Agadoo singer led a '60-man conga of inmates in prison'
'We had a conga of convicts snaking around the jail,' claims Dene Michael Betteridge
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The frontman of Black Lace has claimed he led a massive conga line in prison with 60 inmates dancing round the exercise yard.
Dene Michael Betteridge, known for the eighties hit songs 'Do The Conga' and 'Agadoo', was imprisoned in July 2016 for six months for falsely claiming almost £25,000 in benefits.
The 59-year-old musician, from Leeds, claimed he was unable to leave his home without assistance despite still performing. He spent 10 weeks in HMP Leeds but has now been released early with an electronic tag.
“Everyone wanted to sing Agadoo with me,” Betteridge told The Sun.
“It was surreal singing the party song about pushing pineapples and shaking the tree in such grim circumstances.”
“But people were obsessed. At night when we were all in our cells, the entire wing was singing in chorus; ‘Agadoo doo doo’.”
He claimed prison officers found the dancing “hilarious” as it was rare to see people enjoying themselves in prison.
““It was very odd but when these terrifying criminals tell you to do something you do it, so we had a conga of convicts snaking around the jail ... All the murderers and drug dealers wanted to be my mate,” he added.
The musician said he was inundated with autograph requests while inside and some of the seasoned inmates saw the conga renditions as potential auditions because they secretly pined for careers in the entertainment industry.
Betteridge joined Black Lace in 1986 and appeared on The Voice on the BBC in 2015.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments