Edmond Montague Grant was born on 5 March 1948 and is a Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound; his music has blended elements of pop, British rock, soul, funk, reggae, electronic music, African polyrhythms, and Latin music genres such as samba, among many others.
20 Facts About Eddy Grant
2.
Eddy Grant was a founding member of the Equals, one of the United Kingdom's first racially-mixed pop groups who are best remembered for their million-selling UK chart-topper, the Grant-penned "Baby, Come Back".
3.
Eddy Grant earned a Grammy Award nomination for the song.
4.
Eddy Grant is well known for the anti-apartheid 1988 song, "Gimme Hope Jo'anna".
5.
Eddy Grant was born in Plaisance, British Guiana, later moving to Linden.
6.
Eddy Grant's father, Patrick, was a trumpeter who played in Nello and the Luckies.
7.
Eddy Grant lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park, where he learned to read and write music.
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Eddy Grant became a big fan of Chuck Berry, and after seeing him play at the Finsbury Park Astoria decided on a career in music.
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In 1965, Eddy Grant formed the Equals, playing guitar and singing background vocals, and the band had two hit albums and a minor hit with the single "I Get So Excited" before having a number one hit in 1968 with his song "Baby Come Back".
10.
On 1 January 1971, Eddy Grant suffered a heart attack and collapsed lung, leading to his departure from the Equals to concentrate on production, opening his own Coach House Studios in the grounds of his Stamford Hill home in 1972, and starting Ice Records in 1974, initially distributed by Pye Records and later by Virgin Records.
11.
Eddy Grant produced the Pioneers' 1976 album Feel the Rhythm, as well as early recordings by his younger brother Rudy, working under the name the Mexicano.
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Eddy Grant returned to the charts in 1980 with the top 10 hit "Do You Feel My Love", the opening track of Can't Get Enough, the 1981 album giving him his first entry in the UK Albums Chart.
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Eddy Grant began producing and promoting local artists such as David Rudder, Mighty Gabby, Tamu Hibbert, and Grynner.
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Eddy Grant's albums Going for Broke, Born Tuff, and File Under Rock failed to chart and produced no further hit singles.
15.
Eddy Grant participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament.
16.
Eddy Grant continued releasing albums in the 1990s, including Barefoot Soldier, Paintings of the Soul, Soca Baptism, and Hearts and Diamonds.
17.
In 2004, Eddy Grant created a song for the yogurt based drink Yop, to the tune of "Gimme Hope Jo'anna".
18.
In 2016, it was announced that Eddy Grant would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the government of Guyana.
19.
Eddy Grant was previously honoured with a postage stamp featuring his likeness and Ringbang logo by the Guyana Post Office Corporation in 2005.
20.
In 2021, Eddy Grant sued the former US president Donald Trump and his administration, over the use of his hit "Electric Avenue" in a 2020 advertisement.