Biography
Danger Mouse may not have first reached the summit of the British singles chart through his Gnarls Barkley project, yet the partnership served as his initial turn at the helm of a chart-topping release. Born Brian Burton, the producer first attracted the notice of selective listeners by assembling The Grey Album, a bootleg that fused vocals from Jay-Z’s The Black Album with instrumental passages sampled from EMI’s flagship act the Beatles and their White Album. Although the label issued a cease-and-desist, one staff member, Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, came away impressed and commissioned Burton to supply the beats for Gorillaz’ second album, Demon Days.
A year later Danger Mouse reappeared on the charts through a fresh collaboration, Gnarls Barkley, built with singer Cee-Lo Green, a solo artist and onetime member of Atlanta’s Goodie Mob. The two had first met in Atlanta in the late ’90s and began working together around the time of Burton’s 2003 album Ghetto Pop Life. Several tracks circulated among mutual associates until a leaked cut, “Crazy,” turned into a sought-after digital commodity. The song became the first single to reach number one on the British charts through downloads alone, and the resulting album St. Elsewhere also topped the charts. Its follow-up, The Odd Couple, arrived in early 2008.
A year later Danger Mouse reappeared on the charts through a fresh collaboration, Gnarls Barkley, built with singer Cee-Lo Green, a solo artist and onetime member of Atlanta’s Goodie Mob. The two had first met in Atlanta in the late ’90s and began working together around the time of Burton’s 2003 album Ghetto Pop Life. Several tracks circulated among mutual associates until a leaked cut, “Crazy,” turned into a sought-after digital commodity. The song became the first single to reach number one on the British charts through downloads alone, and the resulting album St. Elsewhere also topped the charts. Its follow-up, The Odd Couple, arrived in early 2008.
Albums
Singles
Live
