music.wikisort.org - Singer

Barry Biggs (born 1946[1] St. Andrew, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song, "Sideshow", which got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977.[2]

Barry Biggs
Born	1946 (age 75–76)[1] St. Andrew, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1960s–present

Career

Biggs worked as a recording engineer and cameraman with the Jamaican Broadcasting Company, and also spent time as a member of the band the Astronauts, before becoming the lead singer for Byron Lee's Dragonaires.[1][3]

It was at Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio (where he also worked as a producer and engineer) that Biggs recorded his first Jamaican hit, a cover of the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple".[1][3] He broke through to international success in 1976 with "Work All Day", which had been recorded seven years earlier.[1][3] Biggs had six hit singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1976 and 1981, the most successful of these, "Sideshow", reaching number 3 in January 1977.[2] He recorded two songs with Bunny Lee; "Sincerely" and "You're Welcome" which did well in the reggae charts.[3] He topped the reggae chart in the UK with "Wide Awake in a Dream" and "A Promise Is a Comfort to a Fool".[3]

Many of Biggs' recordings were reggae cover versions of popular soul hits, including songs such as Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour"; "Sideshow" and "Three Ring Circus" by Blue Magic; and others originally by the Chi-Lites, the Moonglows ("Sincerely"), and the Temptations ("Just My Imagination").[4] His version of "Love Come Down", originally recorded by Evelyn "Champagne" King, was a top 10 hit in 1983 in the Netherlands. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Biggs avoided the political and Rasta themes then popular in Jamaica.[1]

Biggs continued to perform occasionally in the 2000s, notably at a 2008 service of thanksgiving for his former bandleader, Byron Lee.

Discography

Studio albums

• Mr. Biggs – (1976) – Dynamic Sounds (also issued in 1977 as Side Show)
• Sincerely – (1977) – Dynamic Sounds
• Wide Awake in a Dream – (1980) – Starlight
• A Promise Is A Comfort to a Fool – (1982)
• Barry Biggs & The Inner Circle – (1983) – Trojan
• Coming Down With Love (1983) – Ariola
• So in Love – (1989) – Starlight
• Wide Awake – (1990) – Mango
• Night Like This – (1994) – WEA
• Love Come Down – (2000) – Wesgram Records
• I've Got It Covered – (2021) – Burning Sounds[5]

Compilation albums

• Sideshow: The Best of Barry Biggs – (1995) – Jamaican Gold
• Vintage Series: Barry Biggs – (2001) – VP
• Just My Imagination – (2002) – Disky Records
• Sideshow: The Very Best of Barry Biggs – (2002) – Music Club
• Sideshow (The best of) – (2004) – Trojan
• Reggae Max – (2007) – Jet Star

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions			Certifications
		BEL [6]	NLD [7]	UK [2][8]
1971	"One Bad Apple"	―	―	―
1972	"How Could I Let You Get Away"	―	―	―
1973	"I'm Stone in Love with You"	―	―	―
1975	"Lonely Girl"	―	―	―
1976	"You're Welcome"	―	―	―
	"Work All Day"	―	―	38
	"Sideshow"	―	17	3	BPI: Silver[9]
1977	"You're My Life"	―	―	36
	"Three Ring Circus"	―	―	22
	"Sincerely"	―	―	―
1978	"Give Me a Call"	―	―	―
	"Surely"	―	―	―
1979	"Too Much Heaven"	―	―	―
	"What's Your Sign Girl?"	―	―	55
1981	"Wide Awake in a Dream"	―	―	44
	"Love on a Two-Way Street"	―	―	―
	"Promise Is a Comfort to a Fool"	―	―	―
	"You're My Life"	―	―	―
1982	"This Is Good Life"	―	―	―
	"Break Your Promise"	―	―	―
	"Rain from the Sky"	―	―	―
	"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"	―	―	―
1983	"One of the Poorest People"	―	―	―
	"Love Come Down"	23	7	―
	"Reflections of My Life" (with Ruddy Thomas)	―	34	―
1986	"All I Have to Do Is Dream"	―	―	―
	"Conversation"	―	―	―
1987	"If You Wanna Make Love"	―	―	―
	"Since You've Been Gone"	―	―	―
1988	"A Night Like This"	―	―	―
1994	"Time for Love"	―	―	―
1994	"True Love"	―	―	―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

External links

• Mini biography at Kinkyjam.com
• Discography at Roots Archives

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