Dave Barker (born David John Crooks, 10 October 1947, Franklyn Town,
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...
)
is a
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...
singer who has made a string of solo albums along with recordings as a member of
The Techniques
The Techniques were a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group mainly active in the 1960s.
History
The group was formed by Winston Riley in 1962 while still at school, with the initial line-up also featuring Slim Smith, Franklyn White, and Frederick Wa ...
and as half of the duo
Dave and Ansell Collins
Dave and Ansell Collins are a Jamaican vocal/instrumental duo (sometimes billed as Dave and Ansil Collins or Dave and Ansel Collins).
History
Dave Barker (born David John Crooks, 10 October 1947, Kingston, Jamaica) is a session vocalist, and ...
.
Biography
Crooks was born in 1947 and raised by his grandmother and three uncles from the age of 4 after his mother emigrated to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1952 (his father emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
before he was born).
[Katz, David (2000), ''People Funny Boy - The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry'', Payback Press, ] He was beaten by his uncles and teachers. He also had a
stammer
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...
but began singing as a teenager, inspired by
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
and
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
, whom he heard on American radio stations.
His first group was the Two Tones, formed with friends Brenton Matthews and Fathead, who recorded unsuccessfully for
Duke Reid
Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner.
He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Troja ...
.
Barker had a brief stint in
Winston Riley
Winston Riley (14 May 1943 – 19 January 2012) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer. The ''Jamaica Gleaner'' notes he was one of the most successful reggae producers. 's Techniques, singing alongside Riley and
Bruce Ruffin
Bruce Ruffin (born 17 February 1952)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.260 is a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae artist.
Biography
Ruff ...
,
and formed a duo with
Glen Brown
Glenmore Lloyd Brown (1943 or 1944Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Tough Times for Glen Brown", ''Jamaica Observer'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014Larkin, Colin, ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, . – 4 O ...
in the duo ''Glen and Dave'', recording for both
Harry J
Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer.
Biography
Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player bef ...
and
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond.
He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...
, while also working in the pressing plant at
Studio One.
Brown introduced Crooks to
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...
, suggesting that Perry get Crooks to voice a track at a recording session. The resulting track was "Prisoner of Love", and led to Crooks becoming a regular vocalist for Perry, who decided Crooks should record as Dave Barker, and encouraged American-style
deejay
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
vocals in addition to Barker's usual high tenor singing.
Barker had hit singles with "Shocks of a Mighty" and "Spinning Wheel" (with Melanie Jonas), followed in 1970 by his debut album ''Prisoner of Love''. Working with Perry at the same time as
The Wailers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, Barker toasted over the latter's "Small Axe" for 1971's "Shocks 71". March 1971 brought international fame as part of a duo with
Ansell Collins
Ansel Collins is a Jamaican musician, composer, singer, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Dave Barker as Dave and Ansel Collins.
Biography
Born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica,Double Barrel
"Double Barrel" is a 1970 reggae single by Dave and Ansell Collins (though credited in both the UK and the U.S. to 'Dave and Ansil Collins').
It was the second reggae tune to top the UK charts, two years after Desmond Dekker's number 1 breakth ...
" was a number 1 hit in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and was also the first recording on which drummer
Sly Dunbar
Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie.
Biography
Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...
played.
"Double Barrel" was followed in June of the same year with a number 7 UK hit in the form of "Monkey Spanner".
The duo failed to sustain success in the UK, and Collins returned to Jamaica, with Barker settling in England and embarking once again on a solo career, releasing 1976's ''In The Ghetto'', which while credited to Dave and Ansell Collins, was a solo effort.
He then joined vocal group Chain Reaction along with Bruce Ruffin and Bobby Davis, targeting the
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
market, but without great success. Barker has continued to record, including a live album featuring Barker playing with
The Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured a diverse line-up, both in terms of race and gender, initially consisting of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson and Pauline Black on lead ...
.
In 2005 Dave Barker performed a couple of tracks with UK
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
/ reggae band The Riffs
The Riffs
/ref> at Club Ska in London. A version of ''Double Barrel'' (recorded with The Riffs) was released on The Riffs - Live at Club Ska album the following year on Moon Ska Records
Moon Ska Records was one of the most influential ska record labels of the 1980s and 1990s.
The label operated from 1983 until 2000, and during those seventeen years, only released ska and ska-influenced music. Originally named ''Moon Records'', as ...
.
He appeared as a guest on The Radcliffe & Maconie BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
show on 20 August 2012 talking extensively about the music he was influenced by and the music had created alongside Ansell and about Jamaica's independence.
Discography
Albums
*''Prisoner Of Love'' (1970) Trojan
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...
(Dave Barker meets The Upsetters)
*''Double Barrel'' (1971) Big Tree/Techniques (Dave & Ansell Collins) also issued on RAS
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
with different track listing
*''In The Ghetto'' (1976) Trojan
*''Roadblock'' (1979) Bushranger
*''Never Lose Never Win'' (1976) Gull (Chain Reaction)
*''Change of Action'' (1983) Vista
*''Chase a Miracle'' (1983) Vista
*''Classics'' (1991) Techniques (The Techniques)
*''Monkey Spanner'' (1997) Trojan
*''Dave And Ansel Collins'' (2001) Armoury (Dave & Ansell Collins)
*''Kingston Affair'' (200?) Moon Ska (Dave Barker & The Selecter)
References
External links
Dave Barker at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Dave
Jamaican reggae musicians
Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
Living people
1947 births