Pato Banton

Birmingham, England reggae singer/toaster Pato Banton (born Patrick Murray) made his debut on <a href="spotify:artist:4R90PNicCsCsEoRm8XwiMS">the English Beat's</a> third album, 1982's Special Beat Service, helping out <a href="spotify:artist:6fnEBToGr0ZqiYgHjVYL2k">Ranking Roger</a> on the track "Pato and Roger a Go Talk." Five years later, Banton returned with his debut solo release, Never Give In, which featured backing by Birmingham's Studio Two house band and a guest appearance by <a href="spotify:artist:2CAITNejdagAXH9Scdt97z">Paul Shaffer</a>; the album was enlivened by Banton's comic vocal characterizations. An EP featuring several versions of the Never Give In track "Pato and Roger Come Again" (another duet with <a href="spotify:artist:6fnEBToGr0ZqiYgHjVYL2k">Ranking Roger</a>) appeared in 1988, followed the next year by the full-length Visions of the World, which found Banton moving towards a poppier soul/reggae approach. 1990's Wize Up! (No Compromize) contained Banton's first American college radio hit, a cover of the <a href="spotify:artist:5NGO30tJxFlKixkPSgXcFE">Police's</a> "Spirits in the Material World," as well as a duet with <a href="spotify:artist:6UL7BodGc5iVmQGlMwHR0g">Steel Pulse's</a> David Hinds on the title track. After a dub collaboration with the <a href="spotify:artist:3hbnUwHvxyFxeJ9veCzOE7">Mad Professor</a> (Mad Professor Recaptures Pato Banton) and a live album (Live and Kickin' All Over America), Banton recorded Universal Love in 1992. It took him a while to come up with brand new material afterwards; he finally resurfaced in 1994 with a version of <a href="spotify:artist:6j2HWcd7z61iTLbi8eD0hA">Eddy Grant's</a> "Baby Come Back" performed with <a href="spotify:artist:5MatQv1tafFfDt68NRh83K">Robin</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0gYuavkgXQapJXmASabd2o">Ali Campbell</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:69MEO1AADKg1IZrq2XLzo5">UB40</a>, which hit the British charts and prompted the best-of Collections. Banton finally delivered a full album of new material in 1996 with Stay Positive. Life Is a Miracle followed in the spring of 2000. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi