Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE (born 26 January 1963), better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul.
Life and career
He was born in Hornsey, London, the ninth of ten children, several of whom began running sound systems in the 1960s and 1970s. Born to parents of Antiguan descent. With friends working under the name Jah Rico, his first gig was in 1977. He changed their working name to Soul II Soul in 1982. Soul II Soul was originally an umbrella name for several of Jazzie B's operations, including sound systems as well as the group itself.[1]
Jazzie B has also produced and remixed tracks for The Fine Young Cannibals, Incognito, Maxi Priest, James Brown, Kym Mazelle, Rose Windross, Cheryl Lynn, Public Enemy, Johnny Gill, Caron Wheeler, Isaac Hayes, Sinéad O'Connor, Teena Marie, Ziggy Marley, Yorker, The Jones Girls, Nas, and Destiny's Child.[2]
He has produced and presented a number of various artists compilations, including Jazzie B Presents Soul II Soul at the Africa Centre (2004); Jazzie B Presents School Days: Life Changing Tracks From The Trojan Archives (2008); and Masterpiece (2008).
He is a founding director of the Featured Artists Coalition.[3]
Jazzie B hosts a show called Back 2 Life, every Friday evening from 8pm on BBC London 94.9, which plays funk, soul, reggae and house.
He took part in the 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School.
His daughter Jessye is an actress. His son Mahlon Romeo is a professional footballer who plays Right-Back for Millwall FC.
Awards and accolades
In 2002, he was listed first in the Business category of the 100 Great Black Britons list.[4]
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Elizabeth II in the 2008 New Year Honours.[5]
In May 2008, he was awarded the first Inspiration award at the Ivor Novello Awards, for being "a pioneer" and "the man who gave black British music a soul of its own".[6]
References
- ^ "Interview at DJHistory.com". Djhistory.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Jazzie B at bioandlyrics.com". Bioandlyrics.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ Youngs, Ian (12 March 2009). "Music stars call for more power". BBC News.
- ^ [1] Archived October 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "BBC News: New Years Honours". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Ivor Novello Awards 2008". Metro. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
External links
- Jazzie B website
- Soul II Soul website
- Independent on Sunday, Day in the life: Jazzie B, DJ & Producer, 4 November 2008
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