Jazzie B
Encyclopedia
Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE
(born 26 January 1963), better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul
.
, London, the ninth of ten children, several of whom began running sound systems
in the 1960s and 1970s. With friends working under the name Jah Rico, his first gig was in 1977. He changed their working name to Soul II Soul in 1982. Soul II Soul was originally an umbrella name for several of Jazzie B's operations, including sound systems as well as the group itself.
Jazzie B has also produced and remixed tracks for The Fine Young Cannibals, Incognito
, Maxi Priest
, James Brown
, Kym Mazelle
, Rose Windross
, Cheryl Lynn
, Public Enemy, Johnny Gill
, Caron Wheeler
, Isaac Hayes
, Sinéad O'Connor
, Teena Marie
, Ziggy Marley
, Yorker, The Jones Girls
, Nas
, and Destiny's Child
.
He has produced and presented a number of various artists compilations, including Jazzie B Presents Soul II Soul at the Africa Centre (2004); Jazzie B Presents School Days: Life Changing Tracks From The Trojan Archives (2008); and Masterpiece (2008).
He is a founding director of the Featured Artists Coalition.
Jazzie B hosts a show called "Back 2 Life" on BBC Radio London which plays funk, soul and house.
He took part in the 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
.
His daughter Jessye B is a model who is part of reality TV show Dirty Sexy Things alongside 7 other models and photographer Perou
.
list.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
.
In May 2008, he was awarded the first Inspiration award at the Ivor Novello
Awards
, for being "a pioneer" and "the man who gave black British music a soul of its own".
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 January 1963), better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
.
Life and career
He was born in HornseyHornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
, London, the ninth of ten children, several of whom began running sound systems
Sound system (DJ)
A sound system is a group of DJs and engineers contributing and working together as one, playing and producing music.-Origin:The sound system concept originated in the 1950s in Kingston, Jamaica. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers to set up street parties...
in the 1960s and 1970s. With friends working under the name Jah Rico, his first gig was in 1977. He changed their working name to Soul II Soul in 1982. Soul II Soul was originally an umbrella name for several of Jazzie B's operations, including sound systems as well as the group itself.
Jazzie B has also produced and remixed tracks for The Fine Young Cannibals, Incognito
Incognito (band)
Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....
, Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Kym Mazelle
Kym Mazelle
Kym Mazelle is an American dance-pop, Hi-NRG, soul, and house singer. She was brought up and lived on the same street as the Jackson family and knew Michael Jackson's mother and uncle.-Career:...
, Rose Windross
Rose Windross
Rose Windross originally began as a singer–songwriter on the UK reggae scene. She recorded her first album, Just Rose, on the Ital Records label when she was still at school....
, Cheryl Lynn
Cheryl Lynn
Lynda Cheryl Smith , known better by her professional name Cheryl Lynn, is a female African-American disco, R&B and soul singer known best for her 1978 disco song, "Got to Be Real".-Early career:...
, Public Enemy, Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
, Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and singing the lead vocals on the two biggest hits for Soul II Soul Caron Wheeler (19 January 1963) is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and...
, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
, Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, Yorker, The Jones Girls
The Jones Girls
The Jones Girls were an R&B trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan. They first recorded for GM Records in 1968, then recorded for Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.-History:...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, and Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
.
He has produced and presented a number of various artists compilations, including Jazzie B Presents Soul II Soul at the Africa Centre (2004); Jazzie B Presents School Days: Life Changing Tracks From The Trojan Archives (2008); and Masterpiece (2008).
He is a founding director of the Featured Artists Coalition.
Jazzie B hosts a show called "Back 2 Life" on BBC Radio London which plays funk, soul and house.
He took part in the 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School is a seven-part British television documentary series made by Fresh One Productions, first aired on Channel 4. In it, Jamie Oliver enrols a group of teenagers with fewer than five GCSEs into his "Dream School" - a school in which lessons are taught by celebrities who are...
.
His daughter Jessye B is a model who is part of reality TV show Dirty Sexy Things alongside 7 other models and photographer Perou
Perou
thumb|perou by frances|rightRalph John Perou , known professionally as Perou, is a British fashion, portrait and music photographer who has also appeared as a judge on Make Me a Supermodel UK and on season 2 of Bravo TV's American Make Me a Supermodel...
.
Awards and accolades
In 2002, he was listed first in the Business category of the 100 Great Black Britons100 Great Black Britons
The 100 Great Black Britons list was compiled as a response to the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons debate of .Patrick Vernon, founder of black heritage website Every Generation, pointed out that no black people had made it to the top 100, saying that this was due in part to many people being unaware of...
list.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
New Year Honours 2008
The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008....
.
In May 2008, he was awarded the first Inspiration award at the Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
Awards
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
, for being "a pioneer" and "the man who gave black British music a soul of its own".