Born in Plaisance, Guyana, on March 5, 1948, the young Edmond Montague Grant grew up on the sound of his homeland, tan singing, an Indo-Caribbean vocal style whose roots lay in south Asia and are the backbone of modern chutney. Then in 1960, the Grant family emigrated to England, taking up residence in the working-class Stoke Newington area of London. The young teen’s musical horizons swiftly expanded, embracing R&B, blues, and rock that percolated across his new island home.
He first made his name in the 1970s as lead singer of The Equals. His later solo hits include the anti-apartheid song, “Gimme Hope Jo’anna”, “Electric Avenue”, and “I Don’t Wanna Dance”, which went to #1 in the UK charts. “Electric Avenue” sold over a million copies in 1983 and was a UK Top Ten hit again in 2001 as a remix.
Visit his website: www.eddygrant.com
