Dennis Michael Seaton (born 2 March 1967) is a British
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 ...
and R&B recording artist and record producer, best known as the frontman of the British
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 ...
band
Musical Youth
Musical Youth are a British-Jamaican reggae band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. They are best remembered for their 1982 single "Pass the Dutchie", which was a number 1 in multiple charts around the world. Their other hits include "Youth ...
.
[Larkin, Colin (1997) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music'', Virgin Books, , p. 335]
Biography
Seaton first found fame as a member of Musical Youth. Friends Kelvin Grant, his older brother Michael Grant, Patrick Waite, and his younger brother Freddie Waite formed the group in 1979 while at
Duddeston Manor School
Heartlands Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in the Nechells area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England.
Heartlands Academy offers GCSEs and BTECs for students at Key Stage 4. It is ranked the 11th best secondary school Birmi ...
with Patrick and Freddie's father Frederick, a former 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 ...
.
They played gigs at local talent show and across the United Kingdom.
Waite senior was soon replaced by Seaton and the group performed on
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
's
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
show, where they performed two of their own songs: "Political" and "Generals".
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
signed them in late 1981.
In the middle of 1982, 15-year-old Seaton and the group released the hit single "
Pass the Dutchie
"Pass the Dutchie" is a 1982 song performed by British-Jamaican band Musical Youth, taken from their debut studio album, ''The Youth of Today''. It was produced by Toney Owens from Kingston, Jamaica. The song was a major hit, hitting number one ...
" (a pun on the
Mighty Diamonds
The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, ''Right Time'', produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 ...
song "Pass the Kouchie"), but in this case, the song talked about poor Jamaican people using it as a cooking pot. The single was highly successful, topping the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and peaking at number ten on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The band were the first black artists to be played on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
.
[Petridis, Alexis (2003)]
Famous for 15 Months
, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 21 March 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2010 They followed this up with the debut album, ''
The Youth of Today
''The Youth of Today'' is the first album from the British Jamaican reggae musical ensemble, band Musical Youth, released in 1982. The album includes the #1 UK hit "Pass the Dutchie" which also hit number 10 on the United States, US Billboard Hot ...
'', released worldwide on 22 October 1982. In 1984, Seaton was nominated for the Best newcomer
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
with his band Musical Youth, but lost to
Culture Club
Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...
.
On 9 September 1983, the group released their second and final album, ''Different Style'', with only two singles: "
Tell Me Why" and "
007"; both songs flopped on the ''Billboard'' charts. Seaton announced that he was leaving the group and they split up in June 1985,
with Seaton going on to form his own short-lived group, XMY. Seaton also converted to Christianity.
[Famethrowa, Johnny (2010)]
Where are they now? Musical Youth
, Yahoo
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...
, 6 May 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010
In 1989, Seaton released a solo album, ''Imagine That'', on the Bellaphon label, with songwriting assistance from
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
.
His solo career did not take off and he worked as a delivery driver and then in the car rental industry for twelve years, eventually co-owning his own company.
He also returned to studying, earning a music degree.
In late 1993, eight years after Seaton left Musical Youth, he rejoined, but on 18 February 1993, his bandmate Patrick Waite died of
natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
, leaving the group with four members. Another eight years later, in 2001, Musical Youth reformed and came back into the spotlight now as a
quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...
. Seaton and Michael Grant still perform as "Musical Youth".
[Graham, Veron (2006)]
Music Remains in the Soul
, Voice-Online, 30 March 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2010
In 2009, he appeared on ''
The Justin Lee Collins Show
''The Justin Lee Collins Show'' is a British television chat show presented by Justin Lee Collins that aired on ITV2 between 19 March 2009 and 21 May 2009. Collins has a small band on the show and a continuing theme is to mention Labi Siffre
...
'', as a blast from the past.
On 28 June 2009, he appeared on ''
Sunday Live with Adam Boulton'' on
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
talking about the
life, death and legacy of Michael Jackson.
He now works as a trainer for HSS Hire.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaton, Dennis
Living people
1967 births
British reggae musicians
Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
Grammy Award winners
20th-century Black British male singers
Jamaican Christians