Biography
Born in South London as the sole daughter among seven brothers, Sandra Cross first sang in the Pentecostal Church and took charge of the choir at age nine. At fourteen she formed Love & Unity with a friend; their recording of the original song “I Adore You,” which Cross wrote, earned first prize in a talent contest. Studio 76 Records released the track, which held Britain’s reggae chart summit for four straight weeks in 1979. Three further Top Five entries—“I Just Don’t Care,” “I Can’t Let You Go,” and “Put It On”—followed before the pair disbanded. Intent on a solo career, Cross then met producer Mad Professor, owner of Ariwa Records, who placed her in the all-girl group the Wild Bunch. Their only album reached the reggae Top 20 in 1984 and the band spent a year touring Europe before splitting. Cross’s first solo single, a cover of the Stylistics’ “Country Living,” topped the British Chart for ten consecutive weeks in 1985. Her next release, “You’re Lying,” stayed at number one for four weeks, and Ariwa issued her debut solo album Country Living in 1986. She received the British Reggae Awards for Best Female Singer six consecutive years in a row, from 1985 to 1991. Additional honors included the Radio London Entertainment Celebrity Award in 1986, The Voice Newspaper Music Awards for Best Reggae Female Artist in 1989, and the Chicago Radio Awards for Highest Selling Record in 1990. Ariwa released six albums by Cross, among them the Wild Bunch LP. In 1992 she recorded Lovers Interlude for Teichiku Records. Her first reggae/jazz album, Just a Dream, appeared on the Japanese label Pioneer Records—similar to Teichiku—in 1996. Subsequent recordings have come out on SCM Records, the initials standing for Sandra Cross Music.
Albums
