Big Mountain (Band)
Encyclopedia
Big Mountain is an American
reggae
/pop
band
, most famous for their cover version
of Peter Frampton
's "Baby, I Love Your Way
," which became a Top 10 hit single
in the U.S.
in early 1994 reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
, #1 on Mainstream Top 40
, and #2 in the UK
shortly afterwards.
, California
, in 1991, the original line-up including Joaquin McWhinney "Quino" (vocals), Jerome Cruz (guitar), Gregory Blakney (drums), Lance Rhodes (drums), Manfred Reinke (keyboards), and Lynn Copeland (bass guitar). The band first reached the charts
with the song
"Touch My Light" in the late spring of 1993, receiving major airplay on mainstream radio station
s, such as B-100 and Q-106 in San Diego. "Baby, I Love Your Way" was included on the soundtrack
for the film
, Reality Bites
, and peaked at number six in the Billboard Hot 100
and number two in the UK Singles Chart
. The follow-up, "Sweet Sensual Love" reached number fifty-one in the UK, and the album Unity (with the line-up now featuring Jamaican guitarist Tony Chin and drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis) went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. The band appeared at both the 1994 and 1995 Reggae Sunsplash
festivals. After the band split up Joaquin McWhinney started to teach at Olympian High School which received the highest test scores on their CAHSEE exams. Although their earlier success has not been repeated, they went on to work with Sly & Robbie.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, most famous for their cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
's "Baby, I Love Your Way
Baby, I Love Your Way
"Baby, I Love Your Way" is a song written and performed by singer Peter Frampton that was first featured on Frampton's 1975 album, Frampton...
," which became a Top 10 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in early 1994 reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #1 on Mainstream Top 40
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
, and #2 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
shortly afterwards.
History
Big Mountain evolved from the mid-1980s band Rainbow Warriors in San DiegoSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1991, the original line-up including Joaquin McWhinney "Quino" (vocals), Jerome Cruz (guitar), Gregory Blakney (drums), Lance Rhodes (drums), Manfred Reinke (keyboards), and Lynn Copeland (bass guitar). The band first reached the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Touch My Light" in the late spring of 1993, receiving major airplay on mainstream radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, such as B-100 and Q-106 in San Diego. "Baby, I Love Your Way" was included on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Reality Bites
Reality Bites
Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film was shot on location in Austin...
, and peaked at number six in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number two in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The follow-up, "Sweet Sensual Love" reached number fifty-one in the UK, and the album Unity (with the line-up now featuring Jamaican guitarist Tony Chin and drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis) went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. The band appeared at both the 1994 and 1995 Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival...
festivals. After the band split up Joaquin McWhinney started to teach at Olympian High School which received the highest test scores on their CAHSEE exams. Although their earlier success has not been repeated, they went on to work with Sly & Robbie.
Albums
- Wake Up (1993) Quality
- Unity (1994) Giant US #174
- Resistance (1995) Giant
- Free Up (1997) Giant/Warmer Bros.
- Things to Come (1999) Rebel Ink
- Dance Party (2001) Mega
- New Day (2002) Pony Canyon
- Cool Breeze (2003) Rebel Ink
- Reggae Remakes: Covers in Paradise (2003) Pony Canyon
- Versions Undercover (2008) Rebel Ink
Singles
- "Touch My Light" (1992) Quality US #51
- "Reggae Inna Summertime" (1993) Quality
- "Baby, I Love Your WayBaby, I Love Your Way"Baby, I Love Your Way" is a song written and performed by singer Peter Frampton that was first featured on Frampton's 1975 album, Frampton...
" (1994) UK #2, US #6 - "I Would Find a Way" (1994) Warner Bros.
- "Baby Te Quiero A Ti" (1994)
- "Sweet Sensual Love" (1994) Warner Bros. UK #51, US #80
- "Get Together" (1995) US #44
- "All Kinds of People" (1997) Giant
External links
- Reggae Train Bio
- Guevara with a Guitar by Ken Leighton, San Diego Weekly, June 10, 2009