Chaka Demus

Chaka Demus
Chaka Demus live on stage in Stockholm in 2009
Background information
Birth name	John Taylor
Also known as	Chaka Demus,
Born	April 16, 1963 (1963-04-16) (age 48)
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae, Dancehall
Instruments	Vocals, Turntables
Associated acts	Chaka Demus & Pliers

John Taylor (born April 16, 1963 in West Kingston), better known as Chaka Demus, is a jamaican reggae musician and DJ.

Biography

Taylor was a regular attendee at Kingston dances and was given a chance by Prince Jammy to deejay on his sound system.^[1] Upon releasing his debut single, the Jammy-produced "Increase Your Knowledge" in 1985, he was virtually unknown and none of his early records saw chart success, but would later become huge hits. Other musicians quickly recognised him as having great potential, most notably Yellowman who joined him for such songs as "Everybody Loves 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] After minor success, he moved to the Penthouse Records label where he recorded the single "Chaka on the Move" but switched back to Jammy's the following year where he paired up with Shabba Ranks for the Rough & Rugged album. The same year saw the release of "Everybody Loves 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]

In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers reunited to record a track called "Need Your Lovin" which was released on vinyl, on Explorer Records. On November 18, 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed "Murder She Wrote" alongside Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards. The new album, "So Proud", of Chaka Demus & Pliers will be released in Europe and the Middle east in October 2008. A new 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]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Lesser, Beth (2008) Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture, Soul Jazz, ISBN 978-0-9554817-1-0, p. 61
2. ^ "Chaka Demus And Pliers", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-07-18

External links

• "AGR Television Records" International Record Label Chaka Demus (multi-lingual)

Persondata
Name	Demus, Chaka
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	16 April 1963
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death