Draft:Mykaell Riley

Mykaell Riley, AKA M.Riley, Michael Riley, Mikaell S.Riley, MSR, Mykael Reilly, Mykael Riley,Mykael S. Riley,Mykaell S. Riley, Mykaell S Riley and Riley, is a British professional singer-songwriter, producer, arranger and educator. In 1976, he became one the founder members of British roots reggae group “Steel Pulse” who were signed to Island Records in 1978. Their album “Handsworth Revolution” is viewed as an important milestone in the growth of British Reggae.

In 1980 Mykaell then started the British Ska band “Headline”, which comprised of members from the South London Funk band “Raaw”. With most of the band members being of Jamaican origin, their one aim was to inject a more original “Ska” sound compared to that of bands like: The Beat, Selector, The Specials and Madness.

Whilst working for London Weekend Television (LWT) as a music researcher, Mykaell formed the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), Britain’s first Black orchestra. The pop orchestra would become some of the busiest session musicians of the early 90s. Credits include Soul 2 Soul, Mark Morrison, China Black, Jamaroqui, Wet,Wet,Wet, Gabriel, culminating with a Channel 4 TV documentary.

He has had over eleven top 20 positions and three number ones in the charts, and is also still involved in numerous projects within the music industry developing the profile of Black- British music. Currently he is consulting on the RSA film “Black British Ska 1979-1982” - relating to Mykaell’s time within the band ‘Headline’. Currently in development, it tells the story of the pitfalls within the music industry. In 1994, Mykaell entered academia as a music consultant at the University of Westminsterr, before joining the faculty. He’s presently Director of the Black Music Research Unit, which is responsible for two major projects into Black-British music and culture: Bass Culture, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Beyond the Bassline, in collaboration with the British Library.

Early Life As a child, Riley was interested in music, and later the Air Force. He joined The Air Training Corps (ATC) in adolescence, and after leaving school completed an apprenticeship at BKI.

Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse is a British reggae band formed in Handsworth in Birmingham in 1975, with group members David Hinds (Lead vocals/guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar/vocals), Ronald McQueen (bass), Mykaell Riley (vocals/percussion), Selwyn “Bumbo” Brown (keyboards), Steve ‘Grizzly’ Nisbett (drums) and Alphonso Martin (vocals/percussion). Their first release was Kibudu, Mansetta And Abuku with a small independent label called “Dip”. They worked closely with the Rock Against Racism organisation and chose to tour with Punk movement bands such as ‘The Stranglers’ and ‘XTC’. They started performing support slots for ‘Burning Spear’, where they attracted the attention from Island Records. Their first single release for Island was ‘Ku Klux Klan’ which acted as a call for resistance against racism; it was released in 1978 and a few months later was followed by the album ‘Handsworth Revolution’. Following the release of `Handsworth Revolution, the group toured Europe with Bob and the Wailers. Later this album was awarded a Grammy Award for the Best Reggae Album, an award usually received by Jamaican acts. Steel Pulse was the first non-Jamaican band to receive this prestigious award. Unexpected circumstances and personal conflicts led to Mykaell’s departure from the band.

The Headline (band)

In 1980 Mykaell convinced the South London Funk band “Raaw” to help him reclaim the Ska sound. Ska music was popular at this time in part due to punk British bands, but due to industry-wide racism Raaw’s music went largely unnoticed.

The band was made up of brothers Lascelles Forrest (Guitarist), Tony Martin (Drummer), Richard Reid (keyboardist/vocalist). They were later joined by Paul Pryce (Guitarist/vocalist) and Winston Blissett (Bassist).

A memorable aspect of Headline was their on-stage appearance, which drew inspiration from A Clockwork Orange: white boiler-suits with bovver boots and “skin head” haircuts. Even at the height of their success, struggles with racist abuse continued to follow the band as they toured. Their concerts became known for conflicts between the band and some audience members: a gig in Middlesborough, where they were supporting the English band ‘Bad Manners’ escalated into a riot in which Headline had to be police escorted away from the venue. This then led to a car chase with shots fired at the tour bus; this event was then printed in the newspapers. Soon after this, their music got the attention of businessman Richard Branson who personally offered the band a deal to be signed to Virgin Records. After member Paul Pryce left, the band went on to record numerous songs, with Mykaell joining the band on stage as vocalist.

10 months later the band would then split, citing exhaustion. The split coincided with the band being unable to perform their single “Don’t Knock The Baldheads” on Top Of The Pops, which at that time was known for launching careers.

Currently a documentary about the band's experiences within the music industry is under-way.

Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and further ventures

In the 1989s Mykaell formed the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, a merging of classical, urban and Caribbean themes performed on classical instruments.

Whilst working for London Weekend Television (LTW), Riley noted an absence of black orchestra players on TV. He subsequently set about putting together the most talented black classically trained musicians to create an empowering sound.

The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra soon became the most popular alternative string section in the early stages of the 90s; their sound could be heard on albums such as Soul ll Soul, Maxi Priest , Gabrielle (youtube videos) and others. Mykaell went on to produce 3 albums with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and co-produced a documentary, during which time he also worked on soundtracks for TV, Film and Theatre. More accurately ‘The Reggae Philharmonic’ were a pop ensemble containing the largest collection of African and Caribbean classically trained musicians. By 1990 the Reggae Philharmonic were often controversially referred to as the ‘RPO’, an abbreviation normally reserved for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Their success was in no small part due to their popularity amongst producers, arrangers, the Caribbean community and the wider public. They were regulars on national chart program “Top of The Pops”, providing an alternative look and sound to classical strings. Mykaell’s next move was into production where he combined the musical training and experiences of the RPO, which ranged from classical and jazz to reggae, to provided a unique sound and opportunity for other writers, arrangers and producers. By the mid 90’s Mykaell and his strings had worked on chart topping artist such as Soul ll Soul, Gabrielle, Peter Andre, Jamaroqui, East 17 and many more. The live lineup consisted of session musicians from the Jazz Warriors, including the William brothers, Steve Washington, Courtney Pine, and the course string players: Andrew Tait, Ellen Blair, Everton Nelson, Ivan Hussey, Jenny Adejayan, John Taylor (19), Mykaell Riley, Sara Loewenthal, Stephen Hussey, Howard Ball, William Benham, Elen Blair, Pamela Crawford, Andy Gagadine, Steve Bradshaw, Edmund Reid, Simon Walker, Nick Page, Faye Clinton, Dudu Pukwana, Kushite, Deirdre Pascall Yolisa Phahle, Winston Blissett, Wayne Batchelor, Tim Atkins.

Other Ventures Academia Over the last 19 years, Mykaell has become the Head of Production and director of the Black Music Research Unit at the University Of Westminster in London. Whilst at the University Mykaell has contributed to the development of the Center for Commercial Music course, alongside establishing the Black Music Research Unit as the UK’s HE forum for Black British music. Through the university he has been promoting a community lead approach to researching the heritage and impact of reggae music in Britain over the last sixty years under the heading Bass Culture. He has become a regular presence on black music panels supporting community initiatives, writing reports - The Black British Jazz report, Master of the Airwaves (http://mi-soul.com/masters-of-the-airwaves-the-rise-and-rise-of-underground-radio/) http://www.mykaellriley.co.uk/about/ and most recently contributing to Black-Popular-Music-in-Britain-Since-1945 https://www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/Black-Popular-Music-in-Britain-Since-1945-Intro.pdf