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Since "Black
skin, blue eyed boys"
through "Living on
the Frontline", Eddy
Grant has been recognised
as a vociferous promoter,
through socio-political
commentary, of the culture
and achievements of contemporary
black people. Eddy’s meticulous
method of recording is to
a great degree responsible
for his reputation – he
has played every single
instrument, sung every vocal
part and produced every
track on all of his solo
albums – a time consuming
and little known fact, which
only a man of his committed
vision could so painstakingly
ensue.
Born in the Caribbean nation
of Guyana in 1948, Eddy
was exposed during his childhood
to the distinctive local
fusion of African and Indian
music which is indigenous
to Guyana. As a pre-teen,
his musician father moved
the family to Stoke Newington,
North London. In the stark,
post-war late fifties/ early
sixties suburban environment,
he was exposed to the rock
and roll of Chuck Berry
and the nascent pop music
scene. This early combination
of ethnic and commercial
pop influences culminated
in Eddy founding the Equals,
probably the finest and
certainly the first multi-racial
pop/rock outfit to achieve
international acclaim. The
Equals topped the chart
with their classic "Baby
Come Back," and with
Eddy as songwriter, lead
guitarist and producer,
they went on to achieve
three more major top 10
hits in the following 18
months.
At 21, the pressures of
his hectic recording and
touring schedules took its
toll. Though a tea-totaler
and a staunch vegetarian,
Grant suffered a severe
heart attack which forced
him to undertake a major
evaluation of his future.
He canceled all touring
activities and disbanded
The Equals. During the ensuing
period of introspection,
Eddy opened his own recording
studio in order to record
at his pace and to help
cultivate the careers of
other artists he had discovered.
Subsequently, during the
1970’s, he began the process
now crystallized in his
more recent albums to merge
the influences of early
pop, rock and soul with
the calypso music of the
Caribbean countries and
the African rhythms of his
childhood, to form a unique
hybrid – the influential
sound of Soca music.
Grant recorded what is generally
recognized by the cognoscenti
as the very first Soca record
"Hello Africa"
and this remains a classic
golden oldie in many parts
of the world inhabited by
Soca aficionados. He has
successfully fostered leading
Soca artists such as David
Rudder, Tamu Herbert, Gabby
and Grynner, and thanks
in no small part to Eddy
Grant’s patronage, music
now enjoys an expanding
popularity in all corners
of the world.
Grant’s enthusiasm and devotion
to his musical heritage
continues. He recently acquired
the record and song catalogues
of Calypsonian legends:
"Mighty Sparrow",
the "Roaring Lion"
and "Lord Kitchener",
in order to personally preserve,
and to introduce to a wider
audience, this historic
and important musical heritage.
This passionate interest
in African rhythm and Soca,
and his individualistic
style has put a lasting
influence on a range of
other artists, as diverse
as Sting, UB40, The Rolling
Stones, and even The Clash
who covered his "Police
on my Back" for their
celebrated ‘Sandinista’
album.
Commercially, the first
half of the 1980’s was enormously
successful for Eddy Grant;
in less than four years
he enjoyed eight major international
hit singles, including the
US#1 – "Electric Avenue",
"I Don’t Wanna Dance"
and "Romancing the
Stone". By that time
he had established his own
label, Ice Records, with
which he astutely avoided
the pitfalls of many long
since formed, failed and
forgotten independent labels,
by tapping into the distribution
muscle of the major companies
(viz. Phonogram, Virgin,
RCA and EMI) without ever
losing control of either
his music, or his destiny.
When the mid-eighties pressure
of his solo success again
threatened to compromise
his newly defined gameplan,
Eddy moved his family back
to the Caribbean, not to
his birthplace of Guyana,
but as a compromise with
commercial reality, to the
island of Barbados, where
communications with the
outside world were more
highly developed.
Here, he again built a commercial
studio complex known as
Blue Wave, whose clients
have included Mick Jagger,
Sting and Elvis Costello
and where the Rolling Stones
prepared for their
Garangutan "Steel Wheels"
tour. His excursions from
this temporary sanctuary
have been mainly for live
performances at such events
as the "Sport Aid"
stadium show, ground breaking
concerts in Yugloslavia,
Russia, Cuba and South America,
and the "Farewell to
the GLC" concert which
he headlined at the Crystal
Palace Bowl.
However, his studio is at
the center of his drive
to record, promote and market
calypso, Soca and ‘Ringbang’.
This new genre that is sweeping
the Caribbean by storms
a distinctly Caribbean musical
concept that Grant has developed,
that he loosely defines
as a "bridge between
rhythms, focusing one’s
attention on rhythm and
the part it plays internationally.
What Ringbang seeks to do
is envelop all the rhythms
that have originated from
Africa so that they become
one, defying all geographical
boundaries."
Over the past twelve years
Eddy Grant has been assiduously
acquiring all the old calypso
catalogs of such greats
as Roaring Lion, Sparrow,
Melody and Kitchener. At
the same time, the label
has been signing most of
today’s hottest Soca exponent.
As Grant wrestles with the
day to day problems of setting
up a profitable recording
company as President and
CEO of his company, he must
confront sales, promotion
and marketing nightmare,
the direct consequence of
the traditionally seasonal
aspect of calypso. He asserts
that music pirates in the
Caribbean are the biggest
culprits, keeping the production
and packaging quality down.
However, he is passionately
committed to the artists
and the music of the region,
and believes that with proper
management, these artists
can indeed finally start
to profit from their artform.
With offices in Barbados,
London, and the United States,
Ice Records has become in
a few short years the premier
international calypso, Soca
and Ringbang record label.
The company is aggressive
and does continuous marketing
research to determine what
will make these genres,
the last "unexploited"
English-speaking music in
the world, the mega-hits
that they surely deserve
to be. In 1995, Gabby’s
"Dr. Cassandra and
Roaring Lion’s "Papa
Chunks" broke the previous
sales records many times
over. As Eddy says, "in
my heart, I know that Soca
and Ringbang have the same
potential as reggae to achieve
great popularity… but there
has never been any proper
commitment to marketing
these artists and their
music. We are not Sony,
and the artists on board
realise it will take time.
It is an upliftment process."
Without a doubt, this music
has finally found someone
prepared to put his money,
time, talent and, perhaps
most importantly, love,
right there where his mouth
is.
Another Look at Eddy...
The writer who penned the
words, "having it all"
undoubtedly was talking
about Eddy Grant, the international
recording artist, song writer,
and producer.
Happily married for more
than three decades to his
childhood sweetheart, the
lovely and unforgettable
Anne, he is the proud father
of four fantastic children,
who walk in the sunshine
of their father's giant
footsteps. Adding more good
fortune to the foregoing
facts, Eddy, whose international
hits include "Electric
Avenue", "I Don't
Wanna Dance", "Living
On The Frontline",
and "Gimme Hope, Jo'anna",
to mention a few for starters,
is the owner of Blue Wave
Recording Studios - East,
and South, his own music
publishing companies, and
the magnificent nightclub
the, Pepperpot, all located
on the island of Barbados,
in the Caribbean.
Deserving is the word that
best sums up Eddy, the gentleman
who, "has it all".
Life wasn't always a ribbon
of sunshine for the hard
working artist, whose exhaustive
workaholic lifestyle - writing,
recording, and touring with
the EQUALS - caused him
to have a severe heart attach
at the tender age of twenty-one.
Revamping his career goals,
Eddy opened his own recording
studio, started his own
label, and decided on a
solo career. Highly successful
around the world, Eddy decided
to leave England, and make
his home and workplace,
Barbados.
It is on the Island, where
his studio is located that
he wrote, recorded, and
produced the album, "Killer
On The Rampage", also
"Paintings Of The Soil",
an album three years in
making. His follow-up album,
"Soca Baptism",
provided the opportunity
for Eddy to sing, in his
own inimitable style, Calypso
hits of yesteryear.
With a keen sense of history,
Eddy has moved forward to
amass the largest catalogue
of Calypso music in the
world. He has preserved,
for generations to come,
role models of the Calypso
artform by diligently seeking
out the earliest works of
the Calypso greats, Atilla,
Roaring Lion, Sparrow, Kitchener,
Spoiler, King Fighter, Mighty
Terror, etc. His catalogue
is not limited to Calypsonians
alone. Eddy will delight
collectors when his label
begins to issue the music
of the early steel bands,
and the orchestral sounds
of Ron Berridge, Clarence
Curvan, Joey Lewis, Johnny
Gommez and others.
In 1994, Pato Banton, along
with the Campbell Brothers
of UB-40, made a cover of
Eddy's 1968 hit, at that
time recorded by the, EQUALS,
"Baby Come Back",
and took it, for the second
time, to the top of the
British Charts.
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