Big Mountain
Pol'and'Rock Festival 2018
Pol'and'Rock Festival 2018
Background information
Also known asShiloh
OriginSan Diego, California, United States
GenresReggae
Years active1988–present
Labels
MembersJoaquin "Quino" McWhinney
Michael Hyde
Paul "Groove Galore" Kastick
Richard "Goofy" Campbell
Reggie Griffin
Danny Lopilato
Andre Sias
Luis Castillo
Jakob McWhinney
Michael Ortiz
Past membersLynn Copeland
Gregory Blakney
Jerome Cruz
Manfred Reinke
Lance Rhodes
James McWhinney
Tony Chin
Billy "Bones" Stoll
Carlton "Santa" Davis
Carlos Arias
Stephen Kamada/Tim Pacheco
Websitebigmountainband.com

Big Mountain is an American band known for its remake of Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way", which became a top 10 hit single in the US in early 1994, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 and No. 2 in the UK.

History

The evolution of the Big Mountain band started in 1986 as the San Diego, California reggae band Rainbow Warriors.[1] In 1988, future Big Mountain frontman Joaquin "Quino" (pronounced Keeno) McWhinney joined as the lead singer of the band Shiloh. Quino is of Mexican/Irish heritage, and several members of his family were mariachi musicians. His interest in reggae began after seeing a documentary about Bob Marley and Rastafari.[2] In 1989, Shiloh secured their first record deal and put out one album titled California Reggae. In 1991, the band changed the name to Big Mountain which was the name of a Native American reservation in Arizona. The original line-up was a sextet consisting of Quino (vocals), Lynn Copeland (bass), Gregory Blakney (drums), Jerome Cruz (guitar), Manfred Reinke (keyboards), and Lance Rhodes (drums).[3][4]

The band first reached the charts with the song "Touch My Light" in spring 1993, a song taken from their debut album Wake Up. Prior to the band recording their second album, Unity, in 1994, Blakney, Cruz, Reinke, and Rhodes all departed the band, with McWhinney and Copeland finding replacements in Jamaican duo Tony Chin (guitar) and Carlton "Santa" Davis (drums), along with keyboard players Michael Hyde and Billy "Bones" Stoll, and percussionist James McWhinney. Following this lineup change, the band went on to receive major airplay on mainstream radio stations. "Baby, I Love Your Way" was included on the soundtrack for the film Reality Bites, and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart,[2][4] and its follow-up, "Sweet Sensual Love" reached No. 51 in the UK, whilst Unity went on to sell over a million copies worldwide.[4] Big Mountain's follow up single "Get Together" became a top five hit in Brazil and Norway.

The band appeared at both the 1994 and 1995 Reggae Sunsplash festivals in Jamaica. In 1998 Jamaican drummer/producer Paul "Groove Galore" Kastick replaced Carlton "Santa" Davis as full-time drummer and primary producer in the group. Kastick spearheaded the production on the next six Big Mountain albums, spanning from 1998 and 2007. After 10 consecutive years of touring, Big Mountain decided to take a break in 2005. During this time, Quino McWhinney started to teach at Olympian High School, which received the highest test scores on their CAHSEE exams during his tenure.[4] During the period between 2005 and 2013, Big Mountain would occasionally reunite for primarily international live performances and various benefit causes. In 2013, Quino, Hyde, and Kastick reformed the band with an extended lineup including Carlos Arias (bass), Richard "Goofy" Campbell (keyboards), Reggie Griffin (guitar, saxophone), Stephen Kamada (guitar), Danny Lopilato (guitar, vocals), Tim Pacheco (percussion, vocals). Further lineup changes have ensued, and the band now consists of Quino and James Mcwhinney, Paul Kastick, Goofy Campbell, Chizzy Chisholm and Michael (Mikey) Ortiz.[5] In May 2016 the band released their first album in 14 years, Perfect Summer.[6]

Band members

Awards and nominations

YearAwardsWorkCategoryResult
1994 MTV Europe Music Awards "Baby I Love Your Way" Best Cover Won
1995 Ivor Novello Awards Most Performed Work Nominated

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
US AUS
[7]
AUT GER NED NZ SWE SWI
California Reggae
  • Release date: 1988
  • Label: Quality
  • Formats: LP
Wake Up
  • Release date: October 13, 1992
  • Label: Quality
  • Formats: CD
Unity
  • Release date: July 19, 1994
  • Label: Giant
  • Formats: CD
174 97 15 52 52 29 37 10
Resistance
  • Release date: January 1, 1996
  • Label: Giant
  • Formats: CD
Free Up
  • Release date: August 26, 1997
  • Label: Giant
  • Formats: CD
Things to Come
  • Release date: August 4, 1999
  • Label: Pony Canyon
  • Formats: CD
Dance Party
  • Release date: 2000
  • Label: Momentum
  • Formats: CD, cassette
One Love
  • Release date: April 17, 2001
  • Label: Pony Canyon
  • Formats: CD
Cool Breeze
  • Release date: July 4, 2001
  • Label: Pony Canyon
  • Formats: CD
New Day
  • Release date: June 19, 2002
  • Label: Pony Canyon
  • Formats: CD
Perfect Summer
  • Release date: May 27, 2016
  • Label: VPAL
  • Formats: CD
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilations

  • The Best of Big Mountain (1998), Giant
  • Reggae Remakes (2003), Pony Canyon
  • Big Mountain's Greatest Moments 1999–2004 (2004), Pony Canyon
  • Versions Undercover (2008), Rebel Ink Records

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
US
[8]
AUS
[9]
AUT
[9]
CAN
[10]
GER
[11]
NED
[9]
NZ
[9]
SWE
[9]
SWI
[9]
UK
[12]
1992 "Touch My Light" 51 Wake Up
1993 "Reggae Inna Summertime"
1994 "Baby, I Love Your Way" 6 4 4 2 9 3 12 1 2 2 Unity
"I Would Find a Way" 62
"Sweet Sensual Love" 80 87 23 51
1995 "Get Together" 44 16 71 49 Resistance
"Where Do the Children Play"
"Caribbean Blue" 94
1997 "All Kinds of People" 75 Free Up
"Let's Stay Together"
2011 "Leap of Faith"
2013 "Blue Skies"
2016 "Here Comes the Sun" (The Beatles cover) Perfect Summer
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. de la Torre, Chito (1994) "Big Mountain Does Reggae", La Prensa de San Antonio, September 30, 1994.
  2. 1 2 Daniels, Ron (1994) "Big Mountain are Reggae Visionaries", The New York Beacon, August 19, 1994.
  3. Bush, John "Big Mountain Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  4. 1 2 3 4 Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.25
  5. "Big Mountain - Blue Skies - Amazon.com Music". amazon.com.
  6. Campbell, Howard (2016) "Big Mountain returns with Perfect Summer", Jamaica Observer, May 26, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016
  7. 1 2 Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 30.
  8. John Bush. "Big Mountain". AllMusic.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 International peaks
  10. "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  11. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts". officialcharts.de.
  12. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  13. "Certified Awards Search: Big Mountain". BPI. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  14. "Gold and Platinum search results: Big Mountain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
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