John Taylor (born 16 April 1963), better known as Chaka Demus, is a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

musician and

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music festivals), mobile DJ ...

, best known as part of the duo

Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor) and singer Pliers (born Everton Bonner), known for their hits " Tease Me" and " Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success ...

Biography

Early years

Born in West Kingston, Taylor was a regular attendee at Kingston dances and was given a chance by

Prince Jammy Lloyd Woodrowe James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer, sound system owner and record producer. He began hi ...

to DJ on his

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

.Lesser, Beth (2008) ''Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture'', Soul Jazz, , p. 61 Upon releasing his debut single, the Jammy-produced "Increase Your Knowledge" in 1985, he was virtually unknown. None of his early records saw chart success, though they later met with increased success. Other musicians quickly recognised him as having great potential, most notably

Yellowman Winston Foster , (1956 or 15 January 1959) better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a serie ...

who joined him for such songs as "Everybody Loves The Chaka", "Scotty", and "Bring It To Me" and Admiral Bailey, who collaborated with him on "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer", giving him his first hit. The same year saw the release of "Everybody Loves The Chaka", for the Scorpio label, which was then followed up by the 1989 album, ''The Original Chaka'' 'Watch me Ride'.

Mainstream success

He first met

Pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...

(Everton Bonner) in 1991 and suggested that they team up. They enjoyed an internationally successful partnership including a string of hit singles and a number one album in the UK between 1993 and 1997.Chaka Demus And Pliers
, Chart Stats, retrieved 18 July 2010 Chaka Demus net worth amounts up to 75 million dollars. In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers reunited to record a track called "Need Your Lovin" which was released on vinyl, on Explorer Records. On 18 November 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed "Murder She Wrote" alongside

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

at the 2007 American Music Awards. Their subsequent album, ''So Proud'', was released in Europe and the Middle East in October 2008. A solo album called ''DJ Spirit'' was released in 2008. Chaka Demus now runs his own record label, Bright Star, on which he has released records by his son, known by his stage name of Marvellous. He continues to perform with Pliers, and recorded a new album in 2012, featuring guest appearances from Pliers, Marvellous, and

Freddie McGregor Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to ...

. In August 2013, he released the album ''Second Coming'' on the Fire and Ice label that he co-owns with Winston Solomon.Campbell, Howard (2013)
Second Coming for Chaka Demus
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 27 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013

Solo discography

*''The Original Chaka'' (1986), Witty *''Everybody Loves the Chaka'' (1988), Black Scorpio *''Reggae Dance Hall Sensation'' (1989), Rohit International *''No. 1'' (1991), Penthouse *''Gal Wine'' (1992), VP *''Bad Bad Chaka'' (1994), Mélodie Distribution *''Second Coming'' (2013), Fire and Ice ;Other collaborations and split releases: *''Rough & Rugged'' (1988), Jammy's/Super Power - split with

Shabba Ranks Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demus, Chaka 1963 births Living people Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica VP Records artists