Slacker Logo

Inner Circle

Advertisement
Advertisement

Biography

Despite the death of their front man Jacob Miller in 1980, Inner Circle went on to become Grammy-winning reggae favourites best known for their crossover hit 'Bad Boys', which was used as the theme tune to popular reality TV series 'Cops' and in a Will Smith movie of the same name. Brothers Ian and Roger Lewis originally formed the group in 1968 and they backed local Jamaican acts such as The Chosen Few and Eric Donaldson and played in Kingston's hotels before releasing their debut album 'Dread Reggae Hits' in 1973. The addition of Jacob Miller's sweet vocal melodies and Rastafarian righteousness helped the band really take off with the albums 'Reggae Thing' in 1976 and 'Ready for the World' in 1977, and they also made an appearance in the reggae feature film 'Rockers', alongside Gregory Isaacs and Burning Spear. After Chris Blackwell spotted them performing at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica with Bob Marley, he signed them to his Island Records label and helped them find success in Britain with the albums 'Everything Is Great' and 'New Age Music', but in 1980 Miller was involved in a car crash in Jamaica and died aged 27. After a period of inactivity, the band then regrouped with Calton Coffie as lead singer, announcing their comeback in 1986 with the album 'Black Roses'. They went on to enjoy their biggest success in America when 'Bad Boys' was re-issued as a single in '93 and the album 'Bad to the Bone' won the Grammy Award for Best Band Reggae Album. Another single 'Summer Jammin'' was featured in the Eddie Murphy comedy movie 'Beverly Hills Cop III'. They also reached number three in the UK Charts and scored a big global hit with the feel-good, Caribbean pop anthem 'Sweet (A La La La La Long)', before working with Beenie Man, Mr Vegas and Glen Washington on the album 'Big Tings' in 2000 and with Damien Marley, Steel Pulse and Junior Reid on 'State of da World' in 2009. More recently they released album 'Hawaii Sings Jacob Miller' in 2013 and continue to perform across the world 45 years after first forming.
Read All Read Less

Artists Related to
Inner Circle

Bob Marley

FEATURED

Steel Pulse

FEATURED

Peter Tosh

FEATURED

Ziggy Marley

FEATURED

Jimmy Cliff

FEATURED

Black Uhuru

FEATURED

Shaggy

FEATURED

Gregory Isaacs

FEATURED

Burning Spear

FEATURED

Stephen Marley

FEATURED

Buju Banton

FEATURED

Ky-Mani Marley

FEATURED

Bunny Wailer

FEATURED

UB40

FEATURED

Julian Marley

FEATURED

Third World

FEATURED

Collie Buddz

FEATURED

Yellowman

FEATURED

Dennis Brown

FEATURED

Eek-A-Mouse

FEATURED
See All Related Artists

LIVE STREAM... SOCIAL RADIO STREAM...