The list of DJ/singer combinations in reggae is endless. None have been as commercially successful - and deservedly so - as Chaka Demus And Pliers. Chaka Demus (b. John Taylor, 1965, West Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies), the rapping half of the pairing, began his career chatting on a variety of sound systems, the most famous of these being Supreme and Jammy's, as Nicodemus Jnr. In 1985 a name change provoked a shift of fortunes, and Chaka, whose gruff but avuncular tones made him a stand-out in any DJ company, cut his first single, "Increase Your Knowledge", soon afterwards. A string of 45s bearing his name arrived, "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer", an adaptation of the old Amos Milburn R&B chestnut, and "2 Foot Walk", among them. However, chiefly associated with Jammy's studio, Chaka's mild manner perhaps held him back in what was then the biggest recording stable in Jamaica. A move to Penthouse Studio for "Chaka On The Move" (1987) improved matters, and it was here that Chaka first became friendly with Pliers, a singer who, like Chaka, had not yet made the fullest impact on reggae's landscape. Pliers (b. Everton Bonner, 1965, Kingston, Jamaica) first found fame cutting sides with Black Scorpio (Maurice Johnson). Influenced by his brother, Spanner Banner, and fellow tool/tunesmith Pinchers, Pliers cut sides for a variety of labels, among them Pickout, Pioneer Musik ("Murder We Wrote", a song to which he would later return), Jammys, Harry J. and Studio One. Successful though he was, Pliers always seemed to trail in the wake of more celebrated, if faddish, singers such as Wayne Wonder and Sanchez. While playing shows together in Miami in 1991, Chaka and Pliers decided to team up. "Gal Wine" for Ossie Hibbert was their first 45 together, which led to a slew of reggae chart successes, "Rough This Year", "Love Up The Gal", "Without Love", "Winning Machine" and "Worl' A Girls", among them. A collaboration with producers Sly And Robbie created a new model of "Murder She Wrote", which hit number 1 in the specialist charts worldwide. Having evidently developed a successful formula, they secured a contract with the Mango label, Island Records' reggae division, and, in 1993, hit the UK Top 10 with "Tease Me", a fine, bright ragga-pop record. "She Don't Let Nobody", the follow-up, also broke into the pop Top 10, and a version of "Twist & Shout", with extra vocal support from Jack Radics, became a UK number 1. All these titles were included on the Tease Me album. For a long time, it seemed that Chaka and Pliers would not make it as big as their peers - now those same rivals can only gape in amazement and envy.

Listen to Chaka Demus at Finetune.

• (2006)  Gal Wine

• Gal Wine
• Pretty Face And Bad Character
• Number One
• Love Sweet Jamaica
• Get Up, Stand Up

• Buju Banton
• Shaggy
• Sizzla
• Shabba Ranks
• Beenie Man
• Mad Cobra
• Sean Paul
• Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Bob Marley
• Gregory Isaacs
• Capleton
• Elephant Man
• Barrington Levy
• Damian Marley
• Bounty Killer
• Jimmy Cliff
• Chaka Demus & Pliers
• Dennis Brown
• Beres Hammond
• Peter Tosh

• RcR
• willie0512
• Baa
• emmanuel77
• tome73
• fiveherb
• Jaylady
• Darknessuno