Musical Youth

Biography

Musical Youth are a British reggae band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. They are best known for their 1982 single "Pass the Dutchie×Pass the Dutchie25 September 1982 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAPass the Dutchie (special 12″ club version)6:05B1Pass the Dutchie (special dub mix)4:40B2Give Love a Chance3:36", which was number 1 in multiple charts around the world. Their other songs include "Youth of Today×Youth of Today1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYouth of Today (Special 12" club version)5:30BGone Straight (Special 12" club version)5:23", "Never Gonna Give You Up×Never Gonna Give You Up1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksANever Gonna Give You Up (New mix)10:33B1Mirror Mirror2:37B2Rub 'n' Dub6:15", and a collaboration with Donna Summer, "Unconditional Love". Musical Youth recorded two albums and earned a Grammy Award nomination before disbanding in 1985 after a series of personal problems. The band returned in 2001 as a duo.

History

The fathers of two pairs of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant and Frederick (known as Junior) and Patrick Waite, formed a group in 1979 featuring their sons. The Waites' father, Frederick Waite Sr., had been a member of the Jamaican reggae group the Techniques. At the start of Musical Youth's career, he sang lead with Junior. Musical Youth were influenced by reggae artists such as Sugar Minott, Aswad, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, John Holt and Beshara. Although schoolboys (attending Duddeston Manor School), the group managed to secure gigs at different Birmingham pubs and released a double single in 1981, including songs "Generals" and "Political", on a local label 021 Records, named after the then-Birmingham area code. An appearance on BBC Radio 1 John Peel's evening show brought further attention to the group, and they were signed to MCA Records. By that time, Frederick Waite Jr. was replaced by Dennis Seaton as the group's lead singer.
In September 1982, the group issued the single "Pass the Dutchie×Pass the Dutchie25 September 1982 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAPass the Dutchie (special 12″ club version)6:05B1Pass the Dutchie (special dub mix)4:40B2Give Love a Chance3:36", adapted from the Mighty Diamonds' "Pass the Kouchie". The record went to number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1982, as well as Ireland, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It also reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, and went on to sell over four million copies. Musical Youth would also be the first black act to have a music video played on the newly founded channel MTV. Their debut album The Youth of Today×The Youth of Today22 October 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Pass the Dutchie3:25A2Heartbreaker3:45A3Blind Boy3:50A4Rockers3:00A5Youth of Today2:56B1Young Generations3:20B2Mirror Mirror3:50B3Children of Zion3:00B4Never Gonna Give You Up3:00B5Schoolgirl3:20, released in the same year, placed in the top 40 in the UK, West Germany and the US, and the top 10 in Canada. It was certified gold in the UK and Canada. The follow-up singles, "Youth of Today×Youth of Today1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYouth of Today (Special 12" club version)5:30BGone Straight (Special 12" club version)5:23", released at the end of the year, and "Never Gonna Give You Up×Never Gonna Give You Up1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksANever Gonna Give You Up (New mix)10:33B1Mirror Mirror2:37B2Rub 'n' Dub6:15", released early in 1983, reached number 13 and 6 in the UK, respectively, and were moderately successful in the international charts. The next single, "Heartbreaker", was only a minor UK success.
The band released the new single "Tell Me Why" in mid-1983, a cover of a 1974 John Holt song, which reached the top 40 in several European countries. The follow-up, a cover of Desmond Dekker's "007" was a moderate hit only in the British market. In the meantime, the group featured on Donna Summer's song "Unconditional Love" which was a hit in the UK, reaching number 14. They also took part in her 1983 TV special A Hot Summer Night with Donna. Musical Youth's second album, Different Style!×Different Style!1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1007 (Shanty Town)3:24A2Yard Stylee3:40A3Air Taxi3:49A4Sixteen3:48A5Incommunicado3:22B1Tell Me Why3:12B2She's in Trouble3:09B3Mash It the Youth Man, Mash It4:22B4Whatcha Talking 'Bout5:05B5No Strings3:01, was released in 1983 and showcased a more R&B-influenced repertoire to make the band more accessible in North America. It was reflected in the lead single in that market, "She's Trouble", but it only achieved minor success. The album itself turned out a commercial failure on both European and American markets, though the band received a nomination for the Best New Artist award at the 26th Grammy Awards. After one final UK hit in early 1984 with "Sixteen", featuring Jody Watley, their commercial success ended and the next two singles, "Whatcha Talking 'Bout" and "Let's Go to the Moon", penned by Stevie Wonder and Eddy Grant, respectively, failed to enter the charts.
With their careers going downhill, the band members became embroiled in legal, financial and personal problems. In 1985, Dennis Seaton left the band, leading to its dissolution. In 1989, he released a solo album Imagine That... which passed without success. Plans for a reunion of Musical Youth were halted when Patrick Waite suddenly died in February 1993, at the age of 24, having collapsed at home from a hereditary heart condition, awaiting a court appearance. 1994 saw the release of a compilation album, Anthology, and a single with remixes of "Pass the Dutchie", followed by another compilation, Maximum Volume... The Best of Musical Youth, in 1995. Michael Grant co-founded the band 5am which released two singles in 1996, and went on to produce remixes for Da Brat, Kelly Rowland, and Lemar, among others. In 2000, they founded 5am Records, a label focused mainly on R&B and gospel music. Seaton formed his own band, XMY, and opened a car rental company. Junior Waite had been suffering from mental illness, and his former bandmates stated that he was unlikely to recover.
In 2001, Dennis Seaton and Michael Grant reformed Musical Youth as a duo. The planned tour was cancelled due to the September 11 attacks, but in 2003, the band performed as part of the Here and Now tour, an annual series of nostalgia concerts featuring musicians of the 1980s. They featured on Pato Banton's 2004 single "Pretty Woman", and performed at a festival in Wiesen, Austria in 2005. The band's new music was made available for purchase exclusively from their website. In 2008, Musical Youth released a re-recorded version of "Pass the Dutchie", followed by a cover of Boney M.'s "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" in 2009, and Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" in 2013. The latter was the lead single from their new album, initially titled Reggae for the People and later renamed When Reggae Was King×When Reggae Was King30 October 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Pass the Dutchie 214:342The Harder They Come3:12354-46 (That’s My Number)4:094I’d Love You to Want Me3:115I Shot the Sheriff5:056Money in My Pocket3:317Good Thing Going3:398Front Door3:339Hard Times4:1810Sharing the Night Together3:1711Father3:5712After Tonight3:4413Youth of Today3:02. It was scheduled for release in 2016, but after several pushbacks, it was eventually released on CD in March 2018 and in digital distribution in 2020. Former member Kelvin Grant has continued a solo career, performing and releasing new material, most recently the album Defend Them in 2018.
Frederick Waite Jr. (born on 23 May 1967) died in Birmingham on 20 July 2022, at the age of 55. His death was announced on 11 August. An inquest into his death recorded the cause of death as "sudden unexpected death in schizophrenia". He died at a mental health unit where he had been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia.

Band members

Frederick Waite Sr. — lead vocals (1979–1981)
Dennis Seaton — lead vocals and percussion (1982–1985; 2001–present)
Michael Grant — keyboards and backing vocals (1979–1985; 2001–present)
Kelvin Grant — electric guitar and backing vocals (1979–1985)
Freddie "Junior" Waite — drums and backing vocals (1979–1985; died 2022)
Patrick Waite — bass guitar (1979–1985; died 1993)

Compilations

1987: Pass the Dutchie
1994: Anthology
1995: Maximum Volume... The Best of Musical Youth
2004: 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Musical Youth
2026: Mash Down Birmingham: The Early Recordings Of Musical Youth