» Edit Band Information » Edit Albums
» Add a Review » Add an Album » Add News | Eddy Grant
Best known for 1982 hit, "Electric Avenue," Eddy Grant built a name and a legacy for himself through writing pop reggae songs with elements
ofCaribbean, rock and new wave. He met early success with The Equals, the UK's first successful mixed race act - famous for their international
hit"Baby Come Back." After suffering a heart attack and leaving The Equals, Grant used his money wisely and opened the first black-ownedrecording
studio in Europe, in addition to creating his record label, Ice Records. In 1977, after his first solo hit, "Living on the Front Line," (#11 UK)Grant would
buy th ...read more
Best known for 1982 hit, "Electric Avenue," Eddy Grant built a name and a legacy for himself through writing pop reggae songs with elements
ofCaribbean, rock and new wave. He met early success with The Equals, the UK's first successful mixed race act - famous for their international
hit"Baby Come Back." After suffering a heart attack and leaving The Equals, Grant used his money wisely and opened the first black-ownedrecording
studio in Europe, in addition to creating his record label, Ice Records. In 1977, after his first solo hit, "Living on the Front Line," (#11 UK)Grant would
buy the rights to his work with The Equals, giving him total ownership over his entire catalog of music, and making himself one of, ifnot the only major
recording artist to own the rights to all of their work. He would continue to have successful singles, hitting his stride in 1982with his breakout album
"Killer on the Rampage." Spawning international chart-topping hits "Electric Avenue" (US #2, UK #2) and "I Don't WannaDance" (US #53, UK #1). He
would see lesser success with "Romancing the Stone" (US #26, UK #52), for the movie, "Romancing The Stone" andhis final top ten hit, "Gimme Hope
Jo'anna," (UK #7) a call to end apartheid in South Africa. In 2001, a remix of "Electric Avenue" (UK #5) putEddy temporarily back in the spotlight.
Eddy Grant is also recognized as the creator a few genres of music. Soca (soul and calypso) and Ringbang ( a hybrid of Caribbean styles). Grant'sclaim
to soca is disputed by Lord Shorty, but nobody denies his creation of the Ringbang genre. Grant has worked to preserve the history of soca,Ringbang
and classic calypso music through his Ice Records label by purchasing the catalogs of genre legends and re-releasing them to promotethe Caribbean
sound throughout the world. Through this preserving and re-releasing, Eddy Grant has come to find himself the worlds largestowner of rights to
Caribbean music. « hide |
Similar Bands: The Equals, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Midnight Oil, Bobby McFerrin Contributors: discovolante, Sirob, TheRamblingElf, RobotFrank, Britch2tiger,
|