Bitty McLean
Encyclopedia
Bitty McLean is a British
/Jamaica
n reggae
, lovers rock
and ragga
musician
. He is best known for his three UK
Top 10 hits
in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)
".
as an engineer and producer, and occasionally also sang with the band.
He was most popular around the mid 1990s with cover version
s of song
s including The Shirelles
' "Dedicated to the One I Love
" (UK
#6) and Fats Domino's
"It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)
" (1993), which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at #2. McLean's song "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" topped the charts
in New Zealand and the Netherlands
in 1993. McLean also played on three UK
arena tours supporting UB40, Wet Wet Wet
and Simply Red
respectively.
In 2004, he released the album On Bond Street KGN. JA., which featured his vocals recorded over vintage Tommy McCook
and Duke Reid
-produced
, Treasure Isle rhythms from the rocksteady
era, most with new lyrics of his own, but also using David Ruffin
's "Walk Away From Love" and David Gates
' "Make It With You
". He recorded
a studio
album
in 2007, entitled Movin' On, with Sly and Robbie
at their One Pop studios in Kingston
, Jamaica. Movin' On was released on Taxi / Silent River / Mideya label in Europe and the US, while JVC released it in Japan. McLean and Sly & Robbie toured Japan, Europe and Morocco in 2008 and 2009. McLean is preparing a new album with Sly & Robbie, and a live DVD recorded with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, during their concert in Paris in May 2009.
and singer Anthony, under the artist name of "McLean
".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
and ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is best known for his three UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 10 hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)
It Keeps Rainin'
"It Keeps Rainin" is a song recorded by Fats Domino in 1961, and written by Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew and Bobby Charles. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry"....
".
Career
The youngest of six children, Delroy McLean was nicknamed "Bitty" due to his small stature. As a teenager he performed with local sound systems, and after studying sound engineering at college, he was employed by UB40UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
as an engineer and producer, and occasionally also sang with the band.
He was most popular around the mid 1990s with cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s including The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
' "Dedicated to the One I Love
Dedicated to the One I Love
"Dedicated to the One I Love" is the name of a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. Pauling was the guitarist of The "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version of this song, Bass was the producer. A version by The Shirelles was a minor hit for them in 1959. The "5" Royales...
" (UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#6) and Fats Domino's
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
"It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)
It Keeps Rainin'
"It Keeps Rainin" is a song recorded by Fats Domino in 1961, and written by Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew and Bobby Charles. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry"....
" (1993), which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at #2. McLean's song "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" topped the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in New Zealand and the Netherlands
Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1993
These hits topped the Dutch Top 40 in 1993 ....
in 1993. McLean also played on three UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
arena tours supporting UB40, Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
and Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
respectively.
In 2004, he released the album On Bond Street KGN. JA., which featured his vocals recorded over vintage Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s.-Biography:McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in...
and Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
-produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Treasure Isle rhythms from the rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
era, most with new lyrics of his own, but also using David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
's "Walk Away From Love" and David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
' "Make It With You
Make It with You
"Make It with You" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by the pop/rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member.The song first appeared on Bread's 1970 album On the Waters...
". He recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
in 2007, entitled Movin' On, with Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
at their One Pop studios in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica. Movin' On was released on Taxi / Silent River / Mideya label in Europe and the US, while JVC released it in Japan. McLean and Sly & Robbie toured Japan, Europe and Morocco in 2008 and 2009. McLean is preparing a new album with Sly & Robbie, and a live DVD recorded with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, during their concert in Paris in May 2009.
Personal life
He is uncle to footballer Aaron McLeanAaron McLean
Aaron McLean is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a striker.-Early career:Born in Hammersmith, London, McLean attended Robert Clack School in Dagenham. He has played for Leyton Orient and Aldershot Town....
and singer Anthony, under the artist name of "McLean
McLean (singer)
McLean is an English singer from Dagenham, east London. He is currently signed to Asylum Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the US. His debut single "Broken" was released on 26 October 2009...
".
Singles
- "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)It Keeps Rainin'"It Keeps Rainin" is a song recorded by Fats Domino in 1961, and written by Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew and Bobby Charles. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry"....
" (1993) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#2 - "Pass It On" (1993) - UK #35
- "Here I Stand" (1994) - UK #10
- "Dedicated to the One I LoveDedicated to the One I Love"Dedicated to the One I Love" is the name of a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. Pauling was the guitarist of The "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version of this song, Bass was the producer. A version by The Shirelles was a minor hit for them in 1959. The "5" Royales...
" (1994) - UK #6 - "What Goes Around" (1994) - UK #36
- "Over the River" (1995) - UK #27
- "We've Only Just BegunWe've Only Just Begun"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
" (1995) - UK #23 - "Nothing Can Change This Love" (1995) - UK #55
- "Natural High" (1996) - UK #63
- "She's Alright" (1996) - UK #53
- "The Real Thing" (2005)
- "Let them Talk" (2006)
- "Got to let go" (2008)
- "Walk away from love" massive tune
Albums
- Just to Let You Know... (1994) - UK #19
- Natural High (1995)
- Soul to Soul (2003)
- On Bond Street KGN. JA. (2005)
- Made in Jamaica (2007)
- Movin On (2009)