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Chaka Demus | |
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 Chaka Demus in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Taylor |
| Born | 16 April 1963 |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, dancehall |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, DJ |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, turntables |
| Years active | 1985–present |
John Taylor (born 16 April 1963), better known as Chaka Demus, is a Jamaican reggae musician and deejay, best known as part of the duo Chaka Demus & Pliers.
Born in West Kingston, Taylor was a regular attendee at Kingston dances and was given a chance by Prince Jammy to DJ on his sound system. [1] Upon releasing his debut single, the Jammy-produced "Increase Your Knowledge" in 1985, he was virtually unknown. None of his early records saw chart success, though they later met with increased success. Other musicians quickly recognised him as having great potential, most notably Yellowman who joined him for such songs as "Everybody Loves The Chaka", "Scotty", and "Bring It To Me" and Admiral Bailey, who collaborated with him on "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer", giving him his first hit. [1] The same year saw the release of "Everybody Loves The Chaka", for the Scorpio label, which was then followed up by the 1989 album, The Original Chaka 'Watch me Ride'. [ citation needed ]
He first met Pliers (Everton Bonner) in 1991 and suggested that they team up. [1] They enjoyed an internationally successful partnership including a string of hit singles and a number one album in the UK between 1993 and 1997. [2] Chacka Demus net worth amounts up to 75 million dollars.
In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers reunited to record a track called "Need Your Lovin" which was released on vinyl, on Explorer Records. On 18 November 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed "Murder She Wrote" alongside Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards. Their subsequent album, So Proud, was released in Europe and the Middle East in October 2008. A solo album called DJ Spirit was released in 2008.
Chaka Demus now runs his own record label, Bright Star, on which he has released records by his son, known by his stage name of Marvellous. [1]
He continues to perform with Pliers, and recorded a new album in 2012, featuring guest appearances from Pliers, Marvellous, and Freddie McGregor. [3]
In August 2013, he released the album Second Coming on the Fire and Ice label that he co-owns with Winston Solomon. [4]
Mark Anthony Myrie, professionally known by his stage name Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is considered to be one of the most significant and well-regarded artists in Jamaican music. Banton has collaborated with many international artists, including those in the hip hop, Latin and punk rock genres, as well as the sons of Bob Marley.
Rodney Basil Price, known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all-time.
Robert Dixon, known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall producer. He was given his nickname "Bobby Digital" because King Jammy, with whom he worked in the mid-1980s, had begun experimenting with digital rhythms at around the same time. He owned the Digital B label, and among the artists with hits on the label are Shabba Ranks and Sizzla. He has influenced reggae artists such as Admiral Tibet.
Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians. Shakespeare died in December 2021 following kidney surgery.
VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the label has established a presence in Toronto, Australia and New Zealand.
Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus and singer Pliers, known for their hits "Tease Me" and "Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success with mainstream pop fans after their collaboration began in the early 1990s than either had in their previous solo careers.
Garnett Silk was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, however his career was ended by his early death in 1994, while attempting to save his mother from her burning house.
Half Pint, and sometimes credited Lindon Andrew Roberts, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer.
Johnny Osbourne is one of the most popular Jamaican reggae and dancehall singers of all time, who rose to success in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. His album Truths and Rights was a roots reggae success, and featured "Jah Promise" and the album's title track, "Truths and Rights".
Paul Blake, better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'.
Delroy Thompson, better known by his stage name Pinchers, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.
Roy Anthony Johnson, better known simply as Anthony Johnson, is a Jamaican reggae musician who was a member of the group Mystic I and is known for the 1980s hit song "Gunshot".
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Australia has several bands and sound systems that play reggae music in a style faithful to its expression in Jamaica. Australia has a relatively small Jamaican community, but reggae penetrated local consciousness via the popularity of reggae among the non-Jamaican population of England in the 1960s and 1970s. Many indigenous musicians have embraced reggae, both for its musical qualities and its ethos of resistance. Examples include Mantaka, No Fixed Address, Zennith and Coloured Stone.
Admiral Bailey is a Jamaican dancehall deejay who enjoyed his greatest success between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. He now lives in Jamaica. He has been described as "the hottest dancehall star of the late 1980s".
Cecil Wellington (1957–1996), better known as Nicodemus, was a Jamaican reggae deejay who released a string of albums in the 1980s and 1990s. Nicodemus was a pioneer of dancehall music and is credited with positively influencing many aspiring DJs. He is truly a dancehall legend. Partnering with the iconic Super Cat since the late-1970s, the dynamic duo released a string of local and commercially successful reggae hits. Hit songs that spring to mind are "Cabin Stabbin'" and "My Prerogative. " Nicodemus died on August 26, 1996 of complications with diabetes.
Norman Washington Jackson, better known as Tiger, is a Jamaican dancehall musician active since the late 1970s. He is known for his growling style of deejaying, often imitated by other dancehall deejays since his initial rise to fame.
Cleveland Laing, better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the shorter name Stitchie.
Black Scorpio is a Jamaican sound system and record label run by Maurice "Jack Scorpio" Johnson.
Joseph Bonner, also commonly known by the nickname Spanner Banner, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician.
"Murder She Wrote" is a song by Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers, from their 1993 album Tease Me. It was first released as a single in 1992 and again in late 1993, reaching number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1994, and number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending 17 weeks there. The song was certified gold in the UK in 2022. The music to the song is based on the Maytals' 1966 song "Bam Bam", while the lyrics discuss abortion.
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