The group's origin was in the song "Gimme Dat Banana", written by Rainer Petsch, Ekkehard Stein, and Bernd Dietrich,[1] and which the trio - plus producer Michael Holm - had recorded by session musicians. CBS Records released the single in Germany in 1976, albeit without success, but it created enough of a buzz in nightclubs in the United Kingdom that Pye Records picked up the rights and released it on the Response Records imprint. In order to promote the single, Pye recruited Fascination, a band from Leicester (other than guitarist Victor Watson, who was from Wolverhampton),[2] to front the single and appear for performances.[3]
"Gimme Dat Banana" reached number 29 in the UK singles chart in September 1977 (as well as number 31 on the Record Mirror disco charts),[4] and earned the group a spot on Top of the Pops.[5] The song also reached number 20 in the Swedish pop charts the following April.[6]
It was Black Gorilla's only charting single.[7] A number of releases followed until 1979, including the band's only album, Private Collection. Drummer Dean Sargent - also a trumpeter - and saxophonist John Barrow formed the Swinging Laurels,[8] who backed Fun Boy Three on "The Telephone Always Rings",[9] and Barrow later worked with Crazyhead.