Inner Circle

Biography

Inner Circle, also known as The Inner Circle Band or The Bad Boys of Reggae, are a Jamaican reggae band formed in Kingston in 1968. The band first backed The Chosen Few in the early 1970s before joining with successful solo artist Jacob Miller and releasing a string of records. This era of the band ended with Miller's death in a car crash in 1980.
The group reformed in 1986. During this period, they released several international hit singles, including "Sweat (A La La La La Long)×Sweat (A La La La La Long)1992 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Sweat (original version)3:492Sweat (Sweatbox Construction)7:573Sweat (Circle Zone dub mix)5:154Bad Boys (original mix)3:51" and "Bad Boys×Bad Boys4 May 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Sweat (A La La La La Long)3:462Bad Boys (Theme From Cops)3:483Rock With You3:354Wrapped Up in Your Love3:435Looking for a Better Way4:046Sunglasses at Nite3:427Living It Up3:548Hey Love4:219Bad to the Bone3:1410Down by the River4:1611Slow It Down4:0212Sweat (A La La La La Long) (dancehall mix)5:2813Tear Down These Walls4:2514Bad Boys (David Morales mix)5:13", the latter of which later became the theme to the American television show COPS. The group continued to record and tour thereafter.
Brothers Ian and Roger Lewis have remained the group's consistent members, playing bass and guitar, respectively. Other long-term members include keyboardist Bernard "Touter" Harvey, a member since 1973, and drummer Lancelot Hall, who joined during their 1986 reformation. The band's lineup is completed by singer Trevor "Skatta" Bonnick and lead guitarist Andre Philips.

Early history (1968–1974)

Inner Circle was formed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1968, by the brothers Ian Lewis and Roger Lewis with then 12-year-old Stephen "Cat" Coore and Michael Cooper. They appeared on record in 1970, backing The Chosen Few on the Derrick Harriott-produced single "Why Can't I Touch You", with the Inner Circle Band credited with the instrumental version on the B-side. This was one of several singles on which they backed the Chosen Few. In 1970 the band was expanded when they were joined by drummer William Stewart, percussionist Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett, and singer William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke. The band played on Eric Donaldson's hit single "Cherry Oh Baby" and recorded their own version as "Red Cherry".
Jarrett left the band in 1972, with singer Clarke leaving the following year when he moved to New York. Clarke's replacement was Milton "Prilly" Hamilton, but this line-up was short-lived as the band split in two with Coore, Cooper, and Hamilton leaving to form Third World in 1973. Coore and Cooper were then students of the University of the West Indies, studying for various degrees and were soon joined in Third World by fellow Inner Circle departees Clarke and Jarrett. Meanwhile, Inner Circle re-tooled the lineup by recruiting keyboard players Charles Farquharson and Bernard Harvey (aka "Touter"), as well as drummer Calvin McKenzie as a replacement for Stewart (who would also go on to play with Third World). The band played the hotel and club circuit in Kingston, playing a mixture of reggae, pop and soul hits, and released their first album, Dread Reggae Hits, in 1973 on Ian Lewis's Top Ranking label.

The Jacob Miller years

After recording with singer Funky Brown, they recruited Jacob Miller as a permanent vocalist (although he continued to record as a solo artist), and had a hit single with a version of The Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New". Some of Miller's work with the band was credited to Miller alone, including the "Tenement Yard×Tenement Yard25 September 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATenement YardBNews Carrying Dread (Tenement Yard Remix)" single. The band was signed by Capitol Records, who issued the albums Reggae Thing×Reggae Thing1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Love Is the Drug4:23A280,000 Careless Ethiopians3:22A3Reggae Thing4:02A4Jah Music4:05A5Roman Soldiers of Babylon2:55B1Groovin' in Love4:43B2Tired Fe Lick Weed in a Bush2:59B3Forwared Jah Jah Children4:11B4Ghetto on Fire4:12B5This World5:31 (1976) and Ready for the World×Ready for the World1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Ready for the World / I Like to See You Dance5:43A2Music Is for Everyone3:56A3Catch Me When I'm Coming (With My Music)3:24A4Never Born to Be Wild4:57B1Live Together4:15B2I Found a Girl5:38B3Oh Lord3:14B4Great American Dream3:22B5I’m a Rastaman4:42 (1977). They toured the United States with American guitarist, Ed Elizalde. In 1978 they moved on to Island Records who released the Everything Is Great album in 1978, which included the UK hit singles "Everything Is Great×Everything Is Great1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Music Machine4:59A2Mary Mary5:11A3Stop Breaking My Heart3:34A4Roots Rock Symphony5:45B1Everything Is Great6:06B2Playing It4:05B3We 'a' Rockers4:56B4I've Learned My Lesson4:20" and "Stop Breaking My Heart", and New Age Music the following year. The band was joined by New York session guitarist Joe Ortiz, dubbed 'Gitzy' by the band; who added the first touches of hard rock, jazz, and blues to the group and to reggae in general. Ortiz recorded at Compass Point Studios for the Everything Is Great album on Island Records, and later joined the group for their European tour in 1978–1980. He was also the lead guitarist on the title track "New Age Music×New Age Music1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1We Come to Rock You4:50A2Summer in the City3:15A3Call It Love4:15A4Discipline Child (Never Born to Be Wild)7:45B1Carry That Weight3:58B2If I Can't Have You5:06B3New Age Music5:38B4Chips & Bruises5:24" on the album of the same name. Lester Adderley joined the group for the New Age Music album on guitar. Also released in the late 1970s were two dub albums based on Miller's solo albums Killer Miller and Wanted but credited to Inner Circle. The band gained further exposure via their performance in the film Rockers, playing a hotel house band. At his peak in the 1970s, only Bob Marley was more popular in Jamaica than Miller, and as a live act, nobody equalled their popularity.
Miller's death in a car crash on 23 March 1980 led the band to split up, with the Lewis Brothers and Touter Harvey moving to Miami, where they opened a studio in a warehouse, later opening their own Circle House recording studio, and the band has been based in Miami since then. After Miller's death in 1980, the band had one more American tour, inviting Norman Grant from the Twinkle Brothers for vocals.

Reformation and US success

In 1981, with Bay Area lead guitarist, Mark Castro, they recorded the album Something So Good×Something So Good1982 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Something So Good3:32A2Summer Struttin4:18A3World 2000 (High Would Be Like)4:45A4When a Man Loves a Woman5:25B1Telephone Line3:50B2Fool for Love4:44B3Ticket to Heaven3:53B4Hot Love3:36B5Changes3:57. Due to the loss of Jacob Miller, the members asked Mark Castro to help them find a new vocalist. Mark brought Rick Hunt to the band. "Something So Good" includes the memorable signature lead guitar solos that only Mark Castro can produce, especially When a Man Loves a Woman and World 2000."Something So Good" was released in 1982. They reformed in 1986 with the Lewis Brothers and Harvey joined by singer Calton Coffie and drummer Lancelot Hall, and this line-up released the Black Roses album (released in 1986 on RAS Records). The band's next album, One Way×One Way1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1One Way3:582Love One Another3:473Front and Center4:024Life3:335Stay With Me2:476Massive3:547Bad Boys3:418Champion3:479Keep the Faith4:41 in 1987, included one of their biggest hits, "Bad Boys×Bad Boys4 May 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Sweat (A La La La La Long)3:462Bad Boys (Theme From Cops)3:483Rock With You3:354Wrapped Up in Your Love3:435Looking for a Better Way4:046Sunglasses at Nite3:427Living It Up3:548Hey Love4:219Bad to the Bone3:1410Down by the River4:1611Slow It Down4:0212Sweat (A La La La La Long) (dancehall mix)5:2813Tear Down These Walls4:2514Bad Boys (David Morales mix)5:13", which was re-recorded for their 1989 album Identified×Identified1 August 1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Nothing Under the Sun5:052Rejoice3:533Language of Love5:004Winner in Love4:415Black and White4:206Identify Yourself4:347Cease Fire4:008Last Crusade4:109Rasta-Man3:13 and became the theme music for the Fox TV series Cops that year. California guitarist Dave Gonzales, by Mark Castro's recommendation, joined the band for a tour in 1989. "Bad Boys" was reissued as a single in 1990 and charted in several countries in Europe, but it was its 1993 re-release in the United States that achieved the greatest success. The 1992 album Bad to the Bone×Bad to the Bone1992 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Make U Sweat5:232Party Party (Serious Times)4:383Slow It Down (Take It Easy)4:044Looking for a Better Way4:085Shock Out "Hawaiian Style"3:486Bad to the Bone4:507Sunglasses at Nite3:448Tear Down These Walls4:339Long Time (Selassie A Warn Yu)3:3110Down by the River4:1911Bone Mix Ragga Style4:4212Hold on to the Ridim4:5813Why Them A Gwan So4:2414Shock Out (Jamaican Style)3:51 was picked up by Atlantic Records and reissued as Bad Boys in 1993 to capitalize on the success of the single. It sold more than half a million copies in the United States and more than four million worldwide. The band received a Grammy Award in 1993 for 'Best Reggae Album by Duo or Group' for Bad Boys and the album also spawned the international hit single "Sweat (A La La La La Long)×Sweat (A La La La La Long)1992 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Sweat (original version)3:492Sweat (Sweatbox Construction)7:573Sweat (Circle Zone dub mix)5:154Bad Boys (original mix)3:51", which was a No. 3 hit in the UK Singles Chart and topped the chart in 10 countries, selling over a million copies in Europe, while "Bad Boys" peaked at No. 52. It was their second (and last) American hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Bad Boys" was used in the 1995 film of the same name starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and its sequels Bad Boys II and Bad Boys for Life, and a ringtone based on the song was on the Billboard Hot Ringtones Chart for over 110 weeks. They received a second Grammy nomination in 1994 for the album Reggae Dancer×Reggae Dancer1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Summer Jammin'4:052Games People Play3:273Black Roses4:354Something So Good3:265Whip It3:426Signs, I Can't Take It3:287Imagine3:528Walking on a Rainbow4:309Rough Boy3:5910Broken Glass3:5011Reggae Dancer3:041224-7-3653:44, which included a cover of Joe South's "Games People Play×Games People Play1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Games People Play (radio edit)3:272Games People Play (Miami mix)3:573Games People Play (Big Game dub)5:094Games People Play (extended version)5:40" which was released as a single.
Coffie left in the mid-1990s to pursue a solo career, and they were joined in 1994 by Kris Bentley who made his album debut on Da Bomb×Da Bomb1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Book of Rules3:222Da Bomb3:433Tell Me (What You Want Me to Do)3:414No Army Life4:045I Think I Love You3:376It's Not About Romance4:277Reggae Music Is Life4:078I Love Girls3:149Party's Just Begun3:3010Senoritas Le Gustan El Reggae3:2811Our Love (Gonna Take a Miracle)4:0412Playbwoy3:22 (1997), released on the band's own Soundbwoy Entertainment label. In 1999 they released the album Jamaika Me Crazy×Jamaika Me Crazy1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Ob‐La‐Di, Ob‐La‐Da4:032Talk About3:423Tell Me Lies3:264I Go Crazy3:455Life’s a Beach3:406Rivers of Babylon3:437Jah Jah We’re Calling3:308One Life, One World4:159Sweet Jamaica4:0210Black and White3:4011Summer Love2:5512Where Do We Go From Here3:2313Mother Theresa5:3214Ob‐La‐Di, Ob‐La‐Da (dancehall mix)3:3715Not About Romance ’983:36 on their own Eureka label. The 2000 album Big Tings×Big Tings2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1You Got Do2Beg A Likkle Peace3Sweet Jamaica4Maria Maria5Big Tings A Gwaan6Come Back Jah Jah7One Good One Aim8Jah Jah Is Callin9Blood A Run10Rain From Da Skies11Love This Time12I Spy featured guest appearances from Mr Vegas, Beenie Man, Luciano, Anthony B, and Glen Washington. In 2008, Jr. Jazz took over as lead vocalist.
As well as running the Circle Sound studio, the band members also run the Circle Sound production company.
The band's 2009 album State of Da World featured contributions from an array of reggae stars including Luciano, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Junior Reid, Mutabaruka, Bushman, David Hinds of Steel Pulse, and members of Slightly Stoopid.
In 2012, the band launched the 'Saving The Reggae Music' campaign with the aim of promoting traditional reggae music over the increasingly US-influenced music coming out of Jamaica.
The band's 2012 album Dubets featured collaborations with Peetah Morgan, Ken Boothe, Marcia Griffiths, Glen Washington, Ali Campbell of UB40, Gramps Morgan, A.J. Brown, and Marty Dread. The group went on to record with several younger singers and deejays, including Damian Marley, I-Octane, Khago, and Chronixx, with whom they recorded an updated version of "Tenement Yard×Tenement Yard25 September 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATenement YardBNews Carrying Dread (Tenement Yard Remix)".
In 2019 it was announced that Ian and Roger Lewis, and Jacob Miller would receive the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican government.

Members

Current members
Ian Lewis (born 1 November 1953) – bass, vocals (1968–1980, 1981–1982, 1986–present)
Roger Lewis (born 29 June 1951) – guitar, vocals (1968–1980, 1981–1982, 1986–present)
Bernard "Touter" Harvey (born 25 October 1955) – keyboards, vocals (1973–1980, 1981–1982, 1986–present)
Lancelot Hall (born 7 February 1960) – drums (1986–present)
Trevor "Skatta" Bonnick – vocals (2013–present)
Andre Phillips – guitar (2017–present)
Benji Baez - guitar (2023 - present)
Former members
Michael "Ibo" Cooper – keyboards (1968–1973; died 2023)
Stephen "Cat" Coore – guitar (1968–1973; died 2026)
William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke – vocals (1970–1973; died 2014)
William Stewart – drums (1970–1973)
Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett – percussion (1970–1972; died 2018)
Milton "Prilly" Hamilton – vocals (1973)
Charles Farquharson – keyboards (1973–1980, 1981–1982)
Calvin McKenzie – drums (1973–1980, 1981–1982)
Funky Brown – vocals (1973–1974)
Jacob Miller – vocals (1974–1980; his death)
Ed Elizalde – guitar (1977–1978)
Joe Ortiz – guitar (1978–1980)
Lester Adderley – guitar (1979–1980)
Norman Grant – vocals (1980)
Mark Castro – guitar (1981–1982)
Rick Hunt – vocals (1981–1982)
Anthony "Junior" Douglas – drums/background vocals (1981–1982)
Calton Coffie – vocals (1986–1994; died 2023)
Dave Gonzales – guitar (1989)
Kris Bentley – vocals (1994–2008)
Jr. Jazz – vocals, guitar (2008–2011)
Michael Sterling – guitar, vocals (2013–2017)