Big Mountain is an American reggae band formed in 1986 in San Diego, California by vocalist Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney. The band gained wide recognition and became known for its cover of Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way", which became a top 10 hit single in the US in early 1994, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 and No. 2 in the UK.
History The evolution of the Big Mountain band started in 1986 as the San Diego, California reggae band Rainbow Warriors. In 1988, future Big Mountain frontman Joaquin "Quino" (pronounced Keeno) McWhinney joined as the lead singer of the band Shiloh. Quino is of Mexican/Irish heritage, and several members of his family were mariachi musicians. His interest in reggae began after seeing a documentary about Bob Marley and Rastafari. In 1989, Shiloh secured their first record deal and put out one album titled California Reggae. In 1991, the band changed the name to Big Mountain which was the name of a Native American reservation in Arizona. The original line-up was a sextet consisting of Quino (vocals), Lynn Copeland (bass), Gregory Blakney (drums), Jerome Cruz (guitar), Manfred Reinke (keyboards), and Lance Rhodes (drums).Bush, John "[ Big Mountain Biography]", Allmusic, Macrovision CorporationLarkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, , p.25
The band first reached the charts with the song "Touch My Light" in spring 1993, a song taken from their debut album Wake Up. Prior to the band recording their second album, Unity, in 1993, Blakney, Cruz, Reinke, and Rhodes all departed the band, with McWhinney and Copeland finding replacements in Jamaican duo Tony Chin (guitar) and Carlton "Santa" Davis (drums), along with keyboard players Michael Hyde and Billy "Bones" Stoll, and percussionist James McWhinney. Following this lineup change, the band went on to receive major airplay on mainstream radio stations. "Baby, I Love Your Way" was included on the soundtrack for the film Reality Bites, and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and its follow-up, "Sweet Sensual Love" reached No. 51 in the UK, whilst Unity went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. Big Mountain's follow up single "Get Together" became a top five hit in Brazil and Norway.
The band appeared at both the 1994 and 1995 Reggae Sunsplash festivals in Jamaica. In 1998 Jamaican drummer/producer Paul "Groove Galore" Kastick replaced Carlton "Santa" Davis as full-time drummer and primary producer in the group. Kastick spearheaded the production on the next six Big Mountain albums, spanning from 1998 and 2007. After 10 consecutive years of touring, Big Mountain decided to take a break in 2005. During this time, Quino McWhinney became a high school teacher at Olympian High School. During the period between 2005 and 2013, Big Mountain would occasionally reunite for primarily international live performances and various benefit causes. In 2013, Quino, Hyde, and Kastick reformed the band with an extended lineup including Carlos Arias (bass), Richard "Goofy" Campbell (keyboards), Reggie Griffin (guitar, saxophone), Stephen Kamada (guitar), Danny Lopilato (guitar, vocals), Tim Pacheco (percussion, vocals). Further lineup changes have ensued, and the band now consists of Quino and James Mcwhinney, Paul Kastick, Goofy Campbell, Chizzy Chisholm and Michael (Mikey) Ortiz. In May 2016 the band released their first album in 14 years, Perfect Summer.Campbell, Howard (2016) "Big Mountain returns with Perfect Summer", Jamaica Observer, May 26, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016
Band members
Current members Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney – vocals, guitar (1988–present) Paul "GrooveGalore" KasticK – drums (1998–present) Richard "Goofy" Campbell – keyboards (1999–present) Audley Chisholm – guitar, vocals (2013–present) Michael Ortiz – bass (2013–present) James McWhinney – vocals, percussion (2013–present)
Former members Lynn Copeland – bass (1988–1995) Gregory Blakney – drums (1988–1992) Jerome Cruz – guitar (1988–1993) Manfred Reinke – keyboards (1988–1993) Lance Rhodes – drums (1988–1995) James McWhinney – percussion, vocals (1994–current) Tony Chin – guitar (1994–2002) Billy "Bones" Stoll – keyboards (1994–1997) Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums (1994–1998) Carlos Arias – bass (2013) Stephen Kamada – guitar (2013) Tim Pacheco - vocals, percussion (2016)
Awards and nominations {| class=wikitable |- ! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result |- | 1994 | MTV Europe Music Awards | rowspan=2|"Baby I Love Your Way" | Best Cover
| 1995 | Ivor Novello Awards | Most Performed Work
Discography
Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions US AUS AUT GER NED NZ SWE SWI California Reggae (as Shiloh) Release date: 1988 Label: Quality Formats: LP — — — — — — — — Wake Up Release date: October 13, 1992 Label: Quality Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Unity Release date: July 19, 1994 Label: Giant Formats: CD 174 97 15 52 52 29 37 10 Resistance Release date: January 1, 1996 Label: Giant Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Free Up Release date: August 26, 1997 Label: Giant Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Things to Come Release date: August 4, 1999 Label: Pony Canyon Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Dance Party Release date: 2000 Label: Momentum Formats: CD, cassette — — — — — — — — One Love Release date: April 17, 2001 Label: Pony Canyon Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Cool Breeze Release date: July 4, 2001 Label: Pony Canyon Formats: CD — — — — — — — — New Day Release date: June 19, 2002 Label: Pony Canyon Formats: CD — — — — — — — — Perfect Summer Release date: May 27, 2016 Label: VPAL Formats: CD — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Compilations The Best of Big Mountain (1998), Giant Reggae Remakes (2003), Pony Canyon Big Mountain's Greatest Moments 1999–2004 (2004), Pony Canyon Versions Undercover (2008), Rebel Ink Records
Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds) Album US AUS N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. AUT CAN GERSingles chart positions for Germany: For "Baby, I Love Your Way": For "I Would Find A Way": For "Get Together": For "All Kinds Of People": NED NZ SWE SWI UK 1992 "Touch My Light" 51 — — — — — — — — — Wake Up 1993 "Reggae Inna Summertime" — 179 — — — — — — — — 1994 "Baby, I Love Your Way" 6 4 4 2 9 3 12 1 2 2 AUS: Platinum UK: Silver US: Gold Unity "I Would Find a Way" — — — — 62 — — — — — "Sweet Sensual Love" 80 — — 87 — — 23 — — 51 1995 "Get Together" 44 127 — 16 71 — 49 — — — Resistance "Where Do the Children Play" — — — — — — — — — — "Caribbean Blue" — — — — — — — — — 94 1997 "All Kinds of People" — — — — 75 — — — — — Free Up "Let's Stay Together" — — — — — — — — — — 2011 "Leap of Faith" — — — — — — — — — — rowspan="2" 2013 "Blue Skies" — — — — — — — — — — 2016 "Here Comes the Sun" — — — — — — — — — — Perfect Summer "—" denotes releases that did not chart
References