Caron Melina Wheeler (born 19 January 1963) is a British singer, songwriter,

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

and musician. Born and raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the founding members of

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

. She was also one of the founding members of the female backing vocalist group Afrodiziak. She officially rose to fame in the late 1980s as the lead singer of R&B group Soul II Soul. Managed by her bandmate, Jazzie B, the group became one of London's best-selling groups in the 1990s. Their debut album, '' Club Classics Vol. One'' (1989), which established them as a global success worldwide, earned two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and featured the UK and

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

number-one singles " Keep Movin'" and " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". Following her exit from the group in 1990, she released her debut solo album, '' UK Blak'' (1990), which contained hits " Livin' in the Light", "UK Blak", and "Don't Quit". She continued her solo career with the release of her second album, '' Beach of the War Goddess'' (1993). Wheeler reunited with Soul II Soul in 1994, but left in 1995 due to creative differences. Throughout her career, she has performed on and off with Soul II Soul but officially rejoined them in 2013. Described as a pioneer of the British soul scene, her musical repertoire is often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and empowerment, as well as black history. Her dynamic on-stage performances have led many critics to consider her one of the most effective singers in popular music. Throughout a career spanning 40 years, she has sold over 6 million records collectively as a solo artist and as a member of Soul II Soul. In June 2012, Wheeler was honoured with the Heritage Award from Performing Right Society along with the members of Soul II Soul.Heritage Awards > Soul II Soul
PRS for Music. Retrieved on 30 June 2016

Career

1976–1983: Brown Sugar

Wheeler was born in England to Jamaican parents, and raised briefly in Jamaica. When Caron was in high school, she and childhood friend Pauline Catlin began performing together for fun. Inspired by female groups The Shirelles and The Ronettes whom they hoped to emulate, they began performing together professionally. In 1976, Wheeler and Catlin eventually entered and won a singing competition at the Bali Hai nightclub in London. Catlin and Wheeler later added Carol Simms and the women began performing as

.Larkin, Colin (1998), ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , pp. 39–40. In 1977, Brown Sugar released their major label debut song "I'm in Love with a Dreadlocks". The song was a massive hit with

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

owners and reggae lovers and went on to reach the top spot in the British reggae charts. Their self-titled album was scheduled to be released in 1977, but was shelved after the group disbanded due to the mistreatment by their recording label, Lover's Rock. In 1978, Caron reunited with Brown Sugar and embarked on a tour with Dennis Brown. Following the tour, the group released a series of singles: "Our Reggae Music", "Confession Hurts", "Dreaming of Zion", and "I am So Proud" in 1979. After releasing their final single "Go on Now" in 1983, the group disbanded to further pursue solo careers.

1982–1988: Afrodiziak

In 1982, Wheeler met Claudia Fontaine, an English

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

from

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

, England. They formed a duo known as Afrodiziak. The duo only performed as session vocalists for other singers, most notably for

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

on his album '' Punch the Clock'' in 1983. Afrodiziak later toured as backing vocalists for Elvis Costello during his UK tour in 1983. After the tour, they became a group by adding singer Naomi Thompson. The group would go on to contribute background vocals for many artists including Heaven 17, Special AKA, Howard Jones,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, Aswad, Sam Brown, and Julia Fordham. The duo also backed The Jam on their last ever TV performance on The Tube in 1982. In 1988, Wheeler withdrew from the group.

1988–1990: Soul II Soul

In 1988, Wheeler met Jazzie B who asked her to become one of the founding members of Soul II Soul. At the time, the group consisted of Jazzie B, Caron Wheeler, Rose Windross, Doreen Waddell, Jazzie Q, Aitch Bee, and Nellee Hooper. The group began recording their first album in 1988. The following year, the group released their debut album, '' Club Classics Vol. One''. The album spawned the major hits " Keep on Movin'" and " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", which featured Wheeler as lead vocalist and sold over one million copies worldwide each. The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, with huge sales and winning the group a

Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of ''Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album, Group, Band, or Duo, and two

for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for "African Dance", and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". In 1988, she sang backing vocals in the Erasure's song " Chains of Love". In March 1989, Caron performed "Keep on Movin'" with Soul II Soul on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

''. She continued to tour with the group throughout the year but left Soul II Soul to begin recording her solo album.

1990–1993: ''UK Blak'' and ''Beach of the War Goddess''

In early 1990, Wheeler secured a recording contract with EMI. Her first solo album '' UK Blak'' was released on 15 May 1990. The album sold 60,000 copies in the UK, entered the UK Albums chart at number 14, and has since sold 100,000 copies worldwide. The album's lead single, " Livin' in the Light", became Caron's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US. The album also featured the singles "UK Blak", "Blue (Is the Colour of Pain)", and "Don't Quit", which also charted on UK singles chart. Caron Wheeler"">"UK Charts > Caron Wheeler"

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

. Retrieved 30 June 2016. In 1992, Wheeler returned to the studio and began recording her second album. She also recorded her lead vocals on a song entitled "Take Me Higher", which was featured on Soul II Soul's album ''Volume III Just Right''. In October 1992, the album's lead single "I Adore You" was released with moderate success. The song was also featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

to the movie ''

Mo' Money ''Mo' Money'' is a 1992 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Macdonald, and written by Damon Wayans, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Stacey Dash, Joe Santos, John Diehl, Harry Lennix, Bernie Mac (in his film debut), ...

'' in July 1992. In February 1993, she released '' Beach of the War Goddess''. Wheeler's second album also spawned the singles: "In Our Love", "Soul Street", and "Beach of the War Goddess".

1994–1996: Return to Soul II Soul

In 1994, Wheeler was asked to rejoin Soul II Soul, for the recording of their fourth studio album ''Volume V: Believe''. The line-up now consisted of Jazzie B, Charlotte Kelly, and Penny Ford. During the recording sessions, Wheeler and Jazzie B struggled with creative differences. Wheeler felt the group should have been producing more contemporary songs and not just replicating the old sound. However, the band retained the songs she had co-written but with other vocalists recording over her lead vocals. Wheeler was supposed to appear as the lead vocalist on the album's lead single "Love Enuff", but she opted not to finish the song. Fellow Soul II Soul member Penny Ford sang lead vocals with Wheeler only performing background vocals on the song. Wheeler ultimately left the group before the release of the album, but her lead vocals were still present on the songs "Ride On" and "Sunday".Caron Wheeler Discography , Credits
Discogs. Retrieved on 30 June 2016 In 1995, Wheeler recorded " Just the Two of Us" as a duet with Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota for his album '' Sunshine, Moonlight''. The song peaked at number 30 on Japan's

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

. In 1996, a remix of " Keep Movin'" was released and charted at number 31 on the UK singles chart.

1997–2004: Music production

In 1997, Wheeler provided guest vocals on the song "You're Mine" for Eric Gadd's album ''The Right Way''. In 1999, Wheeler released a single "Star", which peaked at number 82 on

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

' chart. In 2001, Wheeler recorded the song "Open" with

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

on the American hip hop production team Da Beatminerz's album '' Brace 4 Impak''. In 2002, Wheeler was featured on Meshell Ndegeocello's '' Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape''. In 2003, she performed the track " Another Star" to the

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

tribute album ''Conception – An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs''. She was featured on the song "Lonely" for Richard X's album, '' Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1''. In 2004, Wheeler released her live album ''Live at Duo Music Exchange''. The album was recorded in Tokyo, Japan, and features live performances of her songs with various collaborators, including her musical director at the time, Maximina Juson, Da Beatminerz, and others. The live show also features songs Wheeler recorded during her time with Soul II Soul.

2007–present: Return to Soul II Soul

In 2007, Wheeler reunited with Soul II Soul, at the time consisting of Jazzie B, Aitch Bee, and MC Chickaboo. The group began performing at local nightclubs and music festivals. In February 2009, Wheeler toured with the group in Australia where they performed at the Playground Weekender Festival. In July 2009, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lovers Rock Gala Awards. In 2010, Soul II Soul reunited for a reunion tour with the lineup consisting of Jazzie B, Caron Wheeler, Rose Windross, Kym Mazelle, Charlotte Kelly, Aitch B, and MC Chickaboo. Following the conclusion of the tour, Wheeler briefly departed from the group. In June 2012, Wheeler was present with the members of Soul II Soul when they received the honorary PRS Heritage Plaque Award. She also performed with the group during the ceremony. They unveiled a plaque in Brixton, London, at the location where they played their first gig in 1991. In 2013, Wheeler officially returned to Soul II Soul and began touring again with the group as the lead vocalist. During her interview with Jools Holland, Wheeler stated that she would be recording new music with Soul II Soul. In 2016, Soul II Soul released a single "A New Day", featuring Louie Vega, which is credited to Caron Wheeler and Jazzie B. In November 2016, the group released a live album titled ''Origins: The Roots of Soul II Soul''. In 2017, Wheeler made an appearance on her former Soul II Soul colleague Simon Law's album ''Look to the Sky'' on the lead single "Morning Love". Wheeler was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2023 Birthday Honours The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part ...

for services to music.

Personal life

Wheeler attended Kingsdale Foundation School in south London in the late 70s. In 2004, Wheeler gave birth to her daughter Asha Star.

Discography

*'' UK Blak'' (1990) *'' Beach of the War Goddess'' (1993)

Awards and nominations

Competitive

;American Music Awards , - , rowspan="2", , " Keep on Movin'" , Favorite Soul/R&B Single , , - , " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Favorite Dance Single , , - ;Brit Awards , - , rowspan="1",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best British Single , ;Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="2", , rowspan="1", " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal , , - , rowspan="1", "African Dance" , Best R&B Instrumental Performance , ;Juno Awards , - , rowspan="1",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best International Single of the Year , ;Soul Train Music Awards , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", " Keep on Movin'" , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year , , - , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Group, Band, or Duo , , -

Honorary

;Lovers Rock Gala Awards * 2009: Lifetime Achievement Award ;PRS for Music Heritage Awards * 2012: Lifetime Achievement Award (with Soul II Soul)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Caron 1963 births British reggae musicians English people of Jamaican descent English dance musicians English reggae musicians Grammy Award winners Living people Lovers rock musicians Singers from the London Borough of Ealing 20th-century Black British women singers 20th-century British women singers 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers Capitol Records artists RCA Records artists EMI Records artists Afrodiziak members Soul II Soul members Brown Sugar (group) members Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Acton, London