Eddy Grant

After Bob Marley turned reggae into a worldwide phenomenon in the ’70s, Eddy Grant ensured it was ready for the '80s by turbocharging its rhythms with rock, funk, and electronic music. Born in Plaisance, Guyana, in 1948 before emigrating to the UK in 1960, Grant had early success as a guitarist for The Equals, a pioneering multiracial R&B-pop group later covered by The Clash, Pato Banton, and The Specials. A health crisis in 1971 precipitated his departure from The Equals and the beginnings of his career as a solo artist and producer. Grant demonstrated his eagerness to push Caribbean music in new directions on the 1978 album Walking On Sunshine and the funk-reggae powerhouse that served as the title track. Thanks to the muscular, futuristic groove of "Electric Avenue" and the more plaintive "I Don't Wanna Dance," 1982's Killer on the Rampage became one of the most innovative and inescapable albums of its era. Just as powerful as Grant's take on reggae were the pleas for peace and social justice that fill the 1988 anti-apartheid anthem "Gimme Hope Jo'Anna” as well as later songs enriched by his positive energy.