Big Mountain

Biography

Big Mountain is an American reggae band formed in 1986 in San Diego, California by vocalist Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney. The band gained wide recognition and became known for its cover of Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way×Baby, I Love Your Way1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Baby, I Love Your Way (radio version)4:302Baby, I Love Your Way (6 Point 6 on the Richter Scale mix)6:563Baby, Te quiero atí (Spanish version)4:36", which became a top 10 hit single in the US in early 1994, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 and No. 2 in the UK.

History

The evolution of the Big Mountain band started in 1986 as the San Diego, California reggae band Rainbow Warriors. In 1988, future Big Mountain frontman Joaquin "Quino" (pronounced Keeno) McWhinney joined as the lead singer of the band Shiloh. Quino is of Mexican/Irish heritage, and several members of his family were mariachi musicians. His interest in reggae began after seeing a documentary about Bob Marley and Rastafari. In 1989, Shiloh secured their first record deal and put out one album titled California Reggae. In 1991, the band changed the name to Big Mountain which was the name of a Native American reservation in Arizona. The original line-up was a sextet consisting of Quino (vocals), Lynn Copeland (bass), Gregory Blakney (drums), Jerome Cruz (guitar), Manfred Reinke (keyboards), and Lance Rhodes (drums).
The band first reached the charts with the song "Touch My Light" in spring 1993, a song taken from their debut album Wake Up×Wake Up23 September 1992 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Light'n Up3:072Reggae Inna Summertime3:323Peaceful Revolution4:144Rastaman3:085Back in the Hills4:596Once Again4:177Let You Go3:568Touch My Light4:419Beautiful Day2:3710Amor de Lejos3:1911Llena Mi Vida5:0512Reggae Inna Summertime (Spanglish)3:3113Lick It Up3:12. Prior to the band recording their second album, Unity×Unity19 July 1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Fruitful Days3:572Border Town4:053Upful & Right3:264Sweet Sensual Love3:455I Would Find a Way5:046Tengo Ganas4:257Baby, I Love Your Way4:238Young Revolutionaries3:519Revolution3:4010Time Has Come3:4111Big Mountain7:0212Baby, Te quiero atí (Spanish version)4:3813Un sensual amour (Spanish version)3:44, in 1993, Blakney, Cruz, Reinke, and Rhodes all departed the band, with McWhinney and Copeland finding replacements in Jamaican duo Tony Chin (guitar) and Carlton "Santa" Davis (drums), along with keyboard players Michael Hyde and Billy "Bones" Stoll, and percussionist James McWhinney. Following this lineup change, the band went on to receive major airplay on mainstream radio stations. "Baby, I Love Your Way×Baby, I Love Your Way1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Baby, I Love Your Way (radio version)4:302Baby, I Love Your Way (6 Point 6 on the Richter Scale mix)6:563Baby, Te quiero atí (Spanish version)4:36" was included on the soundtrack for the film Reality Bites, and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and its follow-up, "Sweet Sensual Love×Sweet Sensual Love1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Sweet Sensual Love (English version)3:342Sweet Sensual Love (Spanglish version)3:463Baby I Love Your Way (radio version)4:28" reached No. 51 in the UK, whilst Unity went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. Big Mountain's follow up single "Get Together" became a top five hit in Brazil and Norway.
The band appeared at both the 1994 and 1995 Reggae Sunsplash festivals in Jamaica. In 1998 Jamaican drummer/producer Paul "Groove Galore" Kastick replaced Carlton "Santa" Davis as full-time drummer and primary producer in the group. Kastick spearheaded the production on the next six Big Mountain albums, spanning from 1998 and 2007. After 10 consecutive years of touring, Big Mountain decided to take a break in 2005. During this time, Quino McWhinney became a high school teacher at Olympian High School. During the period between 2005 and 2013, Big Mountain would occasionally reunite for primarily international live performances and various benefit causes. In 2013, Quino, Hyde, and Kastick reformed the band with an extended lineup including Carlos Arias (bass), Richard "Goofy" Campbell (keyboards), Reggie Griffin (guitar, saxophone), Stephen Kamada (guitar), Danny Lopilato (guitar, vocals), Tim Pacheco (percussion, vocals). Further lineup changes have ensued, and the band now consists of Quino and James Mcwhinney, Paul Kastick, Goofy Campbell, Chizzy Chisholm and Michael (Mikey) Ortiz. In May 2016 the band released their first album in 14 years, Perfect Summer×Perfect Summer2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1All the Praise Is Due5:002Seven More Days4:293Gimme the Kushumpeng4:294I’m Calling You Out4:515Perfect Summer5:086Vision4:507It’s All Good Today3:418Reggae Got Soul5:349Here Comes That Feeling4:33.

Compilations

The Best of Big Mountain (1998), Giant
Reggae Remakes (2003), Pony Canyon
Big Mountain's Greatest Moments 1999–2004 (2004), Pony Canyon
Versions Undercover (2008), Rebel Ink Records