Musical Youth
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| Musical Youth | |
|---|---|
 Frontman Dennis Seaton in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genre(s) | Reggae, pop |
| Years active | 1979–1985 2001–present |
| Label(s) | MCA |
| Website | www.musicalyouth.net |
| Members | |
| Michael Grant Kelvin Grant Dennis Seaton Freddie "Junior" Waite |
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| Former members | |
| Patrick Waite | |
Musical Youth are a British-Jamaican pop/reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, England.[1] They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie." The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior and Patrick Waite. The latter pair's father, Frederick Waite, was a former member of Jamaican group The Techniques, and sang lead with Junior at the start of the group's career in the late 1970s.[1] They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984.
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[edit] Biography
Although schoolboys, the group managed to secure gigs at certain Birmingham pubs and released a single, "Political" / "Generals", on a local record label, 021 Records. An appearance on BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel's evening show brought further attention to the group, and they were signed to MCA Records.
By that time, founding father Frederick Waite had backed down, to be replaced by Dennis Seaton as lead singer.[1] During the winter of 1982, the group issued one of the fastest-selling singles of the year in "Pass the Dutchie". Based on the Mighty Diamonds "Pass The Kouchie" (a song about cannabis), the title had been subtly altered to feature the patois "dutchie", referring to a type of pot used for cooking.[1] This idea is reinforced throughout the political and economic overtones throughout the song about extreme poverty and Musical Youth asking the question "How does it feel when ya got no food?"[citation needed] The record went to Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1982.[2] It went on to sell over four million copies,[1] and was nominated for a Grammy Award. A U.S. Top 10 placing also followed in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] The accompanying video made them one of the first black artists to be played on MTV.[citation needed]
The follow-up, "Youth Of Today", reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart, and early in 1983, "Never Gonna Give You Up", climbed to UK number 6.[2] Minor successes with "Heartbreaker" and "Tell Me Why", were succeeded by a collaboration with Donna Summer on the UK Top 20 hit, "Unconditional Love".[3]
A revival of Desmond Dekker's "007" saw them back in the Top 30, but after one final hit with "Sixteen", they fell from commercial grace.[2] They subsequently split up in 1985 when Seaton left the band.[1] The Grant brothers remained involved in the music industry, while Seaton released a solo album in 1989, before going on to form his own band, XMY.
Plans to re-form were initially scotched when on 18 February 1993, Patrick Waite, who had gone on to a career of juvenile crime, died in Birmingham,[4] aged 24, of natural causes (hereditary heart condition), whilst awaiting a court appearance on drug charges.[1] In 2001, Musical Youth reformed. They were set to perform on the 'Here & Now' tour, which was to feature performances by other musicians from the 1980s. However, because of the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York, the tour was cancelled.
However, by 2003 Musical Youth were back, appearing in a 1980s nostalgia tour. By 2005, now reduced to just a duo of Michael Grant and Dennis Seaton, they performed at the Wiesen festival in Austria.
[edit] Band members
- Michael Grant - born 7 January 1969, Ontario, Canada - keyboards, vocals
- Kelvin Grant - born 9 July 1971, Birmingham - guitar, vocals
- Dennis Seaton - born 2 March 1967 - lead vocals, percussion
- Patrick Waite - born 16 May 1968 – died 18 February 1993 - bass, vocals
- Freddie "Junior" Waite - born 23 May 1967 - drums, vocals
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- The Youth of Today (1982) - UK Number 24[2]
- Different Style (1983)
[edit] Compilation albums
- Anthology (1994)
- The Best Of Musical Youth ... Maximum Volume (1995)
- The Best Of Musical Youth (20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection) (2004)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Biography by Craig Harris". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=MUSICAL. Retrieved on 20 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 384. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 539. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Deaths England and Wales 1984-2006
