Brian & Tony Gold
Dancehall music duo, born Brian Thompson and Patrick Morrison. Brian is originally from England but moved to Jamaica at age 3, while Patrick is from Manchester, Jamaica. They formed in 1986 after they meeting at the finals of the Tastee Talent Contest in Jamaica, in which Brian placed 1st and Patrick 2nd. Thereafter they linked up with Mikey Bennett and formed the pair they currently are.
They made a name for themselves in the 1990s churning out songs like "Sherrie Baby," "Bulls Eye," "Can You," "A Love That’s Real," "Compliments on Your Kiss" (an international hit which featured Red Dragon), and the cover of "Poison" which featured Dennis Brown.
The duo is featured on "2 Way," the first single from Rayvon’s new album. The single also features Shaggy and Rik Rok.
The first song they recorded together was "Ebony Eyes" on the Red Rock label, probably the first and only song released on that label.
The song opened a few bolted doors for them, as they caught the attention of producers such as King Jammys and Bobby Digital.
"Bulls Eye" was their first hit but the big break came in 1990 when they teamed with Dennis Brown on a remake of "Poison." Suddenly, the duo was on almost every gig being staged in Jamaica. Brown then invited them to perform with him at Inseparable at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica.
The song "Compliments on Your Kiss" could’ve been bigger than it actually was but the intervention of their record company, Pow Wow Records, derailed the song’s success. The duo recalled that the contract that they signed with the label didn’t benefit them. Pow Wow failed to promote the album for a couple of years, leaving the band trapped in contract with them. Frustrated, they decided to record for other producers.
They added "We did ‘Compliments’ with Red Dragon for Sly and Robbie. They released the song and Island Records decided to release it on their label. A video release popularized the song. As the track rose on the charts, Pow Wow found out about it, and wanted to sue Island Records. Island ceased promoting the track upon the legal threat, and so it fell off the charts after peaking at #2 for a couple weeks. Because of the contract violation, Pow Wow reaped all monies earned from the song. Island remained interested, but unable to do anything with the two.
The experience served as a learning experience for the duo, and they recommend that recording artists should go through contracts with a good lawyer.
The Big Yard link happened in the mid 1990s while at a performance at Japan Splash. The duo was approached by Robert Livingston, Shaggy’s manager, who asked them to sing harmonies on one of the deejay’s songs. That same year while Shaggy was going on a US tour, Livingston asked them to join as opening acts.
Christopher Birch, Sting, Mikey Fletcher and Shaggy are among those who contributed to their music. Dave Kelly has also produced a track.
Touring with the Big Yard crew over the past few years has constantly kept the duo out of Jamaica and away from their family and friends. "Over the years we have learned how to deal with it, and we keep in touch with our family and kids every day. When we are performing on television with Shaggy, we make all kinds of signals cause we know they are watching and they know that those signals are for them."
The duo recommends positive lyrics, a professional attitude, discipline, dedication and an understanding of the music business to upcoming artistes in the business. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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