Inner Circle (band)
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Inner Circle | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Years active | 1968-present |
| Labels | Trojan, Island, Soundbwoy |
| Members | Ian Lewis Roger Lewis Lancelot Hall Bernard "Touter" Harvey Jr. Jazz |
| Past members | Kris Bentley Jacob Miller Calton Coffie Michael Sterling |
Inner Circle is a Jamaican reggae group. The group was formed in 1968 by the brothers Ian and Roger Lewis in Jamaica. With Jacob Miller as their front-man and lead singer the band was one of the most popular in Jamaica during the 1970s, and one of few reggae bands that performed live. They are responsible for the 1987 song "Bad Boys", which serves as the theme song for Fox Network's long-running television program COPS.[1] However, at first they covered soul and R&B hits from the United States, and then also a few reggae songs, predominantly from Bob Marley.
Career
The original Inner Circle included Ibo Cooper (keyboards), Stephen Cat Coore (guitar), Funky Brown (vocals), Prilly (vocals), Ian and Roger Lewis. The band's residence was originally on Holborn Road in New Kingston. In latter years they had a horn section that included Douglas Gutherie on alto saxophone, and Leighton Johnson on trumpet; both were former members of the Excelsior High School band. During that time the band toured extensively in North America and Bermuda. In 1973 Cooper and Coore started their own band, Third World, whose hits included, "Now That We Found Love" and "Ninety Six Degrees in the Shade". Cooper, Coore, and Brown were then students of the University of the West Indies, studying for various degrees.
Inner Circle released its debut album in 1974 on the record label, Trojan Records. In 1976 under the same management as the group Journey, the band signed a deal with Capitol/EMI Records which produced 2 albums "Reggae Thing and Ready For The World. They later signed in 1979 to Island Records, where the internationally successful album Everything Is Great originated. Two singles from this album reached Top 50 in the UK,[2] and preceded their other chart success by some years.
The band were joined by New York session guitarist Joe Ortiz, dubbed Gitzy by the band, who added the first touches of hard rock, jazz, and blues to the group. Ortize recorded at Compass Point Studios for the Eveything Is Great album on Island Records, and later joined the group for their European tour in 1978-1980. Lester Adderley joined the group for the New Age Music album on guitar. The band appeared in the reggae cult film, Rockers in 1978.
Jacob Miller, their frontman and lead singer, was killed in a car crash on March 23, 1980. After the loss of Miller, Inner Circle release another album in 1982 called Something So Good. In 1986, the group met the singer Calton Coffie, and the band experienced a resurgence with the album Black Roses.
In 1987, Inner Circle released the song "Bad Boys". California guitarist, Dave Gonzales, joined the band for a tour in 1989. They had another hit with the 1992 song "Sweat (A La La La La Long)", which was a #3 hit in the UK Singles Chart while "Bad Boys" peaked at #52.[2] It was their second (and last) American hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3]
The lead singer Calton Coffie was ill for a long period in 1995, and decided after his recuperation to start a solo career. He was later replaced by Kris Bentley. In 2008, Junior Jazz became lead singer.
Today, members of the group run Circle House Studios, one of the most popular and respected recording facility in Miami.
Present day band members
Inner Circle currently consists of the following members:
- Ian Lewis (born 1 November 1953 (age 71) — Bass guitar, vocals)
- Jr. Jazz (Vocals, guitar)
- Bernard (Touter) Harvey (born 25 October 1955 (age 69) — Keyboards, vocals)
- Lancelot Hall (born 7 February 1960 (age 64) — Drums, percussion)
- Roger Lewis (born 29 June 1951 (age 73) — Guitar, vocals)
Past band members
- Jacob Miller (vocals)
- Calton Coffie (vocals)
- Kris Bentley (vocals)
- Michael Sterling (lead guitar/vocals)
- RJ Ronquillo (guitar)
Discography
Studio albums
- Rock The Boat (1974)
- Blame It To The Sun (1975)
- Reggae Thing (1976)
- Ready For The World (1977)
- Heavyweight Dub (1978)
- Killer Dub (1978)
- Everything Is Great (1979)
- New Age Music (1980)
- Something So Good (1982)
- Black Roses (1986)
- One Way (1987)
- Rewind!, Pt.2: The Singers (1990)
- Identified (1991)
- Bad To The Bone (1992)
- Bad Boys (1993) US #64, Reggae #2
- Reggae Dancer (1994) Reggae #2
- Da Bomb (1996)
- Speak My Language (1998) Reggae #7
- Jamaika Me Crazy (1998)
- Montego Bay (1999)
- Big Tings (2000)
- Reggae Man (2000)
- Jah Jah People (2001)
- Barefoot In Negril (2001)
- Log On (2002)
- Kool Operator (2002)
- This Is Crucial Reggae (2004)
- State Of Da World (2009)
Live albums
- Forward Jah-Jah People (1999 - highlights from the ninth Cartagena Festival, 1990)
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | UK Singles[2] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Everything Is Great" | - | - | 37 | Everything Is Great |
| "Stop Breaking My Heart" | - | - | 50 | ||
| 1982 | "Something So Good" | - | - | - | |
| 1987 | "Bad Boys" | 8 | 58 | 52 | One Way |
| 1992 | "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" | 16 | 73 | 3 | Bad Boys |
| 1993 | "Rock With You" | 98 | - | - | |
| 1994 | "Games People Play" | 84 | - | 67 | Reggae Dancer |
| 1998 | "Not About Romance" | 92 | - | - | Speak My Language |
| 2010 | "Candy Girl"(featuring Flo Rida) | - | - | - | State of da World |
References
- ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p.148
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 269. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. 1993-08-21. Retrieved 2011-10-30.