KLASSIC KUTS: The Reggae King Ruled the Dance Floor in ’81
Denroy Morgan dropped a track that lit up dance floors and blurred genres with his reggae-disco-boogie infused jam, “I’ll Do Anything For You.”
It was 1981, the tail end of disco, the dawn of boogie, and Morgan, a Jamaican transplant who landed in New York in ’65, had been grinding with his underground reggae group, The Black Eagles. Then he pivoted. Teaming with production genius Bert Reid (Crown Heights Affair, Unlimited Touch), he crafted a record with deep reggae bass, R&B sophistication, and a groove so undeniable it demanded movement. Morgan later said of Reid, “Bert always tell mi dat him hear a hit song in mi voice.”
The record needed a champion, and New York’s Frankie Crocker delivered. Hearing the track in a hot club, likely The Garage, he put it on WBLS airwaves — and just like that, the song exploded. It went Gold, hitting #9 on the Soul/R&B chart and #7 on the Dance chart.
For one brilliant year, Denroy Morgan was a disco-funk titan, trading intimate NYC clubs for legendary stages alongside Slave, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and even headlining Studio 54. He wasn’t just a reggae man; he was a crossover maestro proving that a great groove doesn’t fit in a box — it moves the people.
Morgan’s influence didn’t stop there. He founded Morgan Heritage with his children, leaving a legacy that stretched far beyond the charts. When he passed in 2022, he left behind a lineage of 30 children, 104 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren — a musical and familial empire rooted in rhythm, soul, and love.
This is Klassic Kuts — honoring the tracks that shaped music, moved the culture, and still hit the soul decades later. Denroy Morgan’s “I’ll Do Anything For You” is one of those timeless cuts.
Check out my Super Throwback Party every Sunday on Majic 102.1 from 6pm – 8pm where I bless you with some of these gems.
I introduce to you a Klassic Kut – Denroy Morgan – I’ll Do Anything For You. Check it out below. You’re Welcome.
Klassic Love,
Madd Hatta
