This group was formed in 1979 by Frederick Waite, who was the father of two of the five members, who attended Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, England. Although underage they appeared in some pubs in Birmingham and they released their first single.
The BBC radio DJ, John Peel, brought public attention to the group and they were signed to MCA Records. Frederick Waite backed down when the group became more widely known and Dennis Seaton took the place of lead vocals.
They saw success in 1982 with their hit single “Pass the Dutchie” and proceeded to release further successful singles including a collaboration with Donna Summer called “Unconditional Love”.
They appeared on MTV as well as Saturday Night Live but later disbanded in 1985 when Dennis Seaton left the band.
They reformed in 2003 and appeared in a nostalgia tour and then, reduced to a 2-member group, they released the compilation 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection in 2004 and performed at Wiesen Festival in Austria in 2005.
In 2009 they released their cover singles “Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord” and “The Harder They Come” and in 2013 scheduled the release of their album When Reggae Was King but as of 2017 it had still to be issued. They did, however perform some of the tracks at the 2017 Camper Calling Festival.
Members
Dennis Seaton (lead vocals/percussion)
Michael Grant (keyboards/vocals)
Kelvin Grant (guitar/vocals)
Patrick Waite (bass/vocals)
Freddie “Junior” Waite (drums/vocals)
Musical Youth recordings
Pass the Dutchie (Jackie Mittoo/Fitzroy Simpson/Lloyd Ferguson)
Please Give Love a Chance (Musical Youth)
https://youtu.be/TbCYCqeZA2o
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