Joey Negro has changed his name as he no longer finds it “appropriate” amid the recent Black Lives Matter protests against racial prejudice and injustice.
The DJ and producer, whose real name is Dave Lee, announced on his official Facebook page yesterday (July 21) that he’s dropped the alias, just one day after The Black Madonna confirmed that she had changed her stage name.
“In truth I’ve not felt comfortable with the name Joey Negro for a while, especially as I’ve got older,” Lee explained in the post. “I’ve stopped using it a few times but establishing a new name as an artist isn’t easy and I’ve ended up going back to it.
“I understand now though that it’s not appropriate for me to carry on using the name. I’ve recently received emails, tweets etc saying that it is unacceptable and people find it out of place in 2020 – and I agree.”
I’ve understandably been asked the question of how did you come up with the alias Joey Negro many times. If you don’t…
Posted by Joey Negro on Tuesday, July 21, 2020
He went on to confirm that he was dropping the pseudonym, “and all those future releases that weren’t already in production will carry the name Dave Lee.”
The producer went on to apologise for any offence caused, saying that his “whole life has been about music but particularly black music”.
“I love soul, funk, disco, jazz in a way that’s impossible for me to articulate in words and I have tried to champion it with the best intentions. Please be aware the changes are not instant everywhere.”
Elsewhere in the message, Lee explained that he first came up with the Joey Negro moniker after combining various names of artists whose music he’d owned on vinyl, with two of those being Pal Joey and J Walter Negro.
You can read the full statement above. At the time of writing, the name still remains on his Facebook page.
A number of acts have changed their names recently in light of a renewed focus on race and social justice, including The Dixie Chicks (now known as The Chicks) and Lady Antebellum (who now goes by Lady A).
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