Dave Wakeling

Last updated

Dave Wakeling
Dave Wakeling.jpg
Wakeling performing in 2007
Background information
Born (1956-02-19) 19 February 1956 (age 68)
Birmingham, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1978–present
Labels I.R.S.
Member of The Beat
Formerly of General Public
Website davewakeling.com

David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public. [1]

Contents

Career

Wakeling began his professional career when he formed the band the Beat. [2] The band's debut studio album, I Just Can't Stop It (1980), included the title song as well as "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Hands Off...She's Mine", and "Can't Get Used to Losing You", all of which charted within the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] The band also had UK hits from the studio albums Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982).

Wakeling then formed General Public with Ranking Roger in 1983, and they released their debut studio album All the Rage the next year. He also recorded two other studio albums with General Public, Hand to Mouth (1986) and Rub It Better (1995), shortly after which the band disbanded.

In 1984, Wakeling, along with Ranking Roger, sang backing vocals on the song "Free Nelson Mandela" by the Special A.K.A. They also provided backing vocals on the Madness studio album Keep Moving , singing on the tracks "Waltz into Mischief" and "Victoria Gardens".

He then produced the soundtrack for the John Hughes romantic comedy film She's Having a Baby (1988), in which he also recorded the title track.

In 1991, Wakeling released his sole solo studio album No Warning, on I.R.S. Records.

He recorded two new songs that feature in the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Dance of the Undead", which debuted in March 2013." [4]

In 2018, the Beat album Here We Go Love was released.

Wakeling regularly performs as the English Beat in North America. [5]

Throughout his career, Wakeling has mainly used a left-handed Vox Teardrop guitar, the Vox Mark III. He was initially drawn to this guitar as his favourite artist and guitarist Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones used one. "I wanted to be him and I used to play my cricket bat or my tennis racket and pretend it was a teardrop in the mirror when my mom had gone out shopping. I even bought a blond wig from a second-hand shop and I cut it out into a bob. As soon as I heard the front door I would think "Great, she's gone". I would take out the wig, the cricket bat and play in front of the mirror." [6] On 8 April 2006, he donated his Vox of 26 years to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [7]

Personal life

Wakeling is divorced, with two children, Max and Chloe. He resides in the San Fernando Valley, California. [8]

In 1985, Wakeling announced in a press interview with Mother Jones magazine that he was bisexual. [9]

Discography

Side one

  1. "I Want More" (Dave Wakeling, Parthenon Huxley) – 4:16
  2. "No Warning" (Wakeling, Mark Goldenberg) – 4:53
  3. "Remember in the Dark" (Wakeling) – 5:23
  4. "Every Time You Look at Me That Way" (Wakeling) – 4:12
  5. "Sensation" (Wakeling, Mickey Billingham, Goldenberg) – 4:04

Side two

  1. "Freedom Fighter" (Wakeling, Billingham) – 5:53
  2. "One + One + One" (Wakeling, Goldenberg) – 5:15
  3. "Sex with You" (Wakeling) – 3:32
  4. "I'm Not Ready" (Wakeling, Billingham) – 3:58
  5. "She's Having a Baby" (Wakeling, Ian Ritchie) – 3:44

Produced by Mark Goldenberg (tracks 1–9) and Steve Levine ("She's Having a Baby")

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Public</span> English rock band

General Public were an English new wave band, formed in Birmingham in 1983, by vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger of the Beat, and which also included former members of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, and the Clash. They are best remembered for their hits "Tenderness" (1984) and "I'll Take You There" (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beat (British band)</span> English band

The Beat are an English band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.

<i>I Just Cant Stop It</i> 1980 studio album by the Beat

I Just Can't Stop It is the debut studio album by British ska band the Beat, released on 23 May 1980 by Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records under the band name The English Beat". In Australia, it was released on Go-Feet under the band name The British Beat.

Andrew Cox is a British guitarist, who along with Dave Wakeling, formed ska band The Beat in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranking Roger</span> English singer (1963–2019)

Roger Charlery, known professionally as Ranking Roger, was an English musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980s ska band the Beat and later new wave band General Public. He subsequently was the frontman for a reformed Beat lineup.

<i>All the Rage</i> (General Public album) 1984 studio album by General Public

All the Rage is the debut studio album by English new wave band General Public, released in January 1984 by I.R.S. Records. It was recorded digitally. After his expulsion from the Clash, Mick Jones was a founding member of General Public. Though he is listed in the credits of the album as a member, Jones left General Public part way through the recording process and was replaced by Kevin White. White's picture appears on the back cover; Jones' picture does not. Jones did play guitar on many of the album's tracks however, including "Tenderness". The album spent 39 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart and reached its peak position of No. 26 in mid-February 1985. However, it failed to chart in their home country.

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David "Shuffle" Steele is an English musician who was a member of the Beat and Fine Young Cannibals.

<i>Special Beat Service</i> 1982 studio album by the Beat

Special Beat Service is the third studio album by the British ska band the Beat, released on 1 October 1982 by Go-Feet Records. Like the rest of their material, it was released in the US under the name "the English Beat". It peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1983 on the strength of two singles, "I Confess" and "Save It for Later," the music videos for which received modest airplay on the fledgling MTV video network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hands Off...She's Mine</span> 1980 single by The Beat

"Hands Off...She's Mine" is the second single by British ska/new wave band the Beat, released on 14 February 1980 as the first single from their debut album I Just Can't Stop It. The single was successful, peaking at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand Down Margaret</span> 1980 single by the Beat

"Stand Down Margaret" is a song by British ska/new wave band the Beat, released as a double A-side single with "Best Friend" in August 1980. It is one of the band's most political songs, referring to the want for the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to resign.

<i>Whappen?</i> 1981 studio album by the Beat

Wha'ppen? is the second studio album by British ska band the Beat, released in 1981 via Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States. After the critical and commercial success of I Just Can't Stop It (1980), which mixed ska, reggae and punk rock with social lyrics, the band changed direction on Wha'ppen?, taking influence from many other musical styles which were intriguing the band, including African, steel band and dub music, while keeping reggae at its core. The fast pace of the band's previous work is also exchanged for a slower, mid-tempo pace. Accompanying the music is the socially conscious and political lyrics. The band recorded the record at Roundhouse Studios with producer Bob Sargeant.

<i>Hand to Mouth</i> (album) 1986 studio album by General Public

Hand to Mouth is the second studio album by English new wave band General Public, released in 1986 by I.R.S. Records.

<i>Rub It Better</i> 1995 studio album by General Public

Rub It Better is the third studio album by English new wave band General Public, released on 4 April 1995 by Epic Records. The band had not recorded together in almost 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirror in the Bathroom</span> Single by The Beat

"Mirror in the Bathroom" is a single by the British ska band the Beat, released as a single in 1980 from their debut studio album I Just Can't Stop It. It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and consequently was their highest charting release in the UK until 1983. It was released again in 1995 as a 12" single and early in 1996 as a CD single to promote B.P.M.: The Very Best of the Beat. The reissued single reached number 44 in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save It for Later</span> 1982 single by the Beat

"Save It for Later" is a 1982 song written and recorded by the British ska/new wave band the Beat. The song was released as a single from the band's third and final studio album, Special Beat Service (1982), finding moderate chart success in Britain.

<i>Here We Go Love</i> 2018 studio album by the Beat

Here We Go Love is a studio album by rock and ska band the Beat credited as the Beat Starring Dave Wakeling, released in the UK on May 25, 2018 and in the US June 15, 2015. It has received positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Confess (The Beat song)</span> 1982 song written and recorded by The Beat

"I Confess" is a 1982 song written and recorded by British band the Beat. The song was released as a single from the band's third and final studio album, Special Beat Service, finding moderate chart success in the UK. Inspired by the romantic escapades of English tabloids and Wakeling's own personal relationships, the song featured a piano performance led by touring keyboardist Dave "Blockhead" Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Nice to Talk To</span> 1980 single by The Beat

"Too Nice to Talk To" is a non-album single by British ska/new wave band The Beat, released on 5 December 1980 by Go-Feet Records. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. The song has since been included on CD reissues of the band's second album Wha'ppen?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Friend (The Beat song)</span> 1980 single by The Beat

"Best Friend" is a song by British ska/new wave band the Beat, released on 8 August 1980 as the fourth and final single from their debut studio album I Just Can't Stop It. It was released as a double A-side single with a dub version of "Stand Down Margaret". The single wasn't as successful as the band's previous singles and only peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. The band raised 14 thousand pounds from the sales of the single, which went to the Anti-Nuclear Campaign and the CND.

References

  1. Duguay, Rob (3 November 2023). "New Wave, Ska icons The English Beat coming to RI". IndependentRI.com. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  2. "Dave Wakeling Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mo..." AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  3. I Just Can't Stop It - The English Beat | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 8 July 2024
  4. "Marco on the Bass: Scooby Doo Episode Features New Music by the English Beat". Marcoonthebass.blogspot.com. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. "DAVE WAKELING of the English Beat and General Public". 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  6. "Ask The Artist: Dave Wakeling (The English Beat) - NRG Recording Studios". Nrgrecording.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. "Dave Wakeling's guitar donated to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". Punknews.org. 8 April 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. Seaman, Duncan (3 November 2023). "The Beat goes on for ska singer Dave Wakeling". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  9. Block, Adam (February 1985). "Music: Dave Wakeling Goes Public". Mother Jones . San Francisco, USA: Foundation for National Progress. Retrieved 25 June 2015.