Finley Quaye won the 1997 Mobo Award for best reggae act, and the 1998 BRIT Award for Best Male Solo Artist.
17 Facts About Finley Quaye
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2.
Finley Quaye's debut album, Maverick a Strike, a fusion of many styles including reggae and soul, was a commercial success and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
3.
Finley Quaye is the son of vaudeville pianist Cab Kaye and the half-brother of the English guitarist Caleb Quaye.
4.
Finley Quaye's father was born in London, but considered himself as African.
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Finley Quaye did not grow up with his father and only found out fully, in his twenties, about his father's history as a musician.
6.
Mope Desmond, Cab Kaye and Finley Quaye have all played Glasgow's Barrowlands, Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall and London's Cafe de Paris.
7.
Finley Quaye was on tour with his band when he met his father for the first time in Amsterdam.
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Finley Quaye was inspired early on in his childhood by jazz musicians Pete King, Ronnie Scott, who started his musical career making tea and running errands in Finley's father's band, and Lionel Hampton.
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Finley Quaye heard jazz as a child, living in London with his mother, who would take him with her to Ronnie Scott's jazz club to catch performances of American jazz musicians touring Europe such as Buddy Rich, who recorded his live album there in 1980 and Ella Fitzgerald.
10.
Finley Quaye's mother had long-term relationships with musician Pete King, who hosted and performed at Ronnie Scott's club in Frith Street, London.
11.
Art has always been an influence and a constant source of inspiration and central to Finley Quaye's mind set and artistic approach.
12.
Finley Quaye gave awards away at The Indian Film Awards at The Millennium dome in London as well as David Gray's Ivor Novello at The Dorchester Hotel in London.
13.
Since then Finley Quaye has been unable to accept his Father's death or celebrate his life, or to write books about this or to make films covering this episode of his life.
14.
Finley Quaye made a solo recording contract with Polydor Records and moved to New York City.
15.
Finley Quaye's reputation was established by Maverick a Strike, released in September 1997.
16.
In 1998, Finley Quaye recorded and produced George Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness.
17.
Finley Quaye released the EP Pound for Pound with Intune Records in 2008, with Norman Grant of the Twinkle Brothers featuring Sly Dunbar and Lloyd Parks.