Caron Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Caron Wheeler is a two-time Grammy Award
winning British
R&B
/soul
singer
, who gained fame by writing
and singing the lead vocals on the two biggest hits
for Soul II Soul
("Keep on Movin'
" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". She also was a backing vocalist
for Elvis Costello
in 1983, and Howard Jones
in 1985. She also provided backing vocals for a track on Erasure
's album
, The Innocents
in 1988.
. The two were re-united in October 2005 at the Metropolitan Black Police Association's annual gala at The Barbican
in London.
After her success with Soul II Soul
, Wheeler embarked on a solo
career, and released two album
s: UK Blak (1990) and Beach of the War Goddess (1993). Her biggest solo success single
is "Livin' In The Light" from her first solo album, which hit #53 on the Billboard Hot 100
and spent a week at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
in 1989. It also reached #14 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Wheeler's only other solo Top 40 hit single was the title track from UK Blak. She also featured with Soul II Soul on the soundtrack
to the Angela Bassett
movie
, How Stella Got Her Groove Back
in 1998. More recently, Wheeler featured on Richard X
's 2003 album, Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
.
In 2003, she also contributed the track "Another Star
" to the Stevie Wonder
tribute album "Conception - An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs."
During the 1980s, she was a member of the female vocal quartet Afrodiziak
, and sang on records by Madness
, Elvis Costello
, and Dexys Midnight Runners
, among others.
She is reportedly working on a new solo album to be released in 2012. She is also back in the recording studio
with Jazzie B
recording
tracks for a new Soul II Soul album for a 2012 release.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning British
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...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, who gained fame by writing
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and singing the lead vocals on the two biggest hits
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...
for Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
("Keep on Movin'
Keep on Movin' (Soul II Soul song)
"Keep on Movin'" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One, after "Fairplay"...
" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". She also was a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
in 1983, and Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
in 1985. She also provided backing vocals for a track on Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Innocents
The Innocents (album)
After releasing The Two Ring Circus, a remix album in 1987, The Innocents was the third proper studio release from Erasure, released in 1988...
in 1988.
Career
Wheeler was also a founder member of the female vocal group 'Brown Sugar', along with vocalist KofiKofi (musician)
Carol Simms, better known as Kofi, is a British lovers rock singer who was a member of the group Brown Sugar prior to embarking on a solo career.-Biography:...
. The two were re-united in October 2005 at the Metropolitan Black Police Association's annual gala at The Barbican
The Barbican
Barbican is a type of fortified building.Barbican may also refer to:*Willoughby House, also known as the Barbican, London* Barbican , a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe* Barbican , a thoroughbred horse...
in London.
After her success with Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
, Wheeler embarked on a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career, and released two album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s: UK Blak (1990) and Beach of the War Goddess (1993). Her biggest solo success single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
is "Livin' In The Light" from her first solo album, which hit #53 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...
and spent a week at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
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....
in 1989. It also reached #14 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 ...
.
Wheeler's only other solo Top 40 hit single was the title track from UK Blak. She also featured with Soul II Soul 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...
to the Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
movie
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...
, How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 romance film, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King. This film is an adaptation of Terry McMillan's bestselling novel by the same title...
in 1998. More recently, Wheeler featured on Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
's 2003 album, Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 is the debut compilation album by British pop producer Richard X. The album features 15 tracks all produced by Richard X, most of which feature guest vocals....
.
In 2003, she also contributed the track "Another Star
Another Star
"Another Star" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. Released as a single in 1977, it reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, #18 on Black Singles chart, and #2 on the Dance/Disco chart...
" to the Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
tribute album "Conception - An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs."
During the 1980s, she was a member of the female vocal quartet Afrodiziak
Afrodiziak
Afrodiziak was the collective name used by the British singers Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine in the mid-to-late 1980s. As a duo, they were best known for performing backup vocals on Elvis Costello's 1983 album Punch the Clock, especially its single, the international hit "Everyday I Write the...
, and sang on records by Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, and Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
, among others.
She is reportedly working on a new solo album to be released in 2012. She is also back in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
with Jazzie B
Jazzie B
Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE , better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul.-Life and career:...
recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
tracks for a new Soul II Soul album for a 2012 release.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | UK Blak | 14 | 133 |
| 1993 | Beach of the War Goddess | - | 81 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | UK 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 ... |
US 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... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Keep on Movin' Keep on Movin' (Soul II Soul song) "Keep on Movin'" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One, after "Fairplay"... " (with Soul II Soul Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:... ) |
Club Classics Vol. I | 5 | 11 | 1 |
| 1989 | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" (with Soul II Soul) | Club Classics Vol. I | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990 | "Livin' In The Light" | UK Blak | 14 | 53 | 3 |
| 1990 | "UK Blak" | UK Blak | 40 | - | 44 |
| 1991 | "Blue (Is The Colour Of Pain)" | UK Blak | - | - | 37 |
| 1991 | "Don't Quit" | UK Blak | 53 | - | - |
| 1992 | "I Adore You" | Mo' Money Mo' Money Mo' Money is a 1992 romantic-crime-dramedy film, starring Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Stacey Dash, and directed by Peter MacDonald. The screenplay was also written by Damon Wayans.-Synopsis:... soundtrack and Beach Of The War Goddess |
59 | 99 | 12 |
| 1993 | "Beach Of The War Goddess" | Beach Of The War Goddess | 75 | - | - |
| 1993 | "In Our Love" | Beach Of The War Goddess | - | - | 61 |
| 1993 | "Soul Street" | Beach Of The War Goddess | - | - | - |
| 1996 | "Keep On Movin'" (remix) (with Soul II Soul Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:... ) |
- | 31 | - | - |
| 1999 | "Star" | - | - | 82 | |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart