Beshara were a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 from

Moseley Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...

and

Washwood Heath Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England. Washwood Heath covers the areas of Birmingham that lie between Nechells, Bordesley Green, Stechf ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, that formed in 1976."Reggae, steady and rarin’ to go", ''Daily News'', 9 January 1985, p. 12. The band are most notable for their 1981

lovers rock 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.Larkin, Col ...

hit "Men Cry Too", which reached number 2 in the

charts. Although known for their

singles, they were also very capable of recording

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

."Beshara", ''Echoes'', 5 September 1987, p. 8."Reggae with verve and passion", ''Newspaper article - review'', 1983. This can be heard in the hymnal recording, "Glory Glory".

History

The original line-up and founding members of the band were Elias Pharoah (bass), Ray Watts aka Ray Beshara (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Dixie Pinnock (drums), who then recruited Errol Nanton (lead vocals) and Michael Nanton (keyboards). They were formerly named Cool Dimension and The Kushites until 1979 when the band settled on the name Beshara meaning "surprise" in Arabic and "mystical" in Swahili."Reggae club date", ''Herald Express'', 1983. Over the years, the line-up of the band changed along with the roles of various members but as of 1980 the ever-present nucleus that was widely known as Ray Watts (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dixie Pinnock (drums, backing vocals), Michael Nanton (keyboards, backing vocals) and Tony Garfield (bass, vocals), were to remain as the core members in their new roles. In July 1980 and courtesy of

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 ...

, Beshara received their first radio airplay. Peel played their

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell * Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...

(but more authentically 1960s sounding) single, "When You're Wrong" on national

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, ...

. Throughout the years, Beshara gigged extensively all over the UK in the nation's major colleges, universities and clubs, attracting multicultural audiences. They were cited by

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 ...

as one of their influences. During their active years, Beshara never released (although recorded) an album but released many singles and enjoyed success with early recordings such as "Glory Glory", "Men Cry Too" (which reached number 6 on the British reggae charts) and "Shadow of Love" (number 10 on the British reggae charts). The band won an award from the Hummingbird’s 1st Annual Black Music Awards in 1987 for ‘Best Sound recording’. In the late 1980s, the band members were headhunted by

Ijahman Levi Ijahman Levi (born Trevor Sutherland: 21 June 1946 in Christiana, Manchester, Jamaica) is a reggae musician. In his early years, Levi was tutored by musician and vocal teacher, Joe Higgs.Harris, CraigArtist Biography by Craig Harris, ''Allmusi ...

, to back him on his African and European tour. Beshara received much acclaim when they toured the UK and either played alongside or backed

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 the ...

The Abyssinians The Abyssinians are a Jamaican roots reggae group, famous for their close harmonies and promotion of the Rastafari movement in their lyrics. History The vocal trio was originally formed in 1968 by Bernard Collins and Donald Manning. Their firs ...

Beres Hammond Beres Hammond Order of Jamaica, OJ (born Hugh Beresford Hammond; 28 August 1955, in Annotto Bay, Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, Saint Mary, Jamaica)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock St ...

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

Bim Sherman , children = Chantelle Vincent, Rasiah Vincent Jarret Lloyd Vincent (12 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman (others include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J. L. ...

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...

Johnny Clarke Johnny Clarke (born 12 January 1955) is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known for his recordings with producer Bunny Lee in the 1970s. Biography Clarke grew up in the Kingston ghetto of Whitfield Town and attended Jamaica College.Smiley Culture David Victor Emmanuel (10 February 1963 – 15 March 2011), better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and DJ known for his "fast chat" style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most cri ...

I Roy Roy Samuel Reid (28 June 1942 – 27 November 1999), better known as I-Roy, was a Jamaican deejay who had a very prolific career during the 1970s. Biography Born in 1944 in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, Reid graduated from Dinthill Technical C ...

, Pat Kelly,

Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952), is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys Scho ...

Sugar Minott Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead at ...

Macka B Christopher MacFarlane, better known as Macka B, (born 1966) is a British-born Jamaican reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years and one of Britain's most influential dancehall DJs. As a practicing Rastaman, Mac ...

Adeva Adeva (born Patricia Daniels) is an American singer. She had a string of successful house and R&B hits in the late 1980s to early 1990s, including "Warning!", "I Thank You" and "Respect" (all three of which reached number 17 in the UK Singles C ...

, CJ Lewis, John Holt, Matumbi, They Must Be Russians, Sandra Reid, Sandra Lobban and Thelma Mae."Beres wows a select few", ''The Weekly Gleaner'', 15 September 1987, p. 25."John Holt / Beshara – Odeon Birmingham", ''Newspaper Article'', 1983. The 1980s also saw them achieve well-earned TV exposure by appearing on the ''Rockers Roadshow'' hosted by

Mikey Dread Michael George Campbell (4 June 1954 – 15 March 2008), better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music. Biography Born in Port Antoni ...

, ''Black on Black'', ''Here & Now'', ''Format V'' and ''Together''."Rockers Roadshow", ''TV Times'', 16 December 1983. Beshara also appeared as a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

group in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

drama ''Marjorie and The Preacher Man'' starring the acclaimed British actor

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untoucha ...

. The BBC then used a Beshara song called "United" as the theme song for the BBC documentary ''Ring In The Park''. The song would later be 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" ...

and renamed "United We Stand" while also featuring the vocals of Ray Watts. In 1992, Beshara were asked by

BBC WM BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 236,000 lis ...

to perform a headline concert in Handsworth, Birmingham, which was broadcast on BBC WM. In the same year, the band decided to part ways only to reunite again in 1998 and they began to record in 1999 what was set to be their debut album, produced by Beshara, Paul Horton of Ecks Productions and Christopher Grey of Greyology Inc. This was also the same year that Beshara shared the stage with

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

."Reggae Revival featuring the Legendary Alton Ellis", ''Enterprise'', October 1999, p. 31. Ray Watts died in 2000. Due to this, the remaining members of the band decided they could no longer stay together without him and went their separate ways. In 2001, the ex-band members arranged a memorial tribute concert for Watts at the Irish Centre, Birmingham, which led to Beshara performing and sharing the stage with

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

, along with many other artists from Birmingham, including Skibu, Reggae Revolution, Jeremiah, Birry The Poet, and many more."Ray Watts Memorial", ''Enterprise'', February 2001, p. 4. In the same year, Pato Banton’s album ''Life is Miracle'', which featured a song written by and featuring Watts called "United We Stand", received a

Grammy 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 pre ...

nomination for

Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...

. The song has also featured on the

albums, ''Universal Love'' and ''Time Come'' (Brazil Version). 2005 saw the ex-members reunite to perform a one-off show at the "32 Years of

Lovers Rock 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.Larkin, Col ...

" anniversary concert at the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in Lon ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. They shared the stage with

Louisa Mark Louisa Lynthia Mark, also known as "Markswoman" (11 January 1960 – 17 October 2009), was a British lovers rock singer, best known for her work between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Her 1975 single "Caught You in a Lie" is regarded as the fi ...

and

Peter Hunnigale Peter Hunnigale, also known as Mr. Honey Vibes (born 12 December 1960, South London, England) is a British reggae singer best known for his lovers rock releases. Biography Hunnigale started his career as bass guitarist with the Vibes Corner Coll ...

among others. Past members Steve Morrison and Michael Nanton, who began and crafted their musicianship in Beshara, now make up the integral part of the Reggae Revolution band. The Reggae Revolution have backed and toured the world with artists such as

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-eart ...

, Pato Banton,

Apache Indian Steven Kapur (born 11 May 1967), known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ. He had a series of hits during the 1990s. He is best known in the UK for the song "Boom Shack-A-Lak", which reached the top ...

, Musical Youth, Gregory Isaacs and many more. They’ve also written or performed on the

nominated albums ''Rage & Fury'' and ''African Holocaust'' by

, as well as ''Life Is A Miracle'' by

. In 2010, Beshara were featured in a documentary called ''Made in Birmingham: Reggae, Punk, Bhangra'', which has had numerous screenings internationally and throughout the UK. It was awarded a special commendation from the RTS Midlands. A non-performance clip of the band, originating from the 1979 documentary ''Format V'', was featured in the 2011

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

documentary ''Reggae Britannia''. On 23 September 2011, as a tribute to Ray Watts, Tony Garfield performed as Beshara at the "Giants of Lovers Rock Part 3" concert at the

indigO2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely within ...

in London. Garfield shared the stage with

Janet Kay Janet Kay Bogle (born 17 January 1958) is an English actor and vocalist, best known for her 1979 lovers rock hit "Silly Games". Biography Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a rehea ...

Freddie McGregor Freddie McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form The Cl ...

Susan Cadogan Susan Cadogan (born Alison Anne Cadogan; 2 November 1951) is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s. Biography Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music ...

Carroll Thompson Carroll Thompson is a British lovers rock singer, best known as the "Queen of Lovers Rock" Biography Thompson was born in England and is of Jamaican descent. Thompson undertook classical piano training on the piano and sang in school and chur ...

and many more.

Former members

* Ray Watts (aka "Ray Beshara") - Lead vocals,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

*Tony Garfield - Bass guitar, vocals *Dixie Pinnock - Drums, BV's *Michael Nanton -

Keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, BV's *Steve Morrison -

Trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

, toasting *Byron Bailey - Sax *Errol Nanton - Vocals *Paul Cunningham - Bass guitar, BV's *David Carr (aka "Fluff") - Toasting, trumpet *Elias Pharoah - Bass guitar *Focett Gray -

Lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

Television appearances

*''Rockers Roadshow'' (1983), Central Independent Television/Channel 4 *''Black on Black'' (1985), LWT/Channel 4 *''Here & Now'' (1985), Central Television *''Format V'' (1979), ATV *''Together'' (1983), BBC 1 *''Marjorie and the Preacher Man'' (1987), BBC 1 *''Reggae Britannia'' (2011), BBC Four *''Born on the Same Day'' (2016), Channel 4

Filmography

*''Made in Birmingham: Reggae, Punk, Bhangra'' (2010), Swish Films/Birmingham Music Archive

Discography

Compilations

*''Out The Lights Vol.3'' (1991), Discotex *''Out The Lights Vol.4'' (1992), Discotex *''Relaxin' With Lovers Volume 5 - Santic And More Lovers'' (2004), Sony Music Entertainment Japan *''Relaxin' With Lovers Volume 9'' (2006), Sony Music Entertainment Japan *''The Best Of Original British Lovers Rock Vol. 2'' (2008), Jet Star

Singles

*"Africans" (1980) Rising Star *"When You’re Wrong (Say You’re Wrong)"/"That’s Life" (1980) Voyage *"Men Cry Too"/"Man-A-Reason" (1981) Mass Media Music *"Won’t Let You Go"/"Rising Sun" (1982) Mass Media Music *"Never Knew A Love Like (This Before)" (1983) Home Spun *"Glory Glory" (1983) Home Spun *"Shadow of Love" (1984) Sub Zero *"Candi"/"Satta Massagana" (1987) C&E *"I Wanna Be Your Man"/"You Are Everything" (1989) World Time Music *"Men Cry Too (92)" (1992) Klassic Records

References

External links

Beshara discography
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Beshara
at Birmingham Music Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Beshara (Band) Musical groups established in 1976 British reggae musical groups Musical groups from Birmingham, West Midlands Black British musical groups Second-wave ska groups English ska musical groups English new wave musical groups Lovers rock musicians Performers of Rastafarian music Real World Records artists 1976 establishments in England