Soul II Soul

Soul II Soul embraced a multicultural and uplifting worldview, expressed through their "funky dred" logo and the slogan "A happy face, a thumpin' bass, for a lovin' race." Toward the close of the 1980s, the collective began exporting the communal spirit of London’s sound-system scene to international audiences. While new jack swing’s polished, machine-driven aesthetic held sway over mainstream R&B, the ensemble—anchored by producer, songwriter, and part-time vocalist Jazzie B—blended breakbeat-fueled hip-hop and house rhythms with the refined, orchestral dancefloor soul of 1970s acts including Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, MFSB, and Chic. From the 1989 debut Club Classics Vol. One, the standout tracks "Keep On Movin'" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" both spotlighted Caron Wheeler’s smooth vocals and propelled the group to domestic and worldwide chart prominence; the second of those singles also earned them Grammy recognition. Subsequent releases included the U.K. number-one LP Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade (1990), the number-three album Volume III: Just Right (1992), and eleven further U.K. Top 40 singles, each fronted by a distinct lead singer.

Jazzie B (Trevor Beresford Romeo) and Daddae Harvey (Philip Harvey) first operated a sound system during their early teenage years, initially drawing crowds with reggae selections before broadening their playlists to soul, funk, and jazz. By the mid-1980s they had established a widely attended Sunday-night residency at Covent Garden’s Africa Centre. In 1988 the outfit moved beyond sound-system and pirate-radio activity to issue its Virgin 10 debut single, "Fairplay." Jazzie B co-wrote and co-produced the track with Nellee Hooper (of Maximum Joy and the Wild Bunch), while Rose Windross supplied the lead vocals. Later that year the group released the Do'Reen vehicle "Feel Free," again written and produced by Jazzie B and Hooper. The two singles reached numbers 63 and 64, respectively, on the U.K. pop chart.

Early 1989 brought Soul II Soul’s commercial breakthrough via vocalist Caron Wheeler, previously a member of the reggae group Brown Sugar and a prominent session singer heard (and seen) on Elvis Costello’s "Everyday I Write the Book" and the Special A.K.A.’s "Free Nelson Mandela." The third single, "Keep On Movin'," entered the U.K. chart in March and climbed to number five; the full-length Club Classics, Vol. One followed the next month. Shortly afterward came "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)," co-written by Wheeler, Jazzie B, Hooper, and keyboardist Simon Law. That track topped the U.K. singles chart, achieved Top Ten status in multiple territories including the United States (where the album was retitled Keep On Movin'), and secured Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best R&B Instrumental Performance (for the album cut "African Dance"). The group also received a Best New Artist nomination alongside fellow Londoner Neneh Cherry.

Barely a year after Club Classics, Vol. One appeared, Soul II Soul delivered Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade. Issued the same month as Caron Wheeler’s solo debut UK Blak, the album reached number one in Britain and yielded the Top Ten hits "Get a Life" (featuring Marcia Lewis) and "A Dream’s a Dream" (featuring Victoria Wilson-James), plus the Top 40 entry "Missing You" (fronted by Kym Mazelle). These singles also performed strongly on American R&B/hip-hop and dance charts. For the third album, Volume III: Just Right, Jazzie B assumed sole production duties after Hooper’s departure and assembled a fresh roster of vocalists that included Richie Stephens, Kofi, and Rick Clarke. The set peaked at number three in the U.K.; the Clarke-led single "Joy" reached number four on the pop chart. "Mood" earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. Prior to that nomination, 10/Virgin issued the 1993 anthology Volume IV: The Classic Singles 88-93, which contained the new Melissa Bell collaboration "Wish," Soul II Soul’s ninth U.K. Top 40 single.

Two further albums appeared in the 1990s: Volume V: Believe (July 1995) and Time for Change (September 1997, released via Island). Penny Ford and Charlotte Kelly sang the U.K. Top 40 cuts "Love Enuff" and "I Care" from the former, while Paul Johnson fronted the Top 40 track "Represent" from the latter. By decade’s end the collective had disbanded. Do'Reen passed away in 2002 after being struck by multiple vehicles while crossing the A27 on foot. Since 2007 Soul II Soul, still guided by Jazzie B (appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2008), has performed with rotating lineups that have periodically reunited Wheeler and earlier vocalists. Jazzie B has continued working as a DJ. Daddae Harvey died on September 10, 2024, at the age of 60.