English Beat
A story behind every song…
Dave Wakeling is a hell of a nice guy! Dave loves to tell you the stories behind his songs, either from stage or after the show. Ask any one of the thousands of fans who have met him over the years and that's what you'll hear. Never mind that Dave is the singer/songwriter from two of the most popular bands of the end of the millennium, The English Beat and General Public, he's a stand up man from Brum. Whether it's the personal as political in "How Can You Stand There", making politics personal in "Stand Down Margaret", taking a stand against global warming as he did with Greepeace's "Alternative NRG", or helping little kids stand up proudly with "Smile Train", Dave has always stood for something.
And like the mighty Redwoods of his adopted home of California (dude!), it's been easy for Dave to take a stand because of his strong roots…
Hailing from working-class Birmingham, England, Dave and The English Beat entered the music scene in the 1979. When The English Beat rushed on to the music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical upheaval. Into this storm came they came, trying to calm the waters with their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance Beat.
The six member band consisted of singer/songwriter Dave Wakeling (vocals & guitar), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums), Saxa (saxophone) and Ranking Roger (toasting). The band managed to fuse all of their respective musical influences - soul, reggae, pop and punk - into a unique sound that was highly danceable. Along with contemporaries such as The Specials, The Selecter and Madness, The English Beat became one of the most popular and influential bands of the British Ska movement.
Over the course of the three albums, The English Beat achieved great success in their home country, charting several singles into the top 10. In addition to their UK chart success, in America the band found a solid base of young fans eager to dance to the their hypnotic rhythms. Their constant touring with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their popularity in the States.
Despite his huge success, Dave didn't stop singing and acting on the problems caused by the noise in this world. The band donated all the profits from their highly successful single version of "Stand Down Margaret" to the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament. They donated their music to causes including the anti-nuclear benefit album "Life in The European Theatre", "The World of Music and Dance" album focusing on indigenous people's art, and lent their voice to The Special AKA's anthemic song of freedom "Free Nelson Mandela", to name but a few.
Dave Wakeling once told me that every great band only has three really good albums. And true to form, The English Beat disbanded in 1983, after their third album, "Special Beat Service".
The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one…
It was at this point that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger recruited Stoker (drums) and Mickey Billingham (keyboards) of Dexy's Midnight Runners, Horace Panter (bass) of The Specials, and former Clash guitarist Mick Jones to formed General Public. Their first album, "...All The Rage", met with fantastic success, charting high in the U.S., U.K. and even winning the band a coveted Juno award in Canada for Best New Artist in 1984.
After the fantastic success of "...All The Rage", the band spent two years writing and recording their follow-up, "Hand to Mouth". Like "Whappen" before it, this sophomore effort was more introspective and than their first album, taking fans along with him in Dave's continual exploration of the light and dark side of human emotion. The album was a critical and fan favorite, and spawned two hit singles, "Too Much or Nothing" and "Come Again".
After the second General Public Album, Dave and Roger went different directions to follow their own muses. For his part, Dave went on to produce the soundtrack and record the title track for the John Hughes film "She's Having a Baby". After that he recorded his first solo record, "No Warning". The album maintained the pop sensibilities for which General Public had been known, and in addition exposed even more of the mind and emotions of the man behind.
Forward as one…
After his solo album, while the other ex-members of The English Beat were busy with their various projects, Dave decided to use his
notoriety for good, and pursued a full-time position saving the planet at a job with Greenpeace. This didn't mean a break from music, just a
break from being the lead singer, as he stepped inside the mixing booth to produce the Greenpeace album "Alternative NRG".
What made this album outstanding and ground breaking was not just the roster of rock luminaries who Dave convinced to performed on it,
including REM, U2, Midnight Oil, UB40, Annie Lennox, Sonic Youth, and more, but the fact that it was recorded in 14 separate venues
across America using a recording truck powered exclusively by solar power - a 160 square foot, 1,920-watt solar panel array contained in a
trailer known as Cyrus. The power produced by the solar array, once converted to AC (the sun is DC), generated enough electricity to meet
the needs of an average-size house for several days, and was proof positive of the viability of solar and other forms of alternative energy.
I'll take you there…
After a metaphorical bump on the head from Elvis Costello for abandoning his post as crooner (a true story, ask Dave about it some time),
Dave felt the need to "take us there" one more time. Dave teamed up with old friends to reform General Public in released their third album,
"Rub It Better", in 1995. The album and Dave's return to the stage were met by a huge outpouring of critical raves and fan support. The
album provided yet another hot single for the duo of Dave and Roger, with their infectious reggae remake of an old Staples Singers song, "I'll
Take You There", climbing the singles charts and anchoring the soundtrack of the very hip, box office smash hit "Threesome".
Having infected a whole new group of fans with Beat-madness, General Public then decided to disband in 1996. However, true to his
philanthropic bent and always looking to help out, General Public reformed in 1998 to play at "Sweet Relief", a concert to benefit ailing
musicians.
The English Beat goes on…
Having accepted and embraced his true calling again (thanks Declan) , Dave continued to perform, touring back and forth across the States.
Dave did it old school, touring clubs and playing countless gig from sea to shining sea, re-connecting with his Beat and General Public fans
and building a strong and loyal fan base that continues to love his songs and embrace the evolution of his music.
Then, in February 2003, we saw a dream come true for Dave and many Beat fans as The English Beat reunited for a mini-tour in the UK,
culminated in their acclaimed, sold out command performance at the Royal Festival Hall! Dave, Everett, Roger, Blockhead and the star of the
show, Saxa, took the crowd by storm! It was a magical homecoming for Dave and a really wonderful experience for the fans, with band
members and fans gathering from around the globe for a night or irie, ska-ful rock-steady Beat! Being the hard driving ska legend that he is,
however, Dave Wakeling was not content to rest on his laurels after the RFH reunion…
Beat this!
Tongue firmly in cheek, feet on the ground and eyes on the future, Dave takes the stage time and again, touring across the States, Canada, the
UK and beyond. He does it for two reasons: First, he loves to play music, period. Second, his job here on Earth is to bring a message of love,
unity and a steady, rhythmic groove of danceable songs with a message to the masses. Fans see him as an icon and to the young bands
coming up he's the elder statesman of ska. His swooning croon has been covered by such rock luminaries as Peter Townshend, Eddie Vedder
and Elvis Costello.
He's repeatedly referred to in the press now as a "legacy artist" and an "icon": he's wasn't quite sure what it all meant and thought he might be
entitled to some extra initials after his name (he wasn't).
However, he learned what those terms actually mean early in 2006 when, much to his surprise, bemusement, and eternal joy, the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame contacted him and asked him for his trademark Vox teardrop guitar, to bed displayed in a place of honour alongside the axes of
Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Truly a wonderful and humbling experience for a working class boy from Brum!
Dave is currently entering a musical renaissance, and fresh off this legacy moment, Dave is planning on going into the studio to lay down two
new albums. Dave also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he had done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing
band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be blow
