Representative Albums: "Never Give In," "Collections," "Wize Up! (No Compromize)"
Representative Songs: "Baby Come Back," "Spirits in the Material World," "All Drugs Out"
Biography
Birmingham, England reggae singer/toaster Pato Banton (born Patrick Murray) made his debut on the English Beat's third album, 1982's Special Beat Service, helping out Ranking Roger on the track "Pato and Roger a Go Talk." Five years later, Banton returned with his debut solo release, Never Give In, which featured backing by Birmingham's Studio Two house band and a guest appearance by Paul Shaffer; the album was enlivened by Banton's comic vocal characterizations. An EP featuring several versions of the Never Give In track "Pato and Roger Come Again" (another duet with Ranking Roger) appeared in 1988, followed the next year by the full-length Visions of the World, which found Banton moving towards a poppier soul/reggae approach. 1990's Wize Up! (No Compromize) contained Banton's first American college radio hit, a cover of the Police's "Spirits in the Material World," as well as a duet with Steel Pulse's David Hinds on the title track. After a dub collaboration with the Mad Professor (Mad Professor Recaptures Pato Banton) and a live album (Live and Kickin' All Over America), Banton recorded Universal Love in 1992. It took him a while to come up with brand new material afterwards; he finally resurfaced in 1994 with a version of Eddy Grant's "Baby Come Back" performed with Robin and Ali Campbell of UB40, which hit the British charts and prompted the best-of Collections. Banton finally delivered a full album of new material in 1996 with Stay Positive. Life Is a Miracle followed in the spring of 2000. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Born in Birmingham, Banton first came to public attention in the early 1980s when he worked with The Beat.[1] He recorded "Pato and Roger a Go Talk" with Ranking Roger, included on the 1982 album Special Beat Service.[2] He went on to record a series of singles for Fashion Records and Don Christie Records.[2] He was one of the guest artists that appeared on the UB40albumBaggariddim in 1985. Banton's debut album was the 1985, Mad Professor-produced Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton, followed in 1987 by Never Give In, which included a collaboration with Paul Shaffer and a follow-up to his earlier collaboration with ranking Roger with "Pato and Roger Come Again".[3] After an EP in 1988, Banton released a more pop-oriented LP, Visions of the World, followed by 1990's Wize Up! (No Compromise), which included a college radio hit in Spirits in the Material World (The Policecover) and another collaboration, "Wize Up!", this time with David Hinds of Steel Pulse.[2]
Banton then worked on a live album and with Mad Professor, and then released 1992's Universal Love. After a 1994 British #1 hit in Baby Come Back (originally by Eddy Grant performing with The Equals), with Robin and Ali Campbell of UB40,[2] a best-of album was released, and banton was invited by Sting to join him on his "Cowboy Song" single.[3] 1996's Stay Positive was followed by Life Is a Miracle in 2000. Life Is a Miracle received a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album in 2001[4]. Recently, Banton has been playing with Mystic Roots, a reggae band formed in Chico, California. Banton, a lifelong Wolverhampton Wanderers fan has always disapproved of the sacking of manager Dave Jones after a particularly dismal 2004 season. He made his views public during a recent match when he came onto the pitch at half-time to sing "Come back, Davey come Back" a revised version of his 1994 number one hit.
^ abcd Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.19-20
^ ab Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encylopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p.21-22