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Craig David

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Craig David was born in Southampton in 1981. His father, who came from Grenada, played bass in a reggae band. As a teenager Craig went along to local dance clubs, where DJs gave him the microphone, and soon he was writing songs of his own and working as an MC and DJ in youth centres. His first visible work was vocals on a B-side and on songs by the garage duo Artful Dodger, such as Something and What Ya Gonna Do.

Music and breakthrough

In 1999 his breakthrough came with Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta) by Artful Dodger, a song that reached number two in the British charts. That allowed him to continue as a solo artist at Wildstar Records. His first single Fill Me In became a number one in England, and the debut album Born to Do It from 2000 produced more hits, such as Walking Away and 7 Days. The album sold more than eight million copies worldwide. The follow-up Slicker Than Your Average appeared in 2002, and later came, among others, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Following My Intuition and 22. He collaborated with Sting and Kano, among others.

Influence

Craig David's music combines the rhythms of British garage with soft R&B and a smooth singing voice. He wrote his debut album almost entirely with Mark Hill of Artful Dodger. In this way he grew in a short time from guest singer on a dance track into a star of his own in British R&B around the turn of the century.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Re-Rewind and notice the jumps in the rhythm and Craig David's quick, almost rapped vocals. Can you hear how the crowd is drawn in by the shouting of Rewind?

Discography

Studio albums

Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsUK garage