Bitty McLean

Biography

Delroy Easton "Bitty" McLean (born 8 August 1972) is a British reggae, lovers' rock and ragga singer. He is best known for his three UK Top 10 hits in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering "It Keeps Rainin×It Keeps RaininSingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1It Keeps Rainin (Radio Edit)3:482It Keeps Rainin (No Bitty Mix)3:483True True True3:24' (Tears from My Eyes)".

Career

The youngest of six children to Easton and Leonie (née Reynolds), 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 UB40 as an engineer and producer, and occasionally also sang with the band.
He was most popular around the mid-1990s with cover versions of songs including the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love×Dedicated to the one I love1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Dedicated To The One I Love3:442Dedicated To The One I Love (The Mellow Version)4:343Dedicated To The One I Love (The Rub-a-dub Version Excursion)7:534It Keeps Rainin' (Recorded Live At Wembley 26 January 1994)4:15" (UK No. 6) and Fats Domino's "It Keeps Rainin×It Keeps RaininSingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1It Keeps Rainin (Radio Edit)3:482It Keeps Rainin (No Bitty Mix)3:483True True True3:24' (Tears from My Eyes)" (1993), which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at No. 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.×On Bond Street KGN. JA.3 October 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Walk Away From Love4:112Tell Me4:193Your Heart4:114Baby Tonight3:025To Fall in Love3:056Only You4:337My Lover's Call4:548You & I3:059Make It With You4:1910I've Got Love4:2711Cruisin'4:0612My One and Only Love3:3513Inez3:5014Ranglin on Bond Street2:5015Indian Love Call3:02, 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×Movin' On27 April 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Games5:192Got to Let Go3:523You're Welcome, Stop on By4:174So in Love3:575Lost Love5:176Try a Little Tenderness5:167Jahovia4:448Plead My Cause4:579For You I Won't Cry5:3410The Real Thing3:5811Come to Me4:2812Daddy's Home4:4213One of a Kind3:5014Lately4:0115All That I Have4:2716Let Them Talk4:0417Movin' Dub (Japan Bonus Track)5:27, with Sly and Robbie at their One Pop studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Movin' On was released on the Taxi / Silent River / TABOU1 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. In 2013, McLean released a new album, The Taxi Sessions×The Taxi SessionsSeptember 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Let's Just Fall In Love2Right Fight3Brotherman4Back Weh5A Step Closer (Bonus)6I'm The One Who Loves You7Blessings8No Love (Plead My Cause)9It's Running Over10In And Out Of Love / Taxi To Paris, with Sly & Robbie, and a live DVD recorded with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, during their concert in Paris in May 2009. Also in 2013, McLean joined The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra on vocals, for a cover of Desmond Dekker's "Fu Man Chu" (a single release for the band). He also joined them on stage for several shows, appeared in the official video that accompanied the single and, in May 2013, joined them on Later... with Jools Holland to perform the track.
In 2017, he and producer Guillaume Bougard traveled to Philadelphia to deliver lectures at the Westphal School of Music at Drexel University, consistently ranked as one of the top music programs in the US, to present Jamaican music production techniques, as well as to start working on a new soul music project in collaboration with New York based publishing house Reservoir. In 2018, he released the album Love Restart×Love Restart2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Take My Heart (Love Restart)5:552I've Found Someone4:203Babylon Has Fallen3:474Open Eyes3:475Is That Your Reward?7:526Song Of Songs3:517Broke My Heart3:478Every Word And Move4:309War Is Over4:1110My Call4:3611Made To Fall In Love3:45. The LP featured six extended mixes of previously unreleased tracks, while the CD edition features the same six tracks in their regular length plus five extra songs. The digital edition features the six extended mixes from the LP and the five other tracks from the CD. Produced with Sly & Robbie and Guillaume Bougard, and mastered at Abbey Road Studios, Love Restart came out on August 21, 2018 on TABOU1's bandcamp store and was distributed worldwide from September 2018. McLean toured Europe with Sly & Robbie in August 2018 to promote the new album. Following Robbie Shakespeare's death in December 2021, McLean put the soul project on the back burner and recorded an album over riddims produced by Dunbar and Shakespeare as a tribute to the latter. This 11 track album named Forward was released on April 14, 2023.

Personal life

He is uncle to footballer Aaron McLean and singer Anthony, under the artist name of "McLean".

Albums

Just to Let You Know... (1994) – UK No. 19
Natural High (1995) – UK No. 81
Soul to Soul (2003)
On Bond Street KGN. JA. (2005)
Made in Jamaica (2007)
Movin' On (2009)
The Taxi Sessions (2013)
Love Restart (2018)
Forward (2023)

EPs

Heart Mind Soul (2015)
War Is Over/Rumours (2016)

Singles

"It Keeps Rainin×It Keeps RaininSingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1It Keeps Rainin (Radio Edit)3:482It Keeps Rainin (No Bitty Mix)3:483True True True3:24' (Tears from My Eyes)" (1993) – UK No. 2, AUS No. 83
"Pass It On" (1993) – UK No. 35
"Here I Stand" (1994) – UK No. 10
"Dedicated to the One I Love×Dedicated to the one I love1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Dedicated To The One I Love3:442Dedicated To The One I Love (The Mellow Version)4:343Dedicated To The One I Love (The Rub-a-dub Version Excursion)7:534It Keeps Rainin' (Recorded Live At Wembley 26 January 1994)4:15" (1994) – UK No. 6
"What Goes Around" (1994) – UK No. 36
"Over the River×Over The River27 March 1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Over The River3:382Over The River (Extended)6:123Time (Soon Come Mix)4:314Time (Raw Mix)4:19" (1995) – UK No. 27
"We've Only Just Begun×We've Only Just Begun1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1We've Only Just Begun4:062We've Only Just Begun (Natural mix)4:033We've Only Just Begun (alternate mix)4:054Our Love4:11" (1995) – UK No. 23
"Nothing Can Change This Love" (1995) – UK No. 55
"Natural High×Natural High1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Time4:302That's the Way6:283We've Only Just Begun4:064Giving You the Best I've Got4:075We're in This Love Together4:536Over the River3:367All for One4:408I Just Wanna Be With You3:599Nothing Can Change This Love3:4610Natural High (This Feeling)5:31" (1996) – UK No. 63
"She's Alright" (1996) – UK No. 53
"Walk Away from Love" (2004)
"The Real Thing" (2005)
"Let Them Talk" (2006)
"Got to Let Go" (2008)
"Let Them Say" (2022)