Captain Jack (music) - Definition

Captain Jack is a musical group, specializing in eurodance music, originating from Germany. Its current members (since 2000) are Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez (stage name: Franky Gee) and Ilka-Anna-Antonia Traue (stage name: Illi Love). The original female vocalist on the group's debut in 1995 was Liza Da Costa, replaced in 1999 by Maria Lucia 'Maloy' Lozanes.

The gimmick to Captain Jack's music (and Franky Gee's persona) is that of military training. Franky's costume consists of a stylized military general's uniform, with a red hat based on that of the US Marines. Gutierrez chose this gimmick because of his service in the United States Army, a career he despised but was forced to follow. After ending his time in the US Army, Gutierrez remained in Germany, where he was last stationed, and began a recording career under the name "Westside".

While recording music under that name, he proposed the idea of a dance track based on a drill routine. That idea became his style: songs about peace and love in the style of a military regime, in protest against his years in the US Army. The hat — a US Marines "eight-point cover" hat, in the color scheme of the Russian Red Army — further protests the idea of the military, while symbolizing the idea of national unity.

The group has earned 19 gold and platinum records throughout Europe. Fans of the Konami arcade game Dance Dance Revolution know them from the numerous songs that, through the Dancemania series of albums, have been used in the game series.

External links

• The Official Captain Jack Homepage (http://www.captain-jack.de/)
• Captain Jack in the Eurodance Encyclopædia (http://eurokdj.free.fr/index.php?page=display_bio&lang=eng&NF=Captain_Jack)
• Dance Dance Revolution entry on GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/game/24096.html); the Music and Lyrics FAQ by NMR has a small biography about Captain Jack