Dancing in the Dark

Jan August

Jan August (born Jan Auggustoff; 24 September 1904 in New York City – 9 January 1976 in New York City) was an American pianist and xylophonist. He had a hit with his version of "Misirlou" in 1947 with Carl Frederick Tandberg.August, who was self-taught and began his career at age 17 in Greenwich Village, had hits with several other songs that blended classical styles and Latin beats. He was discovered in 1946 in a New York City nightclub by an executive for Diamond Records. The executive was so eager to have August with his label, he wrote the recording contract on one of the club's tablecloths. Early in his career August recorded on the Diamond label ("Misirlou" is on his album Piano Magic for Diamond). He played his hit for the Press Photographers' Ball in … more »