 'Reach Up To Mars' and J Walter Negro 'Shoot The Pump,' I wrote down a few of the names off the vinyl and put them next to each other." "The one time I'd heard a J Walter Negro record on the radio as a new release the DJ announced it as 'Negro,' the Spanish pronunciation, and that's how I heard the name as I used it," he continued. "Why didn't I use Dave Lee? In retrospect I should have done, but to be completely honest it just seemed boring compared to the likes of Junior Vasquez, David Morales or Frankie Knuckles who were making some of my favourite records at the time. The Spanish house label Blanco Y Negro had a big record with Real Wild House and there was another song Piano Negro, I felt Joey Negro gave it a Latin American feel so it would fit in people's record boxes." Lee's statement comes one day after Marea Stamper changed her stage name from The Black Madonna to The Blessed Madonna following a petition by Monty Luke. Read Lee's statement in full.
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