John Rocca

John Rocca (born 23 September 1960) is an English dance music performer, remixer, percussionist, and record producer, most well known for his band Freeez.

History During the early 1980s, Rocca formed, played with, wrote for, produced and managed his first band, Freeez. After his entrepreneurial first self-funded and self-released effort, "Keep in Touch", became a No. 49 hit on the UK Singles Chart, his next effort, Southern Freeez, was a chart success in various countries in Europe and around the world, reaching No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. Both singles were number one hits in the UK Blues and Soul charts.

During 1983, one of the first records to use digital sampling, "IOU", featured Rocca's falsetto voice and became one of the major dance successes of the 1980s electro music style. It scored number one in dance charts in Europe and the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play and had popular music chart success across the world, spending three weeks at number 2 in the UK.

As a solo artist, Rocca scored number one again, this time with "I Want It to Be Real", on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart during 1984. Intec Telecom Systems was successfully launched on the London Stock Exchange in 2001 (symbol: ITL.L).

Discography

Solo albums Unreleased album (Beggars Banquet, 1984) Extra Extra (Avenue Records, 1987) I.O.U. - The Best of John Rocca (Criminal Records, 1996)

Solo singles Year Song title / Label Peak chart positions UK US Dance US R&B 1984 "I Want It to Be Real" (Beggars Banquet/City Beat/Streetwise) 94 1 55 "Once Upon a Time" (Beggars Banquet/City Beat/Streetwise) — 72 — 1985 "I Want You" (Beggars Banquet/City Beat/Streetwise) — — — "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" (credited as Pink Rhythm) (Metropolis) — 36 — "India" (credited as Pink Rhythm) (Beggars Banquet) — — — "Melodies of Love" (credited as Pink Rhythm) (Beggars Banquet) — — — 1987 "I Want It to Be Real" (The Ultimate Mixes '87) (City Beat) — — — "Move" (Beggars Banquet/City Beat/Streetwise) — 11 — "Extra Extra" (City Beat) — — — 1989 "X. Y. Zee" (Cobra Records) — — — "The River Must Flow" (Cobra Records) — — — 1993 "Shine" Midi Rain (Vinyl Solution/Columbia/SME) — 1 — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.