HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
and
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 ...
band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, UK.


Early life

Mitchell was born in the parish of Clarendon, British Jamaica. At the age of eleven, Mitchell and her family emigrated to London, England, in 1963; her childhood home was in the district of
Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...
. By the end of the decade, she auditioned for ''
Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'' and eventually moved to
West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
to join the German cast where she replaced
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
. After ''Hair'', Mitchell joined the Les Humphries Singers for a few years and represented West Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Ralph Siegel title "Sing Sang Song". The band was then reduced to only six singers (Liz was not one of them) for the show (their usual line-ups consisted of 20 performers and up) and came in 15th place with only 12 points, which they regarded as their beginning of the end as a band.


Boney M.

A phone call from Katja Wolff agency in February 1976 persuaded Mitchell to return to West Germany to join a new group being assembled by record producer
Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...
which would become known as Boney M. Though the group's initial purpose was simply to
lip-synch Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements ...
for TV and discothèque performances of Farian's song "Baby Do You Wanna Bump", Boney M. soon became a legitimate recording group with Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, and producer Farian as the vocal core. Mitchell became widely regarded as Boney M.'s lead vocalist. She remained with Boney M. until the group disbanded in 1986.


After Boney M.

After the group split up shortly after their 10th anniversary in 1986, fellow group member Bobby Farrell convinced Mitchell,
Maizie Williams Maizie Ursula Williams (born 25 March 1951) is a British model, dancer and singer who became one of the original members of the successful 1970s disco music group Boney M. Though she did not sing on the studio recordings of their songs, she ...
and a replacement for Marcia Barrett to re-group for a tour in 1987. A recording contract for the group was also arranged. When Farrell and the replacement singer failed to show up for the rehearsals, Mitchell and Williams recruited singer Celena Duncan and dancer Curt Dee Daran for the tour. As Williams had never sung on Boney M.'s recordings, Mitchell ended up recording the scheduled album on her own. However, it proved difficult for Mitchell to find a record label to release the album, entitled ''No One Will Force You''. It was released in Spain in the Autumn of 1988, supported by the singles "Mandela" (a re-work of Boney M.'s 1979 hit " El Lute") and "Niños De La Playa" (Children of the Beach). The latter was also released on Mega Records in
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
where the group did a tour in October. By this point, Williams had been replaced by Carol Grey. At the same time,
Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Sinéad O'Co ...
had produced a
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
album of Boney M.'s greatest hits and wanted the original line-up to promote it. Mitchell reluctantly accepted the offer and Boney M. appeared together again on German and Dutch TV, even though Mitchell's new line-up still had gigs to play. The success of the remix album led Mitchell to sign her album for a French and Dutch release in 1989, and due to personal differences within the group, she eventually decided to focus on her solo career. Even though Madeleine Davis took her place in the group, Farian eventually called Mitchell back for a second remix album by the end of 1989 and also had her front a new Boney M. line-up for the single, "Stories", as an answer-back to an unofficial Boney M. single, "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker", recorded by the other three with Madeleine Davis, without Farian's approval. In 1990, Mitchell re-formed her 1988 line-up with Patricia Foster replacing Celena Duncan and kept touring the
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
circuit. In April 1991, she released the single "Mocking Bird", produced by longtime Boney M. collaborator, Helmut Rulofs to minimal attention. After three dire years, the success of Boney M. '' Gold - 20 Super Hits'' boosted the career of her line-up, entitled 'Boney M. feat. Liz Mitchell', and they were officially approved by Farian to promote the album and the accompanying singles. For the follow-up '' More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II'', Mitchell recorded four new songs. ''No One Will Force You'' with two previously unreleased tracks from 1984 was also re-released in Denmark, five years after it was recorded. In 1996, Mitchell and her husband Thomas Pemberton built the Dove House Studios and formed Dove House Records. With a newly founded fan club, Mitchell recorded an EP with four Christmas songs as a special Christmas gift for her fans. In November 1999, Mitchell finally released her album ''Share the World'', which had taken three years to complete. In November 2000, she released the seasonal album ''Christmas Rose'' which consisted of partly new material, including the title track, "Lord's Prayer" and "I Want to Go to Heaven" co-written by herself, part re-recordings of Boney M.'s '' Christmas Album''. Mitchell, now a
born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...
, continued the inspirational path on ''Let It Be'', her fourth solo album, released in November 2004. Just a few months later, the album ''Liz Mitchell Sings the Hits of Boney M.'', recorded in Prague, backed by a Czech symphony orchestra, was released. A song recorded in 2006, called "A Moment Of Love", can be found on the
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
, '' The Magic of Boney M.''. She is still touring, billed as Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell. In 2014 a Federation of Reggae Music and Brent Council
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
was unveiled at Mitchell's childhood home on Wrottesley Road in
Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...
, London, where her father still resided at this time. Mitchell now resides in
Caversham, Reading Caversham is a village and suburb of Reading in Berkshire, England, located directly north of Reading town centre across the River Thames. Caversham rises from the River Thames, lying on flood plain and the lowest reaches of the Chiltern Hills ...
. Mitchell was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in the
2024 Birthday Honours The 2024 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Charles III, King Charles III to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens ...
for services to music and to charity.


Discography

Albums * ''No One Will Force You'' (1988, re-released 1989 and 1993) * ''Share the World'' (1999) * ''Christmas Rose'' (2000) * ''Let It Be'' (2004) * ''Liz Mitchell Sings the Hits of Boney M.'' (2005)
7" singles * "Got a Man on My Mind" / "Perfect" (Hansa 11 327 AT, West Germany 1977) "Got a Man on My Mind" was taken from Boney M.'s 1976 album '' Take the Heat Off Me''. "Perfect" was a 1974 demo with Malcolm Magaron (despite the label crediting Farian as the producer).'' * "Mandela" / "Reggae People" (Horus 50.067, Spain 1988) * "Niños de la Playa" / "Time Is a River" (Horus 50.080, Spain 1988 / Mega Records MRCS 2354, Scandinavia 1988) * "Mandela" / "Reggae People" (Dureco 11 008 77, Holland 1989) * "Marinero" / "Love Is Bleeding" (Dureco 11 912 07, Holland 1989 / Tréma 410 478 PM 102, France 1989) * "Mocking Bird" / "Tropical Fever" (Hansa 114 123-100, Germany 1991)
CD singles * "Mocking Bird" (Radio Version) 3:45 / "Tropical Fever" 3:55 / "Mocking Bird" (Club Mix) 5:25 (Hansa 664 123–211, Germany 1991) * "Reggae People" 3:09 / "Mandela" 4:42 (CMC 4938-SCD, Denmark 1993) * "Sunshine" (Radio Mix) (4:36) / (Club Mix) (5:50) / (Extended Radio Mix) (5:14)/ (Extended Club Mix) (5:19) (Dove House DHR 0003 CD, 1999) * "Christmas Rose" (3:53) / 2. "Lord's Prayer" (3:53) (Dove House DHR 0004 CD, 1999) * "Let It Be" (4:08) / "You're Excellent" (3:50) (Dove House DHR 0009 CD, 2004) * "My Life Is in Your Hands" (5:04) / "I Want To Go To Heaven" (4:08) / "Share The World" (Remix) (4:26) / "When A Child Is Born" (3:40) / "Grandmother's Song" (4:27) (Dove House DHR 0012 CD, 2006)


References


External links


Liz Mitchell official website

Boney M. feat. Liz Mitchell Profile & Image
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Liz 1952 births Living people 20th-century Black British women singers 20th-century British women singers 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers 20th-century Christians 21st-century Christians Boney M. members British Christians English people of Jamaican descent British pop singers Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Les Humphries Singers members Musicians from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Singers from the London Borough of Brent Dureco artists Hansa Records artists Jamaican expatriates in Germany People from Harlesden Members of the Order of the British Empire