THE STORY OF LOVERSROCK
The roots of lovers rock lies in the last days of the rocksteady era and early days of reggae, with Jamaican and American singers such as Ken Boothe, Johnny Nash and John Holt enjoying international hits with versions of well-known love songs.[2]
A style suited to the London reggae scene, lovers rock represented an apolitical counterpoint to the conscious Rastafarian sound dominant in Jamaica at the time, a continuation of the soulful and commonly love-themed rocksteady style, based on singers like Alton Ellis, who were not very optimistic about the rise of Rastafarian reggae.[1] It combined the smooth soul sounds of Chicago and Philadelphia soul with rocksteady and reggae bassline rhythms.[3][4] Rooted in the sound systems of South London, the style had particular appeal amongst women and produced many female stars including Carroll Thompson. Louisa Mark was aged 14 when she had a major lovers rock hit with her version of Robert Parker's "Caught You in a Lie" in 1975. This spawned the distinctive young girl female sound associated with early lovers rock. Simplicity formed in 1975 and released their first hit "To Be in Love" produced by Coxson; the B-side was the Emotions classic, "A Feeling Is a Feeling". They were headhunted by Neville King who produced their hits "Loving Kind", "Waiting" and "Black Is Our Colour". This was followed by the husband and wife production team of Dennis and Eve Harris who then had a big hit with T.T. Ross's "Last Date". Dennis Harris then set up a new record label, Lover's Rock, at the south east London premises on Upper Brockley Road along with John Kpiaye and Dennis Bovell, which gave the new genre a name.[4]
South London trio Brown Sugar (including a young Caron Wheeler, later of Soul II Soul) pioneered a subgenre, 'conscious lovers', with songs such as "I'm in Love with a Dreadlocks" and "Black Pride". Others who released records in this subgenre included the Battersea songstress Winsome and Kofi.[4] Lovers rock became a staple of London's sound systems such as Chicken Hi-Fi, Success Sound, and Soferno B.[2] Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser would be a key lovers rock producer, working with Deborahe Glasgow, while Bovell would produce one of the genre's biggest hits, Janet Kay's "Silly Games", which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979.[1][2][3] Although noted for the preponderance and youth of its female exponents, the new style produced male stars as well, notably Trevor Walters, Honey Boy, and Winston Reedy. The trend also saw the emergence of many male groups, including Tradition, The Investigators and the Birmingham group Beshara, who in 1981, had the emotive reggae chart hit "Men Cry Too".
Subsequently, numerous well-established Jamaican acts came to try their hand at the new sound. Most successful among these were Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, and later Freddie McGregor.[2][3] Brown's "Money in My Pocket" (#14 in 1979) and Minott's "Good Thing Going" (#4 in 1981) were both big hits in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Seminal punk/rock/ska/reggae crossover band The Clash popularised the term, introducing it to a wider mainstream audience, by including a song called "Lover's Rock" on their 1979 signature double LP, London Calling.
The popularity of lovers rock has continued, and in the 1980s the Fashion label was successful with UK audiences, and the Revue label had a major hit in 1986 with Boris Gardiner's "I Wanna Wake Up with You".[2] In the 1990s, the likes of Mike Anthony, Peter Hunnigale and Donna Marie enjoyed success with the genre, and several British stars have performed at Reggae Sunsplash.[2][4] The 21st century has seen lovers rock being exposed to more audiences by impresario Orlando Gittens, who has pioneered the "Giants of Lovers Rock" series of concerts at London's O2 Arena.[citation needed]
The genre of lovers rock has heavily influenced the R&B, hip hop and pop music scenes since its peak in the 1960s and 1970s. Songs incorporating a mixture of love and romance, politics and reggae-inspired sounds have become an accepted trend in music. Most notably is Bajan singer Rihanna, whose songs such as "Man Down", "No Love Allowed" and others follow the same subject matter and structure as songs belonging to the lovers rock genre. Other artists such as Drake, Lauryn Hill, Musiq Soulchild and countless others utilize techniques from lovers rock to create reggae-influenced love songs in their discography. British singers Sade and Estelle both titled their albums Lovers Rock and the songs on those albums were inspired by the genre
KINGS AND QUEENS OF LOVERSROCK
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s
Because the majority of both its performers and audience were women, and it tended to have a romantic influence in sound and lyrics, lovers rock was often seen as intrinsically apolitical, where roots reggae and the black masculinity associated with it had clear political messages of emancipation and liberation. While not as explicitly politically conscious as other subgenres of reggae, lovers rock was indeed political, however, “never [steering] too far away from the politics of romantic love and heartbreak”.[6] Lovers rock, being indigenous to Britain with strong Jamaican influences, emerged with regard to the cultural and political environments of the time for Caribbean people in the United Kingdom.[7] It engaged with politics for the female face of the genre, as well as for the male-dominated production and ownership of the genre. It portrayed patriarchal discourses through its creation of politically contentious erotic spaces that challenged racism, while also encapsulating the struggles of gendered oppression dealt with by women.[8] Though much more subtle than other politically outspoken music, lovers rock did portray its own stance on the political climate of Britain in the mid-1970s.
The genres of Brit funk and lovers rock also displayed a very interesting interrogation of a black diasporic that received far less attention from mainstream music society; its portrayals of black diasporic identities in the United Kingdom at the time are unlike any other culture in the history of black music.[9] Strachan states that being black and British, much like the thesis of "The Black Atlantic", involves quite a bit of maneuvering as far as identities go. With such a large migration of Jamaican and Caribbean black people to the UK during the late 1970s and early 1980s, primarily due to the ostracization of queer identities in these Caribbean cultures at the legislative level, the identities went far beyond that of just Black Brits, as well as the musical influences. Much like how lovers rock and Brit funk have allowed for many genres to interact that never would have, many of these identities were introduced to each other for the first time. Though the genres were very much framed apolitically, as these tracks were the ones that received radio time, there was still a deep emphasis on the identity of the artists and listeners as marginalized in every sense. Many tracks displayed this, as well as artist interviews, but these received far less airtime.[10]
According to sociologist Lisa Amanda Palmer, the patriarchal structures within Lover’s Rock dictated female success as men were often the DJs and producers in that space [11]. She cites the experience of Carroll Thompson, who created her own company (in which she maintained complete creative control of her projects) because she was tired of the sexist and prejudice attitudes within the industry [12]. She also argues that these patriarchal structures are inherently harmful to both men and women. Pointedly, this gendering neglects the men who were allowed to be emotionally expressive and vulnerable within the context of Lover’s Rocksuch as Beshara’s 1981 track “Men Cry Too” which highlighted the emotions that consumed Black British men [13]. Furthermore, this gendering creates a tension between political protest and the emotional/erotic. Additionally, it places femininity in opposition to Black political protest. The gendering of Black diasporic music is a commonplace, but Lover’s Rocks makes it clear that Black femininity is not inherently oppositional to Black power. Ultimately, Palmer asserts that Lover’s Rock and Roots Reggae are not oppositional, but instead demonstrate the many forms of Black expression in a period of extreme racialization and prejudice
Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a rehearsal studio by Tony "Gad" Robinson, the keyboardist from Aswad, who recommended Kay to Alton Ellis. The Jamaican-born Ellis, a successful rocksteady vocalist, had relocated permanently to London, where he continued to be involved with reggae music and was looking for a female vocalist to record a reggae cover of Minnie Riperton's song "Lovin' You".[3] In 1978 Kay recorded "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For". The single "Silly Games", written and produced by Dennis Bovell, was released in 1979 and became a hit across Europe, reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.[4] The chart success of "Silly Games" led to Kay appearing on Top of the Pops, then the BBC's flagship music programme. She played the character Angel in the UK sitcom No Problem!, created by the Black Theatre Co-operative and broadcast on Channel 4 (1983–85). While on the programme, she enjoyed a further club hit with "Eternally Grateful" in 1984, which also reached the UK top 100.[5]
Kay has recorded, and co-produced her seventh album for Sony Music Japan. It was released on 18 June 2003, and is entitled Lovin' You … More. The popularity of the song "Lovin' You" in Japan is so strong that she was asked to record it again for this album (for the third time). That version was produced by Omar.
"Silly Games" first hit the UK charts in 1979, and appeared again in 1990 as a re-recording, billed as by Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay, which reached No. 22. A remix version of Kay's original recording spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 62.[4][6]
Kay is credited as producer on "Missing You", recorded by Aswad.
JANET KAY
Hunnigale started his career as bass guitarist with the Vibes Corner Collective.[2] In 1983, LGR Records issued his debut release as a singer, "Slipping Away", which was followed by "Got To Know You" on the Street Vibes label, a label that Hunnigale set up with Fitzroy Blake, who had also been a member of the Street Vibes Collective).[2] He topped the UK reggae chart in 1987 with "Be My Lady", which was followed by his debut album, In This Time. A string of hits followed, and he enjoyed another UK reggae number one with "Ragamuffin Girl", a combination single recorded with Tippa Irie.[2] The single was also voted Best British Reggae Record by Echoes newspaper at the end of the year.[2] He won a Best Newcomer award at the Celebrity Awards in 1987, and won Best British Reggae Album at the British Reggae Industry Awards the same year.[3] The success of the single led to further combination work with Irie, including two albums - The New Decade on Island Records and Done Cook and Currie for Rebel MC's Tribal Base label. The latter was produced by Hunnigale and he also played all the instruments on it.[2] He also recorded in Jamaica, with producers such as Gussie Clarke.[3] Hunnigale's second solo album, Mr. Vibes, followed in 1992. In 1993, he again linked up with Tippa irie for the "Shouting For The Gunners" single, a celebration of the football club that they both supported, Arsenal FC.[2] 1994 saw Hunnigale moving in a more rootsy direction with Mr. Government, recorded with Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser. Hunnigale again linked with Irie in 1995 for a version of "Declaration of Rights" recorded for his Nah Give Up compilation. Nah Give Up won the Best Reggae Album MOBO Award in 1996, one of several awards Hunnigale won during the mid-1990s.[3] He also recorded duets with Dennis Brown ("Cupid"), Lloyd Brown ("Lonely Girl"), and Janet Lee Davis ("We Can Work It Out"). In 1996, Hunnigale performed at Jamaica's Reggae Sunsplash festival.[4] Towards the end of 1996, Hunnigale performed as part of Passion, along with Glamma Kid and Nerious Joseph, spending eight weeks at number one in the UK reggae chart with "No Diggity".[2]
Hunnigale also performed in the reggae musical, Johnny Dollar
PETER HUNNIGALE
CARROL THOMPSON
MAXI PRIEST
Thompson was born in England and is of Jamaican descent.[2]
Thompson undertook classical piano training on the piano and sang in school and church choirs as a girl, but initially studied for a career in pharmacy.[1] She began working as a backing singer at several recording studios after auditioning for Frank Farian's Sugar Cane group.[1] Eventually, singer/songwriter Thompson embarked on a solo career, with early successes in the shape of Lovers rock singles "I'm So Sorry" (produced by the now London-based Leonard Chin) and "Simply In Love" both self written topping the reggae chart in 1981, the same year seeing the release of her independent debut album ‘Hopelessly in love’ selling over a million copies worldwide. [1] She won two GLR Reggae Awards in 1982, for Best Female Performer and Best Song (for "Hopelessly In Love").[1] In 1983, she won further awards, again winning Best Female Performer at the GLR awards. She also recorded duets with Sugar Minott ("Make It With You") and Trevor Walters ("Love Won't Let Us Wait"), as well as continuing with regular solo reggae chart hits.
Thompson opted to join the Sheffield-based jazz-funk aggregation Floy Joy in 1984 where she featured on one album and scored two minor hits with the soul ballad "Until You Come Back to Me" (#91 UK pop) and "Operator" (#86 UK pop). In 1987 she duetted with Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame on the song "One and One" from the album Love.
Following Floy Joy, her releases dwindled reviving in 1990 when she provided lead vocals on a version of Diana Ross's "I'm Still Waiting", recorded with Aswad and Courtney Pine, which was a UK Singles Chart hit.[1] She also enjoyed chart hits that year with Movement 98's "Joy & Heartbreak" and "Sunrise".[1] In 1992, her "Let the Music Play" was included on the Oscar/Grammy nominated and BAFTA winner soundtrack to the film The Crying Game, and in 1993, she worked with Neil "Mad Profesor" Fraser on the album The Other Side Of Love.[3]
In 2018, Thompson recorded an album of Phyllis Dillon songs as a tribute to the late singer, set for release in 2019.[4]
Thompson has worked as a session singer with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams, Boy George, Maxi Priest, Sting, Billy Ocean, Chaka Khan, Aswad and M People. Composer for documentaries Comedy Central US. Channel 4. Musical director/ composer Babymother the movie.
(born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one of the first international artists to have success in this genre, and one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all time
Maxi Priest was born in Lewisham, London, the second youngest of nine brothers and sisters. His parents had moved to England from Jamaica to provide more opportunity for their family and he grew up listening to gospel, reggae, R&B, and pop music. He first learned to sing in church, encouraged by his mother, who was a Pentecostal missionary. Maxi grew up listening to Jamaican greats such as Dennis Brown, John Holt, Ken Boothe and Gregory Isaacs as well as singers like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, the Beatles, Phil Collins and Frank
As a teenager, he lifted speaker boxes for the Jah Shaka and Negus Negast sound-systems. He was a founder member of Saxon Studio International, and it was with Saxon that Maxi began performing at neighbourhood youth clubs and house parties.
His music is sometimes closer to R&B and pop than to reggae. His cousin, Jacob Miller, a reggae icon, was the frontman in the popular reggae group Inner Circle
Priest's musical career began with him singing on the South London reggae soundsystem Saxon Studio International, after which some independent single releases followed. His first major album, Maxi (titled Maxi Priest in the US and Canada), was released in 1988, and, along with his cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", established him as one of the top British reggae singers.
He is one of only two British reggae acts (along with UB40) to have an American Billboard number one: "Close to You" in 1990. A duet with Roberta Flack, "Set the Night to Music", reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with Shaggy in 1996, "That Girl", was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.
In the latter half of his recording career, Priest has favoured working alongside other artists, both established and up-and-coming. He has worked with Sly and Robbie, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack, Shurwayne Winchester, Shabba Ranks and Lee Ritenour.
It was reported in some newspapers in the Birmingham area, including the Birmingham Mail on 13 March 2008, that Priest would be replacing Ali Campbell as the new lead singer of UB40, and that he had recorded a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" with the band, based on information from "an unnamed source close to the band." Priest had joined UB40 on tour in 2007, culminating in sell-out shows at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull in December.[4][5] Another local newspaper, the Express & Star that had reported that Priest would be the new UB40 frontman, included a statement from band spokesman Gerard Franklyn which contradicted the claim, stating: "Maxi is collaborating with the band to record material but he won't be the new lead singer, that will be Duncan Campbell, the brother of Ali and Robin Campbell. He will only be appearing with them for this new recording."[6]
In 2012, Maxi Priest recorded a cover of Japanese band L'arc~en~Ciel's song "Vivid Colors" for the band's English-language tribute album.
In 2013, Priest recorded a remix version of Hindi song "Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse", featuring Indian singers Rishi Rich and Arijit Singh.
His 2014 album Easy to Love entered the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart at number 2
Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music during the 1950s.[1] She spent several years of her childhood in Belize, where her family had moved, before returning to Jamaica.[1] She worked as an assistant librarian, taking a job in the library of the University of the West Indies at Mona.[1] Her talents as a singer led to her recording her first single, "Love My Life" for Jamaican Broadcasting DJ Jerry Lewis, who was the boyfriend of one of Cadogan's schoolfriends.[1][2] Lee "Scratch" Perry was in the recording studio at the time, and was impressed by Cadogan's voice enough to record an album's worth of material with her, also renaming her Susan.[1]
One of her first recordings for Perry, a cover of Millie Jackson's soul hit, "Hurt So Good" (featuring bassist Boris Gardiner and the Zap Pow horns), was released to little effect in Jamaica on Perry's new '"Perries" record label, but was released in the UK by Dennis Harris's DIP International label, and topped the UK Reggae Chart. Magnet Records picked up the single and it went on to reach the top five of the UK Singles Chart,[3] with Cadogan flying to London to promote the single, including a television appearance on Top of the Pops.[2] Cadogan then signed directly to Magnet, who issued the official follow-up, the Pete Waterman-produced "Love Me Baby", which reached number 22 in July 1975,[1] but was her last UK hit.[3] Perry, meanwhile, arranged with the Birmingham-based label Black Wax to release an unofficial follow-up – a remixed version of "Love My Life". Other singles were released on Klik and Lucky in an attempt to cash in, but none of these charted.[1]
Two mid 1970s albums, Doing It Her Way and Hurt So Good were released by Magnet and Trojan Records respectively, though with disappointing sales.[1]
SUSAN
CADOGAN
Cadogan returned to her library job, but resurfaced as a recording artist in 1982, having a string of hits in Jamaica including covers of "Tracks of My Tears" and "Piece of My Heart", and 1983's "(You Know How To Make Me) Feel So Good" – a duet with Ruddy Thomas. After returning again to her library job for most of the 1980s, she returned with the Mad Professor-produced album Soulful Reggae in 1992.[2] A further album, Chemistry of Love, followed in 1995.
Cadogan caught the music bug once more in 2001, and she performed live at the Heineken Startime Series event in Kingston.[4] More recently, Cadogan has toured together with Glen Adams and The Slackers[5] as well as with the Portuguese band The Ratazanas.[6]
In 2016 she released a five-song EP, Take Me Back, and in 2017 released "Love Story", a duet with Ken Boothe
Paul Robinson was a member of the reggae group One Blood in the 1980s along with his brothers Errol, Jerry, Ewan & Trevor until the group broke up after Errol's death.[1][2] One Blood released two albums in 1982 - In Love and Super Showcase. He also worked as a producer and songwriter for other artists, including the debut album by Maxi Priest and Philip Papa Levi's "Mi God Mi King" single (the first single by a UK-born artist to reach number one in Jamaica).[1][3] After One Blood, he worked with Sly & Robbie before pursuing a solo career under the name Barry Boom, which he had previously used as a pseudonym for his production work.[1] He signed to Fashion Records and his first solo releases in 1989 included reggae number ones with "Making Love" and "Number One Girl", and "Hurry Over".[1][2] His debut solo album, The Living Boom followed in 1990, featuring his three big hits from the previous year. He followed this with Trust Me in 1993, and signed to MCA Records for Taste of Things to Come in 1997.
He later moved into gospel reggae, releasing the album His Love in 2018
Barry Boom (born Paul Robinson)
SANDRA
CROSS
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