Biography
David Crooks, later known professionally as Dave Barker, came into the world in Jamaica in 1948. His mother moved to Britain in 1952, so the boy stayed behind with grandparents and uncles; the circumstances proved hard on him and produced a pronounced stammer once speech began. Singing came easily, though, and by his teenage years Crooks belonged to several street-corner vocal groups, the first of them the Two Tones.
In the late 1960s he joined forces with Glen Brown. The pair cut “Lucky Boy” for Harry J and “In This Whole World” for Coxsone Dodd before they went their separate ways. Crooks next joined the Techniques for a brief spell, taking the place of Pat Kelly, who had himself replaced Slim Smith in the storied trio; he recorded two songs with the remaining members, Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin.
Sessions with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in 1969 prompted the change to the stage name Dave Barker, since Perry judged David Crooks lacking in sonic appeal. The tracks that emerged included “Prisoner of Love,” “Set Me Free” (and its better-known counterpart “Shocks of Mighty”), and “Lockjaw.” An album drawn from these Perry dates appeared in 1970 under the title Prisoner of Love.
Although Barker possessed a sweet, high tenor and sang with genuine soul, Perry pushed him toward deejaying, and the American-styled radio-announcer interjections have arguably overshadowed the singing. It was in that DJ capacity that Winston Riley recruited him for a project with veteran session organist Ansel Collins; the outcome was the 1971 single “Double Barrel,” an eccentric and infectious hit that topped the U.K. charts and came close to the American Top 20. Billing themselves as Dave & Ansel Collins, the duo followed with the nearly as successful “Monkey Spanner” and the album variously released as Double Barrel and Heavy Heavy Monsters Sound of Dave & Ansel Collins.
Extensive British touring in support of the record and its two major singles led Barker to relocate to London, where he has remained. Though the deejay work of the “Double Barrel” era may define his public image, his straight vocal performances are equally worthy of attention. Trojan issued the 26-track CD Monkey Spanner in 1997, gathering material from the late 1960s and early 1970s and illustrating both his toasting and singing approaches.
In the late 1960s he joined forces with Glen Brown. The pair cut “Lucky Boy” for Harry J and “In This Whole World” for Coxsone Dodd before they went their separate ways. Crooks next joined the Techniques for a brief spell, taking the place of Pat Kelly, who had himself replaced Slim Smith in the storied trio; he recorded two songs with the remaining members, Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin.
Sessions with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in 1969 prompted the change to the stage name Dave Barker, since Perry judged David Crooks lacking in sonic appeal. The tracks that emerged included “Prisoner of Love,” “Set Me Free” (and its better-known counterpart “Shocks of Mighty”), and “Lockjaw.” An album drawn from these Perry dates appeared in 1970 under the title Prisoner of Love.
Although Barker possessed a sweet, high tenor and sang with genuine soul, Perry pushed him toward deejaying, and the American-styled radio-announcer interjections have arguably overshadowed the singing. It was in that DJ capacity that Winston Riley recruited him for a project with veteran session organist Ansel Collins; the outcome was the 1971 single “Double Barrel,” an eccentric and infectious hit that topped the U.K. charts and came close to the American Top 20. Billing themselves as Dave & Ansel Collins, the duo followed with the nearly as successful “Monkey Spanner” and the album variously released as Double Barrel and Heavy Heavy Monsters Sound of Dave & Ansel Collins.
Extensive British touring in support of the record and its two major singles led Barker to relocate to London, where he has remained. Though the deejay work of the “Double Barrel” era may define his public image, his straight vocal performances are equally worthy of attention. Trojan issued the 26-track CD Monkey Spanner in 1997, gathering material from the late 1960s and early 1970s and illustrating both his toasting and singing approaches.
Albums
Singles
