Barry Biggs
Barry Biggs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 (age 79–80)[1] St. Andrew, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
Barry Biggs (born 1946[1] St. Andrew, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song, "Sideshow", which got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977.[2]
Career
Biggs worked as a recording engineer and cameraman with the Jamaican Broadcasting Company, and also spent time as a member of the band the Astronauts, before becoming the lead singer for Byron Lee's Dragonaires.[1][3]
It was at Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio (where he also worked as a producer and engineer) that Biggs recorded his first Jamaican hit, a cover of the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple".[1][3] He broke through to international success in 1976 with "Work All Day", which had been recorded seven years earlier.[1][3] Biggs had six hit singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1976 and 1981, the most successful of these, "Sideshow", reaching number 3 in January 1977.[2] He recorded two songs with Bunny Lee; "Sincerely" and "You're Welcome" which did well in the reggae charts.[3] He topped the reggae chart in the UK with "Wide Awake in a Dream" and "A Promise Is a Comfort to a Fool".[3]
Many of Biggs' recordings were reggae cover versions of popular soul hits, including songs such as Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour"; "Sideshow" and "Three Ring Circus" by Blue Magic; and others originally by the Chi-Lites, the Moonglows ("Sincerely"), and the Temptations ("Just My Imagination").[4] His version of "Love Come Down", originally recorded by Evelyn "Champagne" King, was a top 10 hit in 1983 in the Netherlands. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Biggs avoided the political and Rasta themes then popular in Jamaica.[1]
Biggs continued to perform occasionally in the 2000s, notably at a 2008 service of thanksgiving for his former bandleader, Byron Lee.
Discography
Studio albums
- Mr. Biggs – (1976) – Dynamic Sounds (also issued in 1977 as Side Show)
- Sincerely – (1977) – Dynamic Sounds
- Wide Awake in a Dream – (1980) – Starlight
- A Promise Is A Comfort to a Fool – (1982)
- Barry Biggs & The Inner Circle – (1983) – Trojan
- Coming Down With Love (1983) – Ariola
- So in Love – (1989) – Starlight
- Wide Awake – (1990) – Mango
- Night Like This – (1994) – WEA
- Love Come Down – (2000) – Wesgram Records
- I've Got It Covered – (2021) – Burning Sounds[5]
Compilation albums
- Sideshow: The Best of Barry Biggs – (1995) – Jamaican Gold
- Vintage Series: Barry Biggs – (2001) – VP
- Just My Imagination – (2002) – Disky Records
- Sideshow: The Very Best of Barry Biggs – (2002) – Music Club
- Sideshow (The best of) – (2004) – Trojan
- Reggae Max – (2007) – Jet Star
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL [6] |
NLD [7] |
UK [2][8] | |||
| 1971 | "One Bad Apple" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1972 | "How Could I Let You Get Away" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1973 | "I'm Stone in Love with You" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1975 | "Lonely Girl" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "You're Welcome" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Work All Day" | ― | ― | 38 | ||
| "Sideshow" | ― | 17 | 3 | ||
| 1977 | "You're My Life" | ― | ― | 36 | |
| "Three Ring Circus" | ― | ― | 22 | ||
| "Sincerely" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1978 | "Give Me a Call" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Surely" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1979 | "Too Much Heaven" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "What's Your Sign Girl?" | ― | ― | 55 | ||
| 1981 | "Wide Awake in a Dream" | ― | ― | 44 | |
| "Love on a Two-Way Street" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "Promise Is a Comfort to a Fool" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "You're My Life" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1982 | "This Is Good Life" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Break Your Promise" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "Rain from the Sky" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1983 | "One of the Poorest People" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Love Come Down" | 23 | 7 | ― | ||
| "Reflections of My Life" (with Ruddy Thomas) | ― | 34 | ― | ||
| 1986 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Conversation" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1987 | "If You Wanna Make Love" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Since You've Been Gone" | ― | ― | ― | ||
| 1988 | "A Night Like This" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1994 | "Time for Love" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1994 | "True Love" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
References
- ^ a b c d e f Leggett, Steve. "Barry Biggs Biography". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 57. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. p. 26. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
- ^ "Coversproject.com". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
- ^ "Barry Biggs | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Discografie Barry Biggs". ultratop.be. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "Discografie Barry Biggs". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "BARRY BIGGS - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "Barry Biggs - Sideshow". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
External links
- Mini biography at Kinkyjam.com
- Discography at Roots Archives