Song:Everything I Own
Album:Everything I Own
Jamaican singer Ken Boothe had his biggest success with his 1974 cover of the Bread hit Everything I Own. After that, record company problems stalled his career. He was born Mar. 22, 1948 in Kingston, Jamaica. His mother and older sister were also singers. He formed the duo Stranger & Ken with his friend Winston "Stranger" Cole. They recorded for Studio One in the mid-60s and hits included World's Fair and All Your Friends. Studio One owner Coxsone Dodd encouraged Boothe to record solo and his hits included You're No Good, Feel Good and Mustang Sally. Boothe left Studio One in 1970 for Leslie Kong's Beverley label. But Kong's untimely death left Boothe in limbo. He tried out several producers before settling on Lloyd Charmers. He was a member of The Charmers and the two worked together briefly in The Messengers. Charmers suggested covering the Bread hit Everything I Own. It was actually based on Andy Williams' cover of the song. In England, it was a much bigger hit than the original and topped the charts in 1974. And the funny part is Boothe actually sings Anything I Own instead of Everything I Own. In 1987, Boy George's hit cover of Everything I Own was based on Boothe's version of the song. Unfortunately, Trojan Records closed in 1975 and though Boothe has recorded occasionally, he has never been able to repeat the success of Everything I Own. This comp from the British label Spectrum is a good intro to his music. Here's Ken Boothe performing Everything I Own on Top Of The Pops 1974.
No comments:
Post a Comment