![]() The album was a critical and fan favorite, and spawned two hit singles, Too Much or Nothing and Come Again.Īfter the second General Public Album, Dave decided to go in a different musical direction and follow his own muse. Like Wha’ppen before it, this sophomore effort was more introspective, taking fans along with him on Dave’s continual exploration of the light and dark side of human emotion. and even winning the band a coveted Juno award in Canada for Best New Artist in 1984.Īfter the fantastic success of All The Rage, Dave spent two years writing and recording the follow-up album, Hand to Mouth. ![]() Their first album, All The Rage, met with phenomenal success, charting high in the U.S., U.K. It was at this point that Dave recruited Roger, Stoker (drums) and Mickey Billingham (keyboards) of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Horace Panter (bass) of The Specials, and Clash guitarist Mick Jones to form a new band: General Public. The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one… And true to form, The English Beat disbanded in 1983, after their third album, “Special Beat Service”. 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.ĭave Wakeling once told me that every great band only has three really good albums. The band donated all the profits from their highly successful single version of “Stand Down Margaret” to the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament. Their constant touring with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their popularity in the States.ĭespite his huge success, Dave didn’t stop singing and acting on the problems caused by what he called the “noise in this world”. 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 and absorb their message of peace, love & unity. ![]() Over the course of three albums, The English Beat achieved great success in their home country, charting several singles into the top 10. 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 Two Tone Ska movement. The band managed to fuse all of their respective musical influences – soul, reggae, pop and punk – into a unique sound that was highly danceable. 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). 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. When The English Beat rushed on to the music scene it was a time of social, political and musical upheaval. Hailing from working-class Birmingham, England, Dave and The English Beat entered the music scene in the troubled times of 1979. 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 making Greepeace’s Alternative NRG, or helping little kids stand tall with Smile Train, Dave has always stood for something.Īnd like the might Redwoods of his adopted home of California (dude!), it’s easy for Dave to take a stand because of his strong roots… 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. ![]() Ask any one of the thousands of fans who have met him over the years and that’s what you’ll hear. 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.
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