Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound; his music has blended elements of pop,

British rock British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by the Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the develop ...

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 ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

, reggae,

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means (electroac ...

, African polyrhythms, and

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Ameri ...

genres such as

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...

, among many others. In addition to this, he also helped to pioneer the genre of "

Ringbang Ringbang is variously a Caribbean fusion of music genres, a philosophy, and an aesthetic propounded by Eddy Grant in 1994. In an interview circa 2000, Grant defined ringbang like this: In applying ringbang to music, Grant attempted to define ...

". He was a founding member of

the Equals ''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 ...

, one of the United Kingdom's first racially-mixed pop groups who are best remembered for their million-selling UK chart-topper, the Grant-penned " Baby, Come Back". His subsequent solo career included the 1982 song " I Don't Wanna Dance", plus the platinum 1983 single "

Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London. Built in the 1880s, it was the first market street to be lit by electric lights (The first street to be lit by an incandescent lightbulb was Mosley Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne). Today, Elec ...

", which is his biggest international hit. He earned a

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 ...

nomination for the song. He is also well known for the anti-apartheid 1988 song, " Gimme Hope Jo'anna".

Early life

Grant was born in Plaisance,

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was ...

, later moving to Linden.Gregory, Andy (2002), ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, , p. 202.Eddy Grant – the Ringbang man and a national icon is a ‘Special Person’
, ''Kaieteur News'', 3 March 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016 His father, Patrick, was a

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

er who played in Nello and the Luckies. While he was at school, his parents lived and worked in the United Kingdom, sending back money for his education. In 1960, he emigrated to join his parents in London.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 111–114 He lived in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...

and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at

Tufnell Park Tufnell Park is an area in north London, England, in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden. The neighborhood is served by Tufnell Park tube station on the Northern Line. History Origins and boundary ;Medieval and later manor Tufnell ...

, where he learned to read and write music.Lewis, Pete (2008)
Eddy Grant: Electric Interview
, ''Blues & Soul'', Issue 1076. Retrieved 28 April 2016 He became a big fan of

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

, and after seeing him play at the Finsbury Park Astoria decided on a career in music.''100 Years of British Music'', Omnibus Press, 2014,

Career

In 1965, Grant formed

, playing guitar and singing background vocals, and the band had two hit albums and a minor hit with the single "I Get So Excited" before having a number one hit in 1968 with his song " Baby Come Back". The tune also topped 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 ...

in 1994, when covered by

Pato Banton Pato Banton (born Patrick Murray; 5 October 1961) is a reggae singer and toaster from Birmingham, England. He received the nickname "Pato Banton" from his stepfather; his first name derives from the sound of a Jamaican owl calling "patoo, patoo ...

featuring Robin and

Ali Campbell Alistair Ian Campbell (born 15 February 1959) is an English singer and songwriter who was lead singer of the British reggae band UB40. As part of UB40, Campbell sold over 70 million records worldwide and toured the globe for 30 years. In 2008, ...

of the reggae group

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for th ...

. The Equals had five further top 40 hits in the UK up to the end of 1970. The ''Baby Come Back'' album featured a song by Grant titled "Police on My Back," which was recorded by

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

for their 1980 album '' Sandinista!''.

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing i ...

released his version of "Police on My Back" on his '' Streets of New York'' CD. The Equals' song "Green Light" co-written by Grant from their 1968 album ''Supreme'', was recorded by

the Detroit Cobras The Detroit Cobras were an American garage rock band from Detroit, Michigan, which was formed around 1994 by vocalist Rachel Nagy and guitarist Mary Ramirez, with a constantly changing assortment of (mostly male) sidemen. Nagy died on January 1 ...

, for their 2007

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, '' Tied & True''. In this period he also worked as a songwriter and producer for other artists, including the Pyramids (producing their debut single "Train Tour to Rainbow City") and

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

, for whom he wrote "Rough Rider", and started the Torpedo record label, releasing British-made reggae singles. On 1 January 1971, Grant suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and collapsed lung, leading to his departure from the Equals to concentrate on production, opening his own Coach House Studios in the grounds of his

Stamford Hill Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...

home in 1972, and starting Ice Records in 1974, initially distributed by

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

and later by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwi ...

. He produced the Pioneers' 1976 album ''Feel the Rhythm'', as well as early recordings by his younger brother

Rudy Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

, working under the name the Mexicano. During this time he also branched out of music, learning to

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

, and subsequently trying his hand at acting at the behest of fellow Guyanese immigrant, actor

Norman Beaton Norman Lugard Beaton (31 October 1934 – 13 December 1994) was a Guyanese actor long resident in the United Kingdom. He became best known for his role as Desmond Ambrose in the Channel Four television comedy series ''Desmond's''. The writer S ...

. A self-titled solo album released in 1975 made little impact, as did the proto- soca '' Message Man'', completed and released in 1977, on which Grant played all the instruments himself. His breakthrough as a solo artist came two years later with the album '' Walking on Sunshine'', which spawned the UK top 20 hit "Living on the Frontline". He returned to the charts in 1980 with the top 10 hit " Do You Feel My Love", the opening track of '' Can't Get Enough'', the 1981 album giving him his first entry in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

.Eddy Grant
,

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts in ...

. Retrieved 28 April 2016 The album included two further hit singles, "Can't Get Enough of You" and "I Love You, Yes I Love You". From 1982 onward, Grant was based in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

(where he opened his Blue Wave Studios), the same year releasing his most successful album, '' Killer on the Rampage'', which included his two biggest solo hits, " I Don't Wanna Dance", which spent three weeks at number one in the UK as well as selling well internationally, and "

", which reached no. 2 in both the UK and the US. He also began producing and promoting local artists such as

David Rudder David Michael Rudder OCC (born 6 May 1953) is a Trinidadian calypsonian, known to be one of the most successful calypsonians of all time. He performed as lead singer for the brass band Charlie's Roots. Nine years later, Rudder stepped outside t ...

Mighty Gabby Anthony Carter (born 30 March 1948), better known as Mighty Gabby or simply Gabby, is a Barbadian calypsonian and folk singer, and a Cultural Ambassador for the island of Barbados. Career Born in Emmerton, Carter was given the nickname "Gabby" ...

, Tamu Hibbert, and

Grynner Grynner (born MacDonald Blenman on 10 February 1946), is a popular calypsonian from Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Ca ...

. A lean period followed; his 1984 title song for the movie ''

Romancing the Stone ''Romancing the Stone'' is a 1984 action- adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The ...

'' was cut from the film and stalled outside the UK top 50 when released as a single, although it fared better in the US and Canada. His albums '' Going for Broke'' (1984), ''Born Tuff'' (1987), and '' File Under Rock'' (1988) failed to chart and produced no further hit singles. Grant participated in Prince Edward's charity television special ''

The Grand Knockout Tournament ''The Grand Knockout Tournament'' (also known as ''It's a Royal Knockout'') was a one-off charity event which took place on 15 June 1987, and was shown on British television on 19 June 1987 (BBC1, repeated on 27 December 1987), in addition to a ...

'' (1987). Grant returned to the charts in 1988 with the anti-apartheid single " Gimme Hope Jo'anna", a no. 7 hit in the UK. The song was banned by the South African government.Perry, Andrew (2008)
How Eddy Grant gave hope to South Africa
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 27 June 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2016 In the late 1980s he pursued other business interests including music publishing and a nightclub, and built up the success of his Blue Wave studio, which was used by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

, and

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nomi ...

. Grant continued releasing albums in the 1990s, including ''Barefoot Soldier'' (1990), ''Paintings of the Soul'' (1992), ''Soca Baptism'' (1993), and ''Hearts and Diamonds'' (1999). In 1994 he introduced a new genre, ringbang, at the Barbados Crop Over festival. Grant said of ringbang: "What ringbang seeks to do is envelop all the rhythms that have originated from Africa so that they become one, defying all geographical boundaries." In 2000 he organised the Ringbang Celebration festival in

Tobago Tobago () is an island and ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trinidad and about off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It also lies to the southeast of Grenada. The official b ...

. In 2001, a remix of "Electric Avenue" reached no. 5 in the UK and an attendant Greatest Hits album reached no. 3 in that country. In 2004, Grant created a song for the yogurt based drink Yop, to the tune of "Give Me Hope Joanna". In 2006, Grant released the album '' Reparation''. In 2008, he performed at

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

's 90th birthday concert, and also played several dates in the UK, including the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...

. In 2016, it was announced that Grant would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the government of

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. He was previously honoured with a postage stamp featuring his likeness and Ringbang logo by the Guyana Post Office Corporation in 2005. In 2021, Grant sued the former U.S. president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and his administration, over the use of his hit "

" in a 2020 advertisement.

Discography

*''Eddy Grant'' (1975) *'' Message Man'' (1977) *'' Walking on Sunshine'' (1979) *''Love in Exile'' (1980) *'' Can't Get Enough'' (1981) *'' Killer on the Rampage'' (1982) *'' Going for Broke'' (1984) *''Born Tuff'' (1986) *'' File Under Rock'' (1988) *''Barefoot Soldier'' (1990) *''Paintings of the Soul'' (1992) *''Soca Baptism'' (1993) *''Hearts and Diamonds'' (1999) *'' Reparation'' (2006) *'' Plaisance'' (2017)

Bibliography

Lloyd Bradley Lloyd Bradley (born 21 January 1955) is a British music journalist and author. Biography Born in London to recent immigrants from St Kitts, Bradley discovered Jamaican music during his teenage years, while going out in the North London-based ...

, '' Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital'' (contributor), Serpent's Tail, 2013,

References

External links