Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948)[10] is a Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound and socially conscious lyrics; 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.[11] In addition to this, he also helped to pioneer the genre of "Ringbang".[5] He 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".
His subsequent solo career included the 1982 song "I Don't Wanna Dance", plus the platinum 1983 single "Electric Avenue", which is his biggest international hit. He earned a Grammy Award nomination for the song.[12] He is also well known for the anti-apartheid 1988 song "Gimme Hope Jo'anna".
Grant (second from top) as a member of the R&B/pop-rock band the Equals, photographed in April 1968 in Amsterdam
In 1965, 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".[18] The tune also topped the UK Singles Chart in 1994, when covered by Pato Banton featuring Robin and Ali Campbell of the reggae group UB40.[19] The Equals had five further top 40 hits in the UK up to the end of 1970.[20] The Baby Come Back album featured a song by Grant titled "Police on My Back," which was recorded by the Clash for their 1980 album Sandinista!.[21]Willie Nile released his version of "Police on My Back" on his Streets of New YorkCD.[22] The Equals' song "Green Light" co-written by Grant from their 1968 album Supreme, was recorded by the Detroit Cobras, for their 2007 album, Tied & True.[23]
In this period he also worked as a songwriter and producer for other artists, including the Pyramids (producing their debut single "Train Tour to Rainbow City") and Prince Buster, for whom he wrote "Rough Rider", and started the Torpedo record label, releasing British-made reggae singles.[15]
On 1 January 1971, 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.[13][15][16] He produced the Pioneers' 1976 album Feel the Rhythm, as well as early recordings by his younger brother Rudy, working under the name the Mexicano.[15] During this time he also branched out of music, learning to tap dance, and subsequently trying his hand at acting at the behest of fellow Guyanese immigrant actor Norman Beaton.[24]
Solo
A self-titled solo album released in 1975 made little impact, as did the proto-socaMessage Man, completed and released in 1977, on which Grant played all the instruments himself.[15] His breakthrough as a solo artist came two years later with the album Walking on Sunshine, which spawned the UK top 20 hit "Living on the Frontline".[15] He 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.[25] The album included two further hit singles, "Can't Get Enough of You" and "I Love You, Yes I Love You".[25]
From 1982 onward, Grant was based in Barbados (where he opened his Blue Wave Studios), the same year releasing his most successful album, Killer on the Rampage, which included his two biggest solo hits, "I Don't Wanna Dance", which spent three weeks at number one in the UK as well as selling well internationally, and "Electric Avenue", which reached no. 2 in both the UK and the US.[15][17][25] He also began producing and promoting local artists such as David Rudder, Mighty Gabby, Tamu Hibbert, and Grynner.[15] A lean period followed; his 1984 title song for the movie Romancing the Stone was cut from the film and stalled outside the UK top 50 when released as a single, although it fared better in the US and Canada.[15] His albums Going for Broke (1984), Born Tuff (1987), and File Under Rock (1988) failed to chart and produced no further hit singles.[15] Grant participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament (1987).
Grant returned to the charts in 1988 with the anti-apartheid single "Gimme Hope Jo'anna", a no. 7 hit in the UK.[15][16][25] The song was banned by the South African government.[26] In the late 1980s he pursued other business interests including music publishing and a nightclub, and built up the success of his Blue Wave studio, which was used by the Rolling Stones, Sting, Cliff Richard and Elvis Costello.[15][16]
Grant continued releasing albums in the 1990s, including Barefoot Soldier (1990), Paintings of the Soul (1992), Soca Baptism (1993) and Hearts and Diamonds (1999).[15] In 1994 he introduced a new genre, ringbang, at the Barbados Crop Over festival.[15][27] Grant said of ringbang: "What ringbang seeks to do is envelop all the rhythms that have originated from Africa so that they become one, defying all geographical boundaries."[15] In 2000 he organised the Ringbang Celebration festival in Tobago.[15] In 2001, a remix of "Electric Avenue" reached no. 5 in the UK and an attendant Greatest Hits album reached no. 3 in that country.[28]
In 2004, Grant created a song for the yogurt based drink Yop, to the tune of "Gimme Hope Jo'anna".[29] On 18 April 2006, Grant released the album Reparation.[30] The title of this album is a call for restitution for the transatlantic slave trade.[31] There was an eleven-year gap before his next album, when he released his 2017 album Plaisance.
In 2008, he performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert, and also played several dates in the UK, including the Glastonbury Festival.[26] As of 2023, Grant has refused to allow his music on streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify, out of protest for how the platforms pay artists.[32] However, in February 2024, his album Killer on the Rampage became available on the aforementioned streaming services again, including the original version of "Electric Avenue."
Copyright infringement lawsuit against Donald Trump
In September 2020, Grant sued Donald Trump, who was President of the United States at the time, for unauthorised use of Grant's 1983 chart hit "Electric Avenue" in an August 2020 presidential campaign video. Trump posted the video on Twitter where it was viewed more than 13 million times before Twitter took it down after Grant's copyright complaint. Grant's song plays during 40 seconds of the animated 55-second video.[33][34][35] Trump unsuccessfully attempted to have the suit dismissed, citing fair use and "absolute presidential immunity".[36][37][38] Grant asked for $300,000 in damages.[37]
Trump's attorney told the court that the deposition contained sensitive information about Trump's presidential campaign strategy. He asked that Trump and campaign advisor Dan Scavino's testimony be permanently sealed because it would give an "unwarranted competitive advantage" to his opponents in the 2024 presidential election, and because it "could be used against them in other, parallel, litigations unrelated to this matter".[39] On September 13, 2024, the court ruled that fair use did not apply to the campaign ad and that Trump had to pay Grant damages in an amount to be determined by a jury, as well as Grant's legal fees.[40] "The video is best described as a wholesale copying of music to accompany a political campaign ad," the judge wrote.[41]Copyrightlately noted: "With liability established, the case will now focus on determining damages."[42]
Awards and nominations
In 2016, it was announced that Grant would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the government of Guyana.[43] He was previously honoured with a postage stamp featuring his likeness and Ringbang logo by the Guyana Post Office Corporation in 2005.[44] Grant was nominated for a Grammy in the 26th Annual Grammy Awards for his song "Electric Avenue".[12]
