Caron Melina Wheeler (born 19 January 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the founding members of

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

. She was also one of the founding members of the female backing vocalist group

Afrodiziak Afrodiziak was a British singing group composed of Caron Wheeler, Claudia Fontaine, and later Naomi Thompson, that was active in the 1980s. As a duo, Wheeler and Fontaine were best known for performing backing vocals on the Jam's final single ...

. She officially rose to fame in the late 1980s as lead singer of R&B group Soul II Soul. Managed by her bandmate, Jazzie B, the group became one of the London's best-selling groups in the 1990s. Their debut album, ''

Club Classics Vol. One ''Club Classics Vol. One'' (USA title: ''Keep On Movin) is the debut album by the British group Soul II Soul. Released in 1989, the album featured the group's hit singles " Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", the latter o ...

'' (1989), which established them as a global success worldwide, earned two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

s and featured the UK and

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

number-one singles " Keep on Movin'" and " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". Following the exit from the group in 1990, she released her debut solo album, ''

UK Blak ''UK Blak'' is the debut studio album by British singer Caron Wheeler. It was released on 15 May 1990 by EMI Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from January 1990 to March 1990 at several studios, during the hiatus from her grou ...

'' (1990), which contained hits "

Livin' in the Light "Livin' in the Light" is a song from British singer Caron Wheeler's debut solo album '' UK Blak'' (1990). Wheeler wrote the song with N. P. Hail, and produced it with Afrika Baby Bam and Blacksmith. "Livin' in the Light" is a soul song that incorp ...

", "UK Blak", and "Don't Quit". She continued her solo career with the release of her second album, ''

Beach of the War Goddess ''Beach of the War Goddess'' is the second studio album by British recording artist Caron Wheeler. The album was released on 23 February 1993 by EMI Records in collaboration with RCA Records. Release and promotion In collaboration with RCA Recor ...

'' (1993). Wheeler reunited with Soul II Soul in 1994, but left in 1995 due to creative differences. Throughout her career, she has performed on and off with Soul II Soul but officially rejoined them in 2013. Described as a pioneer of the British soul scene, her musical repertoire is often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and empowerment, as well as black history. Her dynamic on-stage performances have led many critics to consider her one of the most effective singers in popular music. Throughout a career spanning 40 years, she has sold over 6 million records collectively as a solo artist and as a member of Soul II Soul. In June 2012, Wheeler was honored with the Heritage Award from Performing Right Society along with the members of Soul II Soul.Heritage Awards > Soul II Soul
PRS for Music. Retrieved on 30 June 2016

Career

1976–1983: Brown Sugar

Wheeler was born in England to Jamaican parents, and raised briefly in Jamaica. When Caron was in high school, she and childhood friend Pauline Catlin began performing together for fun. Inspired by female groups

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

and

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

whom they hoped to emulate, they began performing together professionally. In 1976, Wheeler and Catlin eventually entered and won a singing competition at the Bali Hai nightclub in London. Catlin and Wheeler later added Carol Simms and the women began performing as

.Larkin, Colin (1998), ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , pp. 39–40. In 1977, Brown Sugar released their major label debut song "I'm in Love with a Dreadlocks". The song was a massive hit with sound system owners and reggae lovers and went on to reach the top spot in the British reggae charts. Their self-titled album was scheduled to be released in 1977, but was shelved after the group disbanded due to the mistreatment by their recording label, Lover's Rock. In 1978, Caron reunited with Brown Sugar and embarked on a tour with

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

. Following the tour, the group released a series of singles: "Our Reggae Music", "Confession Hurts", "Dreaming of Zion", and "I am So Proud" in 1979. After releasing their final single "Go On Now" in 1983, the group disbanded to further pursue solo careers.

1982–1988: Afrodiziak

In 1982, Wheeler met Claudia Fontaine, an English

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

from

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. They formed a duo known as

. The duo only performed as session vocalists for other singers, most notably for

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

on his album ''

Punch the Clock ''Punch the Clock'' is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his seventh with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation). It was released on 5 A ...

'' in 1983. Afrodiziak later toured as backing vocalists for Elvis Costello during his UK tour in 1983. After the tour, they became a group by adding singer

Naomi Thompson Naomi Thompson is a British singer. In the early-to-late 1980s, she worked with Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine under the name Afrodiziak, which recorded for Haysi Fantayzee on their track "The Sabres of Paradise", and sang backup vocals on ...

. The group would go on to contribute background vocals for many artists including

Heaven 17 Heaven 17 are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of Martyn Ware (keyboards) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) (both previously of the Human League), ...

Special AKA The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynva ...

, Howard Jones, Japan, Aswad, Sam Brown, and

Julia Fordham Julia Fordham (born 10 August 1962) is a British singer-songwriter. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde, before signing a recording contract of he ...

. In 1988, Wheeler withdraw from the group.

1988–1990: Soul II Soul

In 1988, Wheeler met Jazzie B who asked her to become one of the founding members of Soul II Soul. At the time, the group consisted of Jazzie B, Caron Wheeler, Rose Windross, Doreen Waddell, Jazzie Q, Aitch Bee, and Nellee Hooper. The group began recording their first album in 1988. The following year, the group released their debut album, ''

''. The album spawned the major hits " Keep on Movin'" and " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", which featured Wheeler as lead vocalist and sold over one million copies worldwide each. The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, with huge sales and winning the group a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album, Group, Band, or Duo, and two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for "African Dance", and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". In 1988, she sang backing vocals in the Erasure's song " Chains of Love". In March 1989, Caron performed "Keep on Movin'" with Soul II Soul on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

''. She continued to tour with the group throughout the year but left Soul II Soul to begin recording her solo album.

1990–1993: ''UK Blak'' and ''Beach of the War Goddess''

In early 1990, Wheeler secured a recording contract with EMI. Her first solo album ''

'' was released on May 15, 1990. The album sold 60,000 copies in the UK, debuted at number 14 the UK Albums chart, and has since sold 100 thousand copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "

", became Caron's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US. The album also featured the singles "UK Blak", "Blue (Is the Colour of Pain)", and "Don't Quit", which also charted on UK Singles chart. Caron Wheeler"">"UK Charts > Caron Wheeler"

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company wi ...

. Retrieved 30 June 2016. In 1992, Wheeler returned to the studio and began recording her second album. She also recorded her lead vocals on a song entitled "Take Me Higher", which was featured on Soul II Soul's album ''Volume III Just Right''. In October 1992, the album's lead single "I Adore You" was released with moderate success. The song was also featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to the movie ''

Mo' Money ''Mo' Money'' is a 1992 American comedy -drama film directed by Peter Macdonald, and written by Damon Wayans, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Stacey Dash, Joe Santos, John Diehl, Harry Lennix, Bernie Mac (in his film debut), ...

'' in July 1992. In February 1993, she released ''

''. Wheeler's second album also spawn the singles: "In Our Love", "Soul Street", and "Beach of the War Goddess".

1994–1996: Return to Soul II Soul

In 1994, Wheeler was asked to rejoin Soul II Soul, for the recording of their fourth studio album ''Volume V: Believe''. The line-up now consisted of Jazzie B, Charlotte Kelly, and Penny Ford. During the recording sessions, Wheeler and Jazzie B struggled with creative differences. Wheeler felt the group should have been producing more contemporary songs and not just replicating the old sound. However, the band retained the songs she had co-written but with other vocalists recording over her lead vocals. Wheeler was supposed to appear as the lead vocalist on the album's lead single "Love Enuff", but she opted not to finish the song. Fellow Soul II Soul member Penny Ford sang lead vocals with Wheeler only performing background vocals on the song. Wheeler ultimately left the group before the release of the album, but her lead vocals were still present on the songs "Ride On" and "Sunday".Caron Wheeler Discography , Credits
Discogs. Retrieved on 30 June 2016 In 1995, Wheeler recorded " Just the Two of Us" as a duet with Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota for his album ''

Sunshine, Moonlight ''Sunshine Moonlight'' is the eighth studio album of Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota, released on September 5, 1995. The album credited under the name, Toshi Kubota. This was also Kubota's first English-language album. The album's musical style ...

''. The song peaked at number 30 on Japan's

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In ...

. In 1996, a remix of " Keep On Movin'" was released and charted at number 31 on the UK Singles chart.

1997–2006: Music production

In 1997, Wheeler provided guest vocals on the song "You're Mine" for Eric Gadd's album ''The Right Way''. In 1999, Wheeler released a single "Star", which peaked at number 82 on

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

' chart. In 2001, Wheeler recorded the song "Open" with Pete Rock on the American hip hop production team Da Beatminerz's album '' Brace 4 Impak''. In 2002, Wheeler was featured on

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

's '' Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape''. In 2003, she performed the track " Another Star" to the

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

tribute album ''Conception - An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs''. She was featured on the song "Lonely" for Richard X's album, '' Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1''. In 2006, Wheeler released her live album ''Live at Duo Music Exchange''. The album was recorded in Japan and features live performances of her songs as well as songs Wheeler recorded during her time with Soul II Soul.

2007–present: Return to Soul II Soul

In 2007, Wheeler reunited with Soul II Soul, at the time consisting of Jazzie B, Aitch Bee, and MC Chickaboo. The group began performing at local nightclubs and music festivals. In February 2009, Wheeler toured with the group in Australia where they performed at the Playground Weekender Festival. In July 2009, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lovers Rock Gala Awards. In 2010, Soul II Soul reunited for a reunion tour with the lineup consisting of: Jazzie B, Caron Wheeler, Rose Windross, Kym Mazelle, Charlotte Kelly, Aitch B, and MC Chickaboo. Following the conclusion of tour, Wheeler briefly departed from the group. In June 2012, Wheeler was present with the members of Soul II Soul when they received the honorary from PRS Heritage Plaque Award. She also performed with the group during the ceremony. In 2013, Wheeler officially returned to Soul II Soul and began touring again with the group as the lead vocalist. During her interview with

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric ...

, Wheeler stated that she will be recording new music with Soul II Soul. In 2016, Soul II Soul released a single "A New Day", featuring

Louie Vega Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and Grammy Award winner remixer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production team. Biograp ...

, which is credited to Caron Wheeler and Jazzie B. In November 2016, the group released a live album titled ''Origins: The Roots of Soul II Soul''.Origins: The Roots of Soul II Soul - Soul II Soul (Overview)
AllMusic. Retrieved on July 11, 2017 In 2017, Wheeler made an appearance on her former Soul II Soul colleague Simon Law's album ''Look to the Sky'' on the lead single "Morning Love".

Personal life

Wheeler attended Kingsdale Foundation School in south London in the late 70s. In 2004, Wheeler gave birth to her daughter Asha Star.

Discography

*''

'' (1990) *''

'' (1993)

Awards and nominations

Competitive

;American Music Awards , - , rowspan="2", , " Keep on Movin'" , Favorite Soul/R&B Single , , - , " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Favorite Dance Single , , - ;BRIT Awards , - , rowspan="1", 1990 , " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best British Single , ;Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="2", , rowspan="1", " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal , , - , rowspan="1", "African Dance" , Best R&B Instrumental Performance , ;Juno Awards , - , rowspan="1",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, " Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" , Best International Single of the Year , ;Soul Train Music Awards , - , rowspan="2", 1990 , rowspan="2", " Keep on Movin'" , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year , , - , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Group, Band, or Duo , , -

Honorary

;Lovers Rock Gala Awards * 2009: Lifetime Achievement Award ;PRS for Music Heritage Awards * 2012: Lifetime Achievement Award (with Soul II Soul)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Caron 1963 births British reggae musicians English people of Jamaican descent English dance musicians English reggae musicians Grammy Award winners Living people Lovers rock musicians Singers from London 20th-century Black British women singers 21st-century Black British women singers Capitol Records artists RCA Records artists EMI Records artists Afrodiziak members Soul II Soul members Brown Sugar (group) members